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Erin Blanchfield was set to fight Maycee Barber in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas over the weekend, but the bout was canceled moments before the bell was set to ring.
Barber, who competes in the women’s flyweight division, hadn’t fought since March 2024 because of an illness that she said led to a near-two-week hospital stay. Barber missed weight on Friday by a half pound and was already set to give up 20% of her purse to Blanchfield, according to ESPN.
Things took another strange twist Saturday night.
Blanchfield said in the post-UFC Fight Night press conference that UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell told her Barber suffered a seizure minutes before she was set to walk to the Octagon, according to MMA Junkie. ESPN broadcasters said Barber suffered a medical issue.
“I feel like I’m still in pretty much disbelief right now,” Blanchfield added, via MMA Junkie. “I feel like I was in disbelief yesterday when she missed weight because we knew about this fight since January. You could’ve been 50 pounds overweight and still missed weight.
“So, she missed weight, then she gets to Saturday. She gets to the locker room. I’m fully ready to go. She’s supposed to be ready to go. Supposedly now she has all these health issues right when we’re supposed to fight. I think it’s pretty crazy. I think it’s pretty unprofessional. I wouldn’t want to fight her again.”
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Barber posted and re-shared videos on her Instagram page hyping up her return to the Octagon. But she did not address any alleged medical issues on social media.
Fox News Digital reached out to the UFC for comment.
Blanchfield was asked if she had advice for Barber.
“I don’t know, she needs to look at another division,” she said. “She needs to fix her life. She just needs to fix herself. I think she’s a complete mess in every aspect of her entire life.”
Blanchfield is 13-2 in her MMA career. She defeated Rose Namajunas in November via unanimous decision.
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