Two flyweight contenders are set to collide as the Octagon heads to Colorado for a UFC Fight Night event on June 13.
The event, which takes place at the Ball Arena in Denver, will see two top-10 contenders in the women’s 125-pound division go head to head, as No. 4 ranked Maycee Barber faces off against former strawweight champion and No. 6-ranked flyweight contender Rose Namajunas.
It’s a bout that pits the new generation of the UFC’s flyweight division against a longstanding veteran who knows what it takes to reach the UFC summit, and provides Barber with an acid test of her championship credentials in what will be her first UFC main event.
Barber will head into the bout in stellar form, having won her last six outings. Victories over Miranda Maverick, Montana De La Rosa, Jessica Eye, Andrea Lee, Amanda Ribas and longtime top contender Katlyn Cerminara have proved “The Future” is a forced to be reckoned with at the top level of the women’s flyweight class.
But now she’ll face former strawweight champ Namajunas, who has faced a who’s who of women’s UFC greats during her 11+ year pro career.
“Thug Rose” handed Joanna Jedrzejczuk the first defeat of her career as she captured the strawweight title at UFC 217 in November 2017, then defended the belt in an immediate rematch five months later.
She was shocked by Jessica Andrade as she lost the title via slam KO at UFC 237 but, after a year away from the cage, bounced back to exact revenge on Andrade in a non-title rematch and earn a shot at champion Weili Zhang. Despite being the betting underdog, “Thug Rose” produced a moment for the ages with a stunning head-kick KO to topple Zhang and become a two-time champion. She then cemented her status with victory in the rematch.
Namajunas was again surprised as she lost her belt to Carla Esparza via split decision at UFC 274. A comeback attempt against Manon Fiorot resulted in another defeat on the cards. But, in March, Namajunas returned to form with a unanimous decision win over Amanda Ribas. Now she’s set to face Barber in the knowledge that victory could put her in line for a third shot at a UFC title.
The fight was officially confirmed by UFC CEO Dana White on social media, as the first few fights for the card were confirmed, and UFC officials have since confirmed more matchups for the July 13 card.
We are coming back to Denver on July 13th #UFCDenver pic.twitter.com/z0mrUPlGBz
— danawhite (@danawhite) June 5, 2024
Joining Barber vs. Namajunas on the fight card in Colorado are lightweights Drew Dober and Mike Davis, who will face off at 155 pounds, while ranked flyweights Viviane Araujo and Jasmine Jasudavicius are also set for action.
The card also features a quartet of welterweight matchups. Argentina’s Santiago Ponzinibbio takes on Russia’s Muslim Salikhov, Canada’s Mike Malott faces USA’s Gilbert Urbina, Brazil’s Gabriel Bonfim will battle Congo’s Ange Loosa, and American duo Josh Fremd and Andre Petroski will throw down, all at 170 pounds.
Additionally, middleweights Abdul Razak Alhassan and Cody Brundage go head to head at 185 pounds, featherweights Julian Erosa and Christian Rodriguez face off at 145 pounds, and women’s flyweights Luana Santos and Mariya Agapova are also set for action.
UFC Denver: Confirmed fights
- Maycee Barber vs. Rose Namajunas
- Drew Dober vs. Mike Davis
- Viviane Araujo vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
- Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Muslim Salikhov
- Mike Malott vs. Gilbert Urbina
- Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage
- Julian Erosa vs. Christian Rodriguez
- Gabriel Bonfim vs. Ange Loosa
- Josh Fremd vs. Andre Petroski
- Luana Santos vs. Mariya Agapova
