Bucky Barber took to Instagram yesterday, in a post since locked down, to claim his daughter’s loss at UFC 246 had nothing to do with her opponent, and everything to do with the ACL tear she suffered in the second round.
The work was in, the skill level at its peak, her only way of defeat is if bad luck kissed her on the cheek. Ten seconds in a complete ACL tear turned the probable into the unlikely. Though she had her moments and showed more heart than most have ever witnessed, the night ended with a loss. However was it a loss? She was not beaten by a better skill set. She was beaten by one unfortunate step and turn of events. That is out of her control.
Modafferi, who has been competing professionally since 2003, entered the fight as a +600 betting underdog, but put on a masterclass of mixed martial arts, dominating Barber from the first round, before Barber sustained the injury her father says cost her the fight.
She reacted to reports of Bucky Barber’s post on Twitter, noting that “fathers are supposed to be biased and say stupid things.”
While her first loss, to such a heavy underdog, must be a tough blow for Barber, the 21-year-old still has a long career ahead of her if her knee recovers. She’s expected to be out of action for the next nine months, but Bucky says there’s no doubt she’ll return. “She will be back stronger and more dominant than ever and we as a team could not be more proud.”
