Maycee Barber wanted to fight on after suffering a seizure backstage at UFC Vegas 107.
UFC flyweight contender Maycee Barber was pulled from her UFC Vegas 107 headliner against Erin Blanchfield last weekend, at the protest of the budding star.
Just minutes before Barber and Blanchfield were scheduled to walk out at UFC Vegas 107, Barber suffered a seizure backstage that forced UFC staff to get her transported to a Las Vegas hospital. The UFC Vegas 107 main event was abruptly canceled in a bizarre scene at the Apex.
After the headliner was scratched, Blanchfield bashed Barber as ‘super unprofessional’ as the narrative spread that Barber pulled out of the fight. But according to Barber’s team, the UFC flyweight did everything she could to make the walk, even after suffering the severe health scare.
Maycee Barber’s coach addresses ‘pull out’ narrative surrounding UFC Vegas 107 cancellation
In a recent Instagram post, Barber’s head coach Cody Donovan spoke on what happened behind the scenes at UFC Vegas 107.
“For the record, Maycee did not pull out of her fight,” Donovan said of Barber. “She refused to surrender in spite of what was happening to her medically. As a coaching staff, we decided to call the doctor in. Even as she begged us not to.
“What we saw was just too dangerous. I am proud of the bravery she showed in the face of a medical emergency. Most fighters would have ran for the door.
“When they tell the story of Maycee Barber, this will be the Goliath that she got to overcome on her road to greatness. God is good.”
Barber shared a positive update on her health just hours after UFC Vegas 107, promising to ‘come back stronger’ from the incident. Leading up to the scheduled main event, Barber hadn’t fought since a win over former title challenger Katlyn Cerminara at UFC 299 due to several health issues.
Blanchfield has since backtracked on her harsh post-event remarks, clarifying that she was talking about Barber’s botched weigh-in on Friday. Barber missed weight for the first time in her career by 1.5 pounds.
Maycee Barber responded to Erin Blanchfield’s ‘unprofessional’ label after UFC Vegas 107
Blanchfield also claimed Barber’s ‘life is a complete mess’ after the UFC Vegas 107 bout cancellation, prompting strong responses from the UFC fanbase. Barber assured her fans that her life is stable, and that the health scare was merely a step backward.
Meanwhile, Blanchfield could potentially face another top contender after UFC Vegas 107 as she works towards a potential UFC title shot. UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko is interested in a super fight with strawweight titleholder Zhang Weili.
Blanchfield could get booked against No. 1 contender Natalia Silva after Silva’s dominant win over Alexa Grasso last month at UFC 315. As for Barber, a timeline for her return to the UFC is uncertain.
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