Miranda Maverick was all class in the wake of a questionable loss to Maycee Barber at UFC on ESPN 27.
Maverick (9-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) came out on the wrong end of a controversial split decision against Barber (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. She’d seemingly won the first two rounds clearly, with her opponent producing a strong effort in the final frame.
A 29-28 scorecard for Maverick after 15 minutes of women’s flyweight action seemed appropriate, and was how all 22 media outlets tracked by MMADecisions.com had it. Unfortunately for Maverick, two of the three people who mattered most did not see it in her favor.
Given the circumstances, it would be more than fair if Maverick exhibited outrage over the result. Instead, though, the 24-year-old displayed remarkable maturity, and took on the onus. Maverick posted two statements on social media in the aftermath of UFC on ESPN 27 where provided insight on her post-fight emotions (via Instagram):
Only those who have been here know how much this hurts to post. I lost… no if, ands, or buts.
I did not do enough and remained too inactive in the 3rd round, among other things. I’ll be back better every time working on various skills.
I do not know the will of God, but I accept it graciously. Congrats to @mayceebarber. Hold my spot. I have a feeling we’ll meet again soon.
P.S. I thought my eyes were bad.
Not fierce enough this time. But I can say over my years… I’m a quick learner and will be back scarier than ever before.
I’ll let the feeling of devastation set in for tonight and be back to working my a$$ off tomorrow as I do every day. The knowledge that almost an average year’s income for me in the past was just ripped out of my grasp. That much closer to paying off my dream property/home. Setbacks are not something I expect, but I am prepared to ensure they are corrected.
Thank you to all if my fans, my sponsors, my teammates and coaches, my family, my boyfriend, my Lord above, my opponent, & the @ufc for the opportunities I have now and the opportunities to come.
The loss to Barber snapped a five-fight winning streak for Maverick, who has never been finished in her MMA career. This decision loss is surely the most meaningful of her career, though. On top of the financial implications she explains, it slows her climb up the 125-pound rankings.