The next in line for UFC’s Flyweight Championship—after Manon Fiorot gets her shot at the belt—could be decided in a little over two months.
A five-round matchup between high-ranked 125-pound talents Erin Blanchfield and Maycee Barber has been booked for the main event of UFC’s May 31st “Fight Night” card at the APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, as announced by the promotion Tuesday.
A long series of key wins have put Blanchfield and Barber ranked third and fourth in the division, getting them possibly only one more win away from a chance at a world title. The only fighters ranked above them are former champ Alexa Grasso and French contender Fiorot, who is expected to take on incumbent champ Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 315.
Because of this, the stakes for UFC’s late-May headliner are quite high.
Barber has been on a roll since 2021, having put together six wins over the past few years. She has beaten prominent names like former title challenger Katlyn Cerminara and long-time ranked fighter Amanda Ribas, bringing her into the division’s top five.
The upcoming booking sees Barber receive her first-ever five-round pro assignment, potentially providing a bigger durability test than ever before. She was briefly expected to receive her first headliner assignment last July against former champ Rose Namajunas, although the matchup never came to fruition.
For Blanchfield, a win in May would earn her a second consecutive high-profile victory in the UFC cage. While she suffered a main event setback against Fiorot last March—a defeat that ended Blanchfield’s impressive six-fight winning streak in the division—the American contender bounced back with a five-round victory against Namajunas last November.
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