UFC 246: Roxanne Modafferi Shows Why Experience Matters

Roxanne Modafferi was a 10-to-1 underdog in the UFC 246 prelim main event Saturday night vs. Maycee Barber.

But that did not matter to “The Happy Warrior.”

Modafferi stormed right out and dominated Barber for the better part of their 15 minutes of action, earning herself a decision victory.

“I want to prove that I’m not just a veteran gatekeeper,” Modafferi said. “I’ve been training everything very hard, and I hope to get better and better.

“I’m not afraid of anybody in the flyweight division.”

The 37-year-old made a surprising run to the finals of the UFC flyweight tournament to crown a champion, falling via decision to Nicco Montano for the belt. She returned several months later and finished former Invicta FC champion Barb Honchack with elbows in the second round.

Since, Modafferi has had up-and-down results.

She lost to Sijara Eubanks via decision at UFC 230, rebounded with a split decision victory over Antonina Shevchenko last April and was bested by Jennifer Maia in July.

This win, though, gives her 24 in her career and three now inside the Octagon.

“I’ve been a little influenced by my coaches to embrace my dark side a bit more,” Modafferi said. “I’m not naturally scary, so I tried to focus on that a little bit more to make sure people took me seriously.”

Check out a complete recap from UFC 246 including results on The Mix on FightLine.