Maycee Barber Returns at UFC 335 to Face Red-Hot Carli Judice

Maycee Barber is back, and the UFC isn't easing her in. The promotion confirmed Wednesday that Barber (15-3) will meet the surging Carli Judice (7-2) in a women's flyweight bout at UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It's Barber's first walk to the cage since one of the ugliest finishes of the year.

That finish came courtesy of Alexa Grasso, now the division's No. 3, who put Barber out cold with a punch before transitioning to a choke. The timing stung. Barber had ripped off seven straight wins and was knocking on the door of a title shot before Grasso slammed it shut. She's still clinging to the No. 8 spot in the flyweight rankings.

Judice is the kind of matchup you give a fighter you believe in — or one you're testing. The 23-pound finisher known as "Crispy" has won four in a row, three by knockout, including a first-round stoppage of Jeisla Chaves plus finishes of Nicolle Caliari and Yuneisy Duben. Of her seven career wins, six have come by KO/TKO.

Her UFC origin story is a bit unusual. Judice earned her contract on Dana White's Contender Series in 2023 despite dropping a narrow split decision to Ernesta Kareckaite on the show. The brass clearly saw the upside. She's since made good on it.

What's at Stake

For Barber, this is a reset. A loss to a hot unranked prospect would be rough for someone who was recently a win or two from gold. A win keeps her relevant in a division where Grasso and Alexa's title picture still loom large. The finish rate tells the story of the risk: Judice stops people, and Barber just got stopped.

The card has firepower up top. UFC 335 is headlined by a "BMF" lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira (37-11) — the former champ and submission king with 22 career tapouts — and Diego Lopes. Light heavyweight No. 3 Alex Pereira (13-4) is also booked against Sergei Pavlovich. Elsewhere on the bill, recent DWCS signing Quentin Pasley (4-0) draws Junior Tafa (7-6) at 205 pounds.

Barber vs. Judice slots in as a genuine crossroads scrap: a ranked veteran trying to rebuild against a prospect with momentum and knockout power. One way or another, somebody's climbing after Dec. 12.