Shortly after flyweight contenders Maycee Barber and Amanda Ribas stepped into the cage Saturday, blood poured down on the canvas.
In the UFC on ABC 5 co-main event, Barber (13-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) defeated Ribas (11-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) by TKO at 3:42 of Round 2 to cap off a wild back-and-forth brawl. The card took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
After a first round that saw Ribas battered while she attempted a leg submission, Barber started off a finishing combination with a head kick in Round 2. Ribas had Barber hurt briefly, but Barber turned the tides rapidly.
After the stunning high kick, Barber pushed forward and swarmed Ribas, who eventually dropped to the canvas. Barber hopped on top and pounded away at Ribas, who remained conscious but was unable to intelligently defend herself to the liking of referee Keith Peterson.
What a statement by Maycee Barber 😤 pic.twitter.com/DP1ZQYXntz
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 24, 2023
Barber was covered in blood as Peterson pulled her off Ribas and she let out a primal roar. After the stoppage, Ribas rose to her feet and gave Peterson a double thumbs up.
With the victory, Barber has won five in a row as she continues her quest to avenge a loss against now-UFC women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso. On the flip side of the equation, Ribas falls to 1-2 in her most recent three fights.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ABC 5 results include:
- Maycee Barber def. Amanda Ribas via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:42
- Austen Lane vs. Justin Tafa declared no contest (Tafa suffered accidental eye poke) – Round 1, 0:29
- David Onama def. Gabriel Santos via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 4:13
- Brendan Allen def. Bruno Silva via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:39
- Neil Magny def. Phil Rowe via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Randy Brown def. Wellington Turman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Mateusz Rebecki def. Loik Radzhabov via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:36
- Tabatha Ricci def. Gillian Robertson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Joshua Van def. Zhalgas Zhumagulov via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Chepe Mariscal def. Trevor Peek via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jack Jenkins def. Jamall Emmers via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
- Sedriques Dumas def. Cody Brundage via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 5.
