UFC on ESPN 43 will feature a women's flyweight bout between Andrea Lee and Maycee Barber, which could serve as a stepping stone for the winner in a talent-stacked 125-pound division.
Based on the order, the No.11-ranked Lee and the No.13-ranked Barber could move into the top 10 with an impressive showing on Saturday night. Although both fighters will weigh-in at 125 pounds, there will be a slight size advantage for Lee as she is the taller fighter.
'KGB' stands 5'6" with a 69.5" reach, while 'The Future' stands 5'5" with a 65" reach. With that in mind, she could use the reach advantage to utilize her striking and dictate the pace of the fight. Both fighters are karate specialists, which will make for some interesting striking exchanges.
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Barber has been on a more impressive run as of late as she is currently riding a three-fight winning streak that includes wins over Miranda Maverick, Montana De La Rosa, and Jessica Eye. Her only career losses have been against the likes of former title challenger Roxanne Modafferi and current women's flyweight champion Alexa Grasso.
Lee, on the other hand, comes into the fight looking to bounce back from her unanimous decision loss to Viviane Araujo. The loss snapped her two-fight winning streak, which included wins over Antonina Shevchenko and Cynthia Calvillo.
Maycee Barber wants a rematch with women's flyweight champion Alexa Grasso
Maycee Barber continues to rack up wins in the UFC women's flyweight division and will look to extend her winning streak to four straight wins when she fights Andrea Lee this Saturday night.
It's no surprise that 'The Future' wants to avenge her loss to Alexa Grasso, especially considering that she is recently won the women's flyweight championship.
While speaking with the media during her pre-fight media availability, Maycee Barber mentioned that she was happy to see Grasso win the title and expressed her desire to fight her again in the future.
"At some point, I want my shot back against Alexa [Grasso] because I wanna win that back...Whether she's the champ or not, I want that fight back."
If 'The Future' continues to ascend the rankings at 125lbs, a potential rematch shouldn't be ruled out.