Jessica Eye vs. Maycee Barber: UFC 276 Odds, Prediction

Fresh off her second straight victory just two months ago, Barber has emerged as a strong -280 favourite on the UFC 276 odds going into Saturday night’s matchup at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Conversely, Eye looks to snap a three-fight slide while tagged as a +200 underdog.

Jessica Eye Odds

Eye has been idle since suffering a unanimous decision loss to Jennifer Maia last summer at UFC 264. With that defeat, “Evil” has now posted just one victory in her past four outings, and saw her record dip to 5-9-0 with one no contest in 15 octagon appearances since joining the UFC almost nine years ago.

Despite consistently coming up short, Eye has remained competitive and is currently listed as the No. 10 contender on the UFC women’s flyweight rankings. The 35-year-old has seen 11 of her past 12 contests decided by the judges, with her second-round KO loss to champion Valentina Shevchenko in a failed bid for the UFC flyweight crown at UFC 238 marking the lone exception over that stretch.

Indeed, Eye deserved better than a unanimous decision loss in last summer’s date with Maia. In addition to ending virtually deadlocked in striking, Eye also successfully executed two takedowns in that contest. However, the same cannot be said of her two previous outings against Joanne Wood and Cynthia Calvillo, both of whom she took the distance despite absorbing severe beatings.

Maycee Barber Odds

While Eye looks to rediscover her winning ways, Maycee Barber aims to continue her climb up the UFC women’s flyweight rankings, where she is currently pegged at No. 13. “The Future” has rebounded from consecutive losses to Rozanne Modafferi and Alexa Grasso with solid performances in her past two contests. Holder of a second degree black belt in Karate, and a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Barber demonstrated her striking ability in her recent wins over Miranda Maverick and Montana de la Rosa.

The 24-year-old has also shown her ability to defending against strikers. Barber ranks sixth all-time among UFC flyweights with a significant strike defence of 62%, and trails only Valentina Shevchenko with just 2.18 strikes absorbed per minute since joining the UFC four years ago.

And while Barber established herself as a power puncher early in her career, her ability to take the action to the mat cannot be underestimated. The Future has compiled four total takedowns, and racked up a total of 12:40 of control over her past three fights, and also has two first-round submission victories to her credit.

UFC 276 Prediction: Jessica Eye vs Maycee Barber

The pressure will be on Eye to eke out a win to avoid tumbling in the rankings. But while this fight has a good chance of going the distance, it is tough to see Eye keeping pace with a versatile fighter like Barber, who is long overdue for a finish.

Prediction: Maycee Barber by KO, TKO, DQ (+395)