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Lee vs Barber Prediction, Fight Preview, Live Stream, Odds and Picks
Barber Favored To Outslug Lee in a Women’s Flyweight Fight
The featured bout for UFC on ESPN on March 25 is a women’s flyweight contenders special: Andrea “KGB” Lee fights Maycee “The Future” Barber. While the UFC lines are a bit wide for Barber, this should be a competitive three-round affair. It’s even likely that this could be a narrow decision win for Lee or Barber as a title shot may hang in the balance.
Is Lee More Than a Gatekeeper?
When the UFC signed Lee in 2018, it got one of the brightest prospects at 125 pounds. But with a 5-4 UFC record, Lee has taken a while to get it going. She’s been competitive even in her losses and many believe she got unlucky in split decision losses to Lauren Murphy and Joanne Wood.
But that’s typically what happens when Lee can’t finish her opponents. Her only finish came against Antonina Shevchenko, who is almost a novice at grappling. Lee will find herself at the judges’ mercy and sometimes she fades as the fight goes on. She’ll need to finish stronger if she is to be a better UFC pick.
In facing Barber, Lee will play a different role. She’ll be the “gatekeeper” that looks to prevent the prospect from breaking through. Lee may not have been good enough to become a title challenger but she’s versed in every asset of MMA to beat the mid-tier fighters of the division. If Barber has not evolved enough, Lee could just upset the UFC betting odds.
Barber is More of the Physical Type
Skill-for-skill, Lee could be more polished and experienced than Barber. But this is still a fight and the younger and tougher Barber will bring it to Lee. What the 24-year-old lacks in proficiency, she makes up for with aggression. That can be the deciding factor, especially when we have judges scoring this bout.
Barber will be the one pressing forward and pushing the fight. She gave the new champion, Alexa Grasso, quite a fight. Some thought she did enough to win that decision. Either way, Barber could be back to making positive UFC news if she beats Lee to extend her winning streak to four.
She does not have that same hype she did after Roxanne Modafferi humbled her. The post-fight comments from her father did not help her case. But now, Barber has not done that much talking and has been focused on training. She’s still an unfished product. But she’s already picking up steam, especially on the Las Vegas UFC odds.
Lee vs Barber Head-to-Head
The biggest difference between Lee and Barber is age: the latter is 10 years younger than the former. Otherwise, Lee is taller by an inch and has a 4.5-inch reach advantage. Lee strikes in the orthodox stance while Barber switches.
Lee vs Barber Fight Information
- Fighters: Lee (13-6-0) vs Barber (11-2-0)
- Location: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
- Day/Time: Saturday, March 25, 8 p.m. ET
- Lee vs Barber Live stream: UFC Fight Pass
Lee vs Barber Betting Lines
Lee vs Barber Picks & Prediction
While the line is a bit too wide here, Barber is the right pick in the sportsbook. She will be the aggressor and has matured enough to not be reckless. More importantly, Barber has started to fix her grappling. If she can beat Montana De La Rosa and Miranda Maverick, she will handle Lee’s Jiu-Jitsu.
Lee is listed at +210 in our Vegas UFC lines. This means that if you wager $100 on Lee, you have a chance to win $210. Barber is -270, offering a chance to win $37 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Lee a 32.26% chance to win, with Barber at 72.97%
