Maycee Barber: UFC Vegas 107's Erin Blanchfield is 'a boring fighter' with 'a terrible fighting style'

Yahoo

5 days ago

Maycee Barber isn't impressed with Erin Blanchfield.
The pair of top-ranked flyweight contenders collide this Saturday night in UFC Vegas 107's main event. Barber and Blanchfield have long appeared to be on a collision course, with a previously booked matchup falling through in 2021 when an injury forced Barber's withdrawal.
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Thanks to that previous instance, Blanchfield has recently expressed her worries that Barber will once again miss fight night. Barber reacted to the comments on Tuesday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show."
"She's just trying to figure out what she can say bad about me, because I think she can't really talk anything bad about my style or anything about my marketability," Barber said. "I think it's just the only thing she can say about me — that she thinks I might not show up to the fight versus her. I think her fighting style is terrible, and there's a lot of things you can say about Erin Blanchfield — she's a boring fighter, she has a terrible fighting style.
"It's boring. Have you watched it?" Barber continued. "Do you think she's an exciting fighter? She's a good fighter, but is she an exciting fighter, though?"
When the original Blanchfield vs. Barber fight fell through in 2021, Blanchfield ultimately earned a one-sided win over replacement opponent Miranda Maverick. Coincidentally, Barber had come off a controversial victory of her own against Maverick immediately prior, but has since gained plenty of momentum by winning six bouts in a row.
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Since then, Blanchfield has suffered just one setback over her past six bouts — when she lost a unanimous decision to recent title challenger Manon Fiorot in March 2024. Blanchfield rebounded with a decision win over former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas this past November, however Barber believes the judges did her rival a favor in that one.
"Manon exposed Erin's holes, and I think she was gifted the win over Rose," Barber said. "I think Rose won the fight against Erin, honestly. I think she beat her in the striking, and I think she got lucky in that fight.
"I think a lot of people didn't [score it for Blanchfield]. I think Rose is on her way out, and I think the UFC knows that. I think a lot of people know that. So what good would it do to give Rose the decision over Erin? So I think they gave Erin the decision over Rose because Erin's the younger fighter.
"I'm not sure exactly what they're thinking, but I think there's some biased judges, for sure."
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Barber's winning streak is undeniably the best of her career, and up there with the best currently at 125 pounds. Following the champion Valentina Shevchenko's latest title defense against Fiorot at UFC 315, "The Bullet" is expected to wait to see which contender emerges as the next in line.
Maycee Barber earned a tough win over Katlyn Cerminara in her most recent UFC appearance in March 2024. ()
(Megan Briggs via Getty Images)
While names like Barber, Blanchfield and Natalia Silva are all at the front of the flyweight list, reigning strawweight queen Zhang Weili has been linked to a champion vs. champion fight with Shevchenko since late 2024. Barber has mixed feelings on that idea, but has heard rumblings about its validity.
"I was actually told that a while ago. And honestly, I think, for me, as a competitor in the flyweight division, obviously I want a title shot after I beat Erin," Barber said. "But also, it's cool to see that they keep trying to unite the belts or have a double champ. I don't know if Weili beats Valentina though, to be honest. I think Valentina is fast. I know Weili has the power, but Valentina is fast and I think Valentina is such a dominant champion."
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Assuming the Shevchenko vs. Zhang superfight does happen next, Barber may have to fight once more if she gets past Blanchfield. In that case, a Silva clash could look like the obvious next step on paper.
Barber isn't overly keen on the idea, though. If they end up fighting one day, "The Future" sees it happening when either woman is the champion. Although Silva's latest performance saw her dispatch ex-champ Alexa Grasso, Barber still thinks a win over Blanchfield will put her ahead of the Brazilian.
"When I win on Saturday, I'm planning on calling for a title shot. That's the plan," Barber said. "I do [think I'll get it]. I don't think I need to say anything more, I think that will be enough.
"You already know that every time I go out to fight, I try to hurt people. My plan is to hurt Erin and to make her bleed a lot and to finish her. I think that that's a good statement, and I don't want a decision. I think that all of Erin's fights go to boring decisions, so my plan is to finish her."