Maycee Kaye Barber was born in Greeley in Colorado. At a young age, she started training in MMA with the goal of becoming a professional competitor.
Barber and her sister ran a BJJ academy in Fort Collins after going through the highly suspect Gracie University program.
The two were blue belts at the time and just 16 years old and there was quite a bit of backlash from the community.
Much of the backlash focused on the fact that there was a picture in which Barber wore a black belt – which she obviously didn’t receive.
Barber pivoted to MMA quickly after that.
Barber’s father Bucky Barber explained the situation to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole in an interview. He said: “At that point, it was, ‘OK, the better we make her as a fighter, the less damage she’s going to take.’ So we started to travel, and we took her literally all over the United States.”
Barber also has a younger brother named Wyatt. He is a Bellator-affiliated mixed martial artist.
In June 2017 at LFA 14, Barber faced Itzel Esquivel in her first career match. Her armbar submission in the first round gave her the victory.
In May 2018, Barber fought Audrey Perkins at LFA 39. This was her last match with the organization. It was the first knockout victory of her professional career as she won through technical knockout in the second round.
In July 2018, Mayce Barber and Jamie Colleen competed in Dana White’s Contender Series 13. She stopped Colleen in the third round and ended up receiving a UFC contract.
On November 10, 2018, Maycee Barber made her UFC debut. She competed against Hannah Cifers on UFC Fight Night: The Korean Zombie vs. RodrÃguez. In the second round, she won the match by TKO.
On March 23, 2019, Barber took on JJ Aldrich at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs Pettis. By using a technical knockout in the second round, Barber ended up winning the match.
In October 2019, Barber competed against Gillian Robertson on UFC on ESPN 6. She ended up winning the match via technical knockout in the first round.
In January 2020, Roxanne Modafferi and Barber squared off at UFC 246. She lost the match via unanimous decision.
After taking a year out to heal from a knee injury, Barber competed against Alexa Grasso at UFC 258 on February 13, 2021. She was defeated via a unanimous decision loss.
In July 2021, at Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw, Barber fought Miranda Maverick. Barber won the match through a split decision. However, 222 media outlets gave Maverick the victory in the fight.
In July 2022 at UFC 276, Barber competed against Jessica Eye in place of Casey O’Neill as she was injured. She received a unanimous decision victory. The match was also the last one under her previous contract. Later in the year, she re-signed with the UFC.
On March 25, 2023, Barber and Andrea Lee squared off on UFC on ESPN 43. She won the match via split decision.
Barber is scheduled to compete against Amanda Ribas on June 24, 2023, at UFC on ABC 5.
Maycee Barber currently competes in the flyweight division of the UFC. She is currently number 11 on the Women’s Flyweight Rankings.