Maycee Barber out almost a year following a full ACL tear at UFC 246

The quest to become the youngest UFC Champion in history will have to be put on hold for now for Maycee Barber. The 21-year-old prospect suffered a complete ACL tear in her left knee, according to her father Bucky Barber.

Barber (8-1) suffered the injury during her fight against Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 246. The fight lasted three rounds and Modafferi won via unanimous decision. Her father believes everything broke down for her in the first round.

“We think she injured it in the first 10 seconds,” Bucky Barber stated to ESPN. “She stepped on Roxanne’s foot as she backed up and felt a pop. You can see the knee give out on the side. She went back and started fighting and trying to do things and I noticed she was flat in a way I’ve never seen before.”

The fight was one of the toughest challenges Barber every went through. During the middle of the flyweight bout, a medical professional examined Barber’s leg after seeing a significant limp when Barber was walking. The third round started with the physician oddly telling referee Jason Herzog that she suffered a partial ACL tear, but was OK to fight.

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Modafferi, the underdog of the bout, utilized her striking and takedown ability to immobilize Barber further. The injury is expected to keep Barber away from the octagon for nine months. One to never let setbacks take control of her life, Barber made two posts on Instagram. One of them was simple, stating the following:

“You may see me struggle, but you’ll never see me quit. 🖤 #THEFUTURE”

The other kept her goals in check, stating, “The outcome of this fight may not have happened according to plan but my Goal of beating Jon Jones record and being the youngest champion in UFC history stays the same.” 

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