Another show-stopping victory! Monster Energy congratulates Maycee “The Future” Barber on defeating Amanda Ribas at UFC Fight Night Jacksonville. In the co-main event fight contested in the Women’s Flyweight division, the 25-year-old from Greeley, Colorado, brutalized her opponent to a second-round TKO victory. The no-holds-barred battle also earned Barber the UFC’s $50,000 Performance of the Night Bonus.
Also on the main card, 27-year-old Brendan Allen from Beaufort, South Carolina, dominated Brazil’s Bruno Silva to a spectacular submission victory in the first round.
UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Topuria was contested in front of a high-energy crowd inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. With 14 fights on the card, the world-class fighting showcase was broadcast live on ESPN+ and ABC 5 Television.
Monster Energy’s Barber (13-2) came to Jacksonville riding a four-fight win streak after most recently defeating Andrea Lee at UFC Fight Night San Antonio in March 2023.
Her opponent, Brazilian MMA athlete Ribas (11-4), most recently earned a decision victory against Viviane Araujo at UFC 285 in March 2023. In terms of weight classes, Riba split time between strawweight and flyweight, and according to sports analysts, presented the biggest test of Barber’s career so far.
The pressure was palpable as the fight got underway, with Ribas edging Barber against the fence only to receive a fierce elbow to the face that opened a headwound early in the fight. Barber proved her strong takedown defense when Ribas attempted a headlock and answered a knee bar attempt by scoring big hits from the top. Gaining the upper hand, the end of Round 1 saw Barber dealing massive ground-and-pound damage as Ribas held on until the bell.
The second round started with Ribas returning fire after a takedown attempt and drawing blood from Barber. Showing her grit, Barber defended against headlock takedown and can opener attempts. Remaining on the offense, Barber continued to land significant shots while also sustaining visible damage in what proved one of the most ferocious and bloody fights the Women’s Flyweight division has seen to date.
Barber’s path to victory opened when she landed a stiff head kick that stunned Ribas, followed by a riveting right hand to the jaw. Seizing the moment, Barber swarmed her opponent with a heavy left-right combo that dropped Ribas to the canvas. Staying in close pursuit, Barber kept raining damaging elbows and punches on her bloodied adversary until referee Keith Peterson called a stop to the savage fight at 3:42 minutes, pronouncing Barber the winner by TKO.
“I feel like I’m a shark. I’m going to come for that blood, and when I see it, I’m coming for it!” said Barber upon winning her fight at UFC Fight Night Jacksonville, adding: “It feels like I just warned the whole 125-pound division that I’m back!”
Barber made her MMA debut on the Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) circuit. In 2018, she joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after a knockout performance on Dana White’s Contender Series and earned the nickname “The Future.”
New Monster Energy athlete “All In” Allen (22-5) came to Jacksonville on a four-fight win streak. Most recently, the rising middleweight contender defeated Andre Muniz in the headline fight at UFC Night 220 in February 2023. Previously, he defeated Krzysztof Jotko, Jacob Malkoun, and Sam Alvey and remains undefeated since February 2022.
Allen’s opponent, Silva (23-9) from Cajazeiras, Brazil, recently earned a thunderous first-round TKO victory over Brad Tavares at UFC Fight Night 222 in April. Would the Brazilian powerhouse put an end to Allen’s victory streak?
Opening the fight, Allen brought the pressure with several high kick attempts to keep Silva on his toes. After Silva defended against a takedown attempt, Allen landed a punishing elbow from the top. Silva stood his ground with a sharp punch that hurt Allen, only to collect instant payback by way of a clean punch followed by another takedown.
The fight’s decisive scene unfolded after Allen absorbed a heavy punch from Silva and fired back an unstoppable combo, dropping the Brazilian to the canvas with a clean right. With Silva slumped against the side of the cage, Allen assumed side control to lock in a rear-naked choke – and it was all over! At 4:39 minutes of Round 1, referee Marc Goddard declared Allen the winner by submission.
“I’m the youngest guy in the top 15 with some of the most fights. I’m really doing this, I’ve been out here, and I haven’t even reached my prime. I haven’t shown everything. I will be the next champion,” said Allen upon winning his fight at UFC Fight Night Jacksonville.
Looking ahead, Allen has his eyes on a title shot: “I’m the only guy to be able to threaten the actual champion everywhere. So, with that being said, Izzy… ‘And New’ in 2024! I’m coming!”
This win brings Allen’s professional record to 10 wins, two losses in the UFC promotion. Allen has now earned four of his past five wins via rear-naked choke submissions.
Allen made his professional MMA debut in 2015 and earned two Middleweight Championship titles in the Legacy Fighting Alliance promotion. After an outstanding performance on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, the black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu earned a UFC contract and has been climbing in the Middleweight division rankings.
Maycee Barber and Brendan Allen count amongst Monster Energy’s elite UFC athletes along with Kamaru Usman, Jon “Bones” Jones, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal, Chris “The All American” Weidman, Rose Namajunas, Tony Ferguson, Marlon Vera, Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Paulo “The Eraser” Costa, Stipe “Stone Cold” Miocic, Michael Chandler, Justin Gaethje, Jessica-Rose Clark, Valentina Shevchenko, Sean “Sugar” O’Malley, Brandon Moreno, Daniel Rodriguez, Alex Pereira, Punahele Soriano, Gilbert Burns, Giga “Ninja” Chikadze, Islam Makhachev, Johnny Walker, Beneil Dariush, and Gaston Bolanos.
For more on Monster Energy’s MMA athletes, visit www.monsterenergy.com. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
