The Octagon returns to the Apex this weekend where two fighters who are still very young in their careers will meet for the first time.
Top five flyweights are set to headline UFC Vegas 107 on May 31 as both women look to take a step closer to Valentina Shevchenko’s gold.
Maycee Barber first arrived in the UFC back in November of 2018 having earned her spot on the roster via Dana White’s Contender Series.
Erin Blanchfield, who debuted in September of 2021, was signed following her impressive performances in Invicta and Cage Fury FC having already achieved great success in the submission grappling world.
Both women had big aspirations after hitting the ground running in the UFC as two blue-chip prospects who hoped to reach the top of the sport in record time.
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Erin Blanchfield and Maycee Barber’s first UFC defeats derailed their dreams of becoming the youngest champion
During their initial win streaks in the UFC, there was a conversation surrounding both Erin Blanchfield and Maycee Barber in regards to the youngest champion in the promotion’s history.
The record is still held by Jon Jones after he defeated Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua at UFC 128 to win the light heavyweight title when he was just 23 years and 8 months old.
Both women were unable to break this record for various reasons, with their first losses inside the Octagon marking the end of this pursuit.
Blanchfield won six fights in a row but even after beating former title challenger Taila Santos, she was unable to fight for the belt due to the ongoing trilogy between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso.
This made her unable to break Jones’ record but she still could have jumped ahead of Rose Namajunas’ record (25 years and 4 months) as the youngest female UFC champion of all time.
Her loss to Manon Fiorot in March of last year stopped this from happening as she suffered her first UFC setback at 24 years and 10 months old.
Barber, on the other hand, won three fights in a row before her momentum was halted by the #7-ranked Roxanne Modafferi in a huge upset at UFC 246 in January of 2020.
The rising contender was just 21 years and 8 months old at the time but her return the following year, which could’ve put her back on track, also resulted in defeat (Alexa Grasso at UFC 258).
Another UFC legend has a claim to be the youngest champion in the history of the promotion
Jon Jones and Rose Namajunas are the youngest male and female UFC fighters to hold the gold but there is a caveat to this.
Before the UFC had belts for each division, the promotion’s ultimate prize in the early days was winning a tournament.
The youngest fighter to win a tournament was Vitor Belfort, who came out on top in the heavyweight bracket at UFC 12 when he was just 19 years old.
Belfort is set to be inducted into the pioneer wing of the UFC Hall of Fame during this year’s International Fight Week.