Barber could fight by end of year 'if everything goes well'

Maycee Barber remains optimistic about returning this year following surgery to repair an ACL tear in her left knee.

"If a doctor had the opinion and like had the say in it, I probably wouldn't fight for a year," Barber told theScore. "But if I have the right therapy and the right rehab and stuff, which I've been so lucky to have the Performance Institute connecting with me along with a rehab place here in Wisconsin."

Barber adds that she's also been in touch with coaches, and other fighters who've experienced similar injuries to get advice on how they approached their rehab.

She said the process may take eight months, and she "could fight by the end of the year, potentially, if everything goes well."

Barber (8-1) injured her knee in the first round of a unanimous decision loss to Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 246. While the 21-year-old is disappointed in her performance, Barber reflects on the positives of persevering through an injury and being well prepared ahead of the fight.

"Should I have told everyone that I busted my knee in the first five seconds? Maybe, maybe not," she said. "I don't think people really care about that. I think it's more so like, 'Were you able to fight through it?'"

"To me, my performance was awful, but at the same time I know everything I did in my camp and I know how prepared I was. That was the best camp I've ever had in my entire life," Barber continued, adding that in sparring rounds she was giving "the guys a hard time."

"I didn't feel like I could go into the fight more prepared," she said.

Watch the full interview below (at the 2:13 mark) and subscribe to theScoreMMA Youtube channel here.