A rematch between former flyweight champion Alexa Grasso and Maycee Barber is currently in the works for the upcoming UFC Seattle card on March 28 at the Climate Pledge Arena.
Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Wednesday following an initial post about the fight from RealKevinK on social media.
Grasso scored a win in her first encounter with Barber back in 2021 as she worked her way into title contention before pulling off an upset to defeat
Valentina Shevchenko to become champion. The rematch ended in a draw before Shevchenko got her revenge with a unanimous decision win over Grasso in the trilogy.
Following that loss, Grasso dropped a second straight fight to Natalia Silva and now she attempts to get back on track with her return to action in March.
As for Barber, the 27-year-old Contender Series veteran finally ended a nightmarish 21-month layoff due to health issues when she returned at UFC 323 and put on a dominant showing to beat Karine Silva. Despite so much time away, Barber is still riding a seven-fight win streak and a victory over Grasso in their rematch could put her on the cusp of a title shot of her own.
Barber mentioned Grasso as her ideal opponent after winning in December but more than anything she just wanted to stay active after such a lengthy time away.
“Right now, I’m pretty much healthy,” Barber told MMA Fighting after her latest win. “So I’m just going to be ready. I had such a long layoff, I don’t want a long layoff. I want to turn around and fight. I want to be back in a camp again. I want to be preparing for another one.”
Now Barber got her wish with the rematch against Grasso booked for March.
