Maycee Barber returns at UFC 335 to face unbeaten Carli Judice in flyweight clash

Maycee Barber will return to the UFC octagon at UFC 335 on December 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, facing Carli Judice in a women’s flyweight bout, the promotion announced Wednesday.

Barber (15-3) has not competed since suffering one of the year’s most jarring finishes — a vicious knockout punch from former UFC champion Alexa Grasso, followed by a choke attempt that left her unconscious. The defeat snapped a seven-fight winning streak that had positioned Barber on the verge of a title shot. She currently sits at No. 8 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings at flyweight.

Her opponent, Judice (7-2), arrives as one of the division’s most in-form fighters. The Brazilian has won four consecutive bouts, finishing three of them by knockout — against Jeisla Chaves, Nicolle Caliari, and Yuneisy Duben. Known as “Crispy,” Judice earned her UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023, despite dropping a narrow split decision on the show to Ernesta Kareckaite.

The card is headlined by a “BMF” lightweight championship bout between Charles Oliveira and Diego Lopes, with a heavyweight showdown between Sergei Pavlovich and Alex Pereira also confirmed. Joe Pyfer meets Bo Nickal in a middleweight contest, and Brandon Moreno takes on Charles Johnson at flyweight.

A light heavyweight matchup between undefeated DWCS signing Quentin Pasley (4-0) and Junior Tafa (7-6) was also added to the December 12 card.