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LAS VEGAS – Roxanne Modafferi will attempt something never done before at Saturday’s UFC 246.

The former Invicta FC and UFC title challenger takes on young, rising contender Maycee Barber during the preliminary card of the first UFC pay-per-view event of the year, which is headlined by a welterweight matchup between Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone.

The 21-year-old Barber has yet to taste defeat in her professional MMA career, and she’s picked up TKO victories in all three of her UFC bouts. “The Future” is certainly one of the biggest storms brewing at 125 pounds, and rightfully so, Barber has caught the attention of many.

Modafferi (23-16 MMA, 2-4 UFC) says she’s all-in for being part of this kind of matchup.

“That’s really what I need,” Modafferi said. “Let’s be honest, I’m not exactly scary. I mean, I have a lot of experience, but you know, I’m not frightening, so these people like Antonina Shevchenko, Maycee Barber, who kind of explode on the scene and TKO people, people watch them. So I’m glad to have that kind of opponent so I can get a little notice, too.”

Apart from being in a high-profile bout that holds plenty of fan interest, Modafferi is just happy to be getting a new look in the octagon. The Syndicate MMA product has 39 fights under her belt and has competed professionally since since 2003. She’s basically seen it all, and sometimes more than once.

“I’m just excited to fight somebody new; I’ve rematched so many people, I’m glad I’m not rematching anybody,” Modafferi said. “I think Maycee is a good fight for me. She has a lot of hype behind her, so therefore I’m kind of getting a little hype. So yeah, I have a lot of techniques to show, so that’s really more of my motivation, showing my skills.”

Modafferi respects Barber’s skillset and quick rise and insists she’s not taking her lightly entering UFC 246. Yet, Modafferi has a job to do on Saturday night, and she intends to hand Barber her first professional defeat, “The Happy Warrior” way.

“I’m thinking that they want her to climb the ranks and fight somebody in the top 10, and I’m somebody in the top 10 to fight,” Modafferi said. “I’m coming off a loss, but that’s fine, that’s cool. I’ll derail her hype train, nicely.”

UFC 246 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

To hear more from Modafferi, watch the video above.

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