Maycee Barber gives emotional response when asked about return from injury

UFC star Maycee Barber has given her thoughts on the road back to the Octagon after her UFC 323 victory over Karine Silva.

Last Saturday night at UFC 323, Maycee Barber made her big return to the cage after an extended period of time away due to some health problems. She was able to defeat Karine Silva and in doing so, she vaulted herself right back into contention in the women’s flyweight title picture.

RELATED: Maycee Barber reveals severity of recent health problems ahead of UFC 323 return

The 27-year-old has been waiting for her big breakout moment and while she may not quite be at the top of the mountain just yet, beating Silva was a big step forward for Barber, especially given everything she’s been through.

In her post-fight press conference appearance, Barber opened up and spoke candidly about what it felt like to get back in there and get her hand raised.

Barber reacts to triumphant UFC 323 return

“I don’t know if I have a lot of words, honestly,” Barber said at a UFC 323 post-fight news conference. “It’s been so long. I don’t know if there are a lot of words to put in that much time.”

“I’m just really happy to be here and be really blessed,” Barber explained. “When I was walking out, at the end of the day, this is a job that I have, there’s another woman standing n front of me and I have a goal and a dream that I am chasing, and she’s in my way.

“There’s nothing that is going to get in the way of that but at the same time, there’s a girl inside of me that just loves to go in there and chase a dream, too, and having that taken away from me was really challenging and frustrating to me, especially when I have a bunch of people that are putting in hours of work with me and constantly checking on me and trying to help me and help me chase this dream and make sure I’m doing the right things, and make sure they’re doing the right things to help me accomplish my goals.

“So when I don’t get to do what I love, it’s frustrating. So just being able to walkout to the octagon tonight was a win.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie