Ranked flyweights Andrea “KGB” Lee and Maycee Barber are set to face off in an exciting bout this weekend at UFC Fight Night in San Antonio.
The two have polarizing styles but are extremely talented in their own areas of expertise, with solid chins and strong cardio to back them. Both are rising through the flyweight division and have made a name for themselves by always putting forward a rigorous pace.
Betting Odds
Coming off of two wins against solid opponents in Montana De La Rosa and Jessica Eye, Maycee Barber comes in as a favorite.
- Andrea Lee: (+220)
- Maycee Barber: (-260)
Fight Breakdown
These two carry extremely different fighting styles, with Maycee Barber showcasing great grappling and clinch work and Andrea Lee utilizing intricate and powerful striking. This makes the fight a great test to see how far Barber’s come since her fight against current champion Alexa Grasso, who used sharp jabs and quick footwork to evade Barber’s takedown and clinch attempts.
Lee fights a fairly similar style, using quick jabs to slip in and out of the pocket, with the only difference being that she welcomes clinch exchanges. She has solid clinch grappling that helps prevent her from being taken down and lands harsh knees to the midsection that often prevents her opponents from further initiating clinches. It’s Lee’s grappling outside of the clinch that often leaves her vulnerable, as she’s frequently failed to anticipate takedown shots from a distance which forces her onto her back, a position she’s often struggled in. She usually manages to scramble her way back to her feet, but many of her opponents have stolen rounds by grinding her out on the ground.
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Lee’s most effective striking asset is her consistent background in Muay Thai. She frequently unleashes a diverse range of round kicks targeting the head, body, and legs, which gradually wear down her opponents. Additionally, she is skilled in using sneaky elbows both within and outside of the clinch, which has inflicted severe damage on some of her opponents. When Lee enters the pocket with her opponents, her go-to move is her heavy knee strikes to the body, which can be devastating.
Barber’s striking has improved tremendously as she’s come along through the UFC, as she’s polished much of her distance striking and implemented solid dirty boxing into her clinch work. She’s still somewhat defensively irresponsible, with recent fights with Miranda Maverick and Jessica Eye showing that she still struggles to evade strikes as she comes in. This could give her problems against Lee, who frequently puts forward solid counter right-hands when opponents move forward.
As stated before, both fighters have extremely solid conditioning that’s helped push them through some of their tougher fights. Neither seemed to have folded when entering the third round and keep a steady pace throughout the entirety of their fights. As well as this, they both put forward heavy damage early in their fights, making this an interesting fight to see who’ll be fresher in the second and third rounds.
Prediction and Betting Guide
Overall, I think Barber has the edge in this fight. She’s shown exponential improvement in her striking as she’s progressed through the UFC and her grappling advantage is likely going to overwhelm the specialist in Lee. Lee still has a solid chance in this fight though, so long as she can stay in the center of the octagon and defend Barber’s takedowns from a distance. There’s one safe pick in this fight, however, and that’s that the fight will likely go the distance. Neither fighter has been knocked out since entering the UFC and both have tested chins that could definitely go through three hard rounds.
Pick: Maycee Barber by Decision (-110) or Fight to go the distance (-225)
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