Maycee Barber just defeated Montana De La Rosa at UFC Vegas 52. It seemed as if ‘The Future’ has rediscovered her past self as she dominated De La Rosa throughout the course of the bout and won the fight via unanimous decision.
But things were not this good even a few months ago. After a robust entry in the UFC, Barber had her momentum halted as she was defeated by Roxanne Modafferi in 2020 at UFC 246. It was the first loss of her career. She suffered another setback in her very next fight against Alexa Grasso.
With the two back to back losses, Maycee Barber was at a very bad spot in her personal life. She also had to suffer a lot of abuse on social media platforms. But it seems like she is finally over the hump as she looked better than ever tonight. And Maycee has given all the credit to one person!
The Future is lookin’ good for @MayceeBarber ???? #UFCVegas52 pic.twitter.com/uW2KFmoUt4
— UFC (@ufc) April 24, 2022
In her post-fight interview in the Octagon, she told Daniel Cormier that motivational speaker Sheri Riley was to thank for the positive changes in her life. Maycee Barber added,
“I wanna give (a shout out). She was in the room for the first time (when) I met her yesterday, for the first time. But she helped me overcome so much. Sheri Riley and Eric Thomas, I don’t know where she is taught me so much.
“I actually have my first tattoo it’s peace on my hand and it’s something that she taught me. So peace for anybody. Whether you’re a fighter, whether you’re a human, just anybody. Peace is what has helped me overcome a lot of things and it’s something that I encourage everybody to find.”
Barber was asked about what her thoughts were on the criticism that came her way during the post-fight press conference. “I don’t read that.” Barber said, and further added, “No negativity.”
Maycee Barber reveals how she found peace in her life
Sheri Riley is a motivational speaker and a life strategist who primarily works with athletes. According to the UFC flyweight fighter, Sheri helped her immensely in order to get her life and career back on track. The 23-year called Riley a mother figure in her life. In the press conference after the event, Maycee Barber said,
“The next person that would be the closest to being a mother to me and that’s Sheri Riley. She is my high-performance life coach and she is a mentor, she is my second mother, she is honestly the angel that has been suit to my life. She has impacted me in so many ways,”
In the time I’ve worked with Maycee, she’s shown amazing personal and professional growth. Now, my UNDEFEATED client Maycee Barber is fighting tonight in Vegas!!
So proud to be a part of her journey!
You can catch her fight at 9pm ET on ESPN. Wish her luck!! ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/0saUVNevcM— Sheri Riley® (@SheriRiley) April 23, 2022
Sheri Riley also took to Twitter to congratulate her client on emerging victorious. Maycee Barber will be looking to climb up the ranks in order to eventually fulfil her dream of being the champ. She wants to fight someone ranked higher than her in the division.
Who do you think she will fight? Let us know your picks in the comments below.
