The long-awaited women’s flyweight main event between Erin Blanchfield and Maycee Barber at UFC Vegas 107 was abruptly canceled Saturday.
Just minutes before the fighters were set to make their walkouts, Barber, who had already missed weight by half a pound the previous day, reportedly suffered a seizure backstage and was rendered medically unfit to compete.
Blanchfield, visibly frustrated, did not hold back during a press conference.
“She needs to look at another division,” Blanchfield said of Barber. “She needs to fix her life. She needs to just fix herself. I think she’s a complete mess in every aspect of her entire life.”
Blanchfield added, “I’ve never even had any other opponents miss weight before or act the way she does. It’s pretty crazy, especially at this level. You expect all the athletes to be professional, so it’s pretty wild.”
She also expressed disbelief over the sequence of events, questioning Barber’s professionalism.
“I feel like I’m still in pretty much disbelief right now. I feel like I was in disbelief yesterday when she missed weight because we knew about this fight since January. You could have been 50 pounds overweight and still made weight.”
Blanchfield adds that she would not accept a rematch with Barber.
“No, I would not want to book another fight with her,” Blanchfield said. “I would like to reassess, see who’s available. I still want to fight within the top five, still push towards that title fight. I think I need to talk to my manager, talk to [matchmaker] Mick [Maynard], see what can happen.”
The cancellation was a surprise for a very important fight within the division.
Blanchfield, ranked No. 4 in the division, was looking to further solidify her position as a top contender.
Barber, ranked No. 5, was on a six-fight winning streak and aiming to reestablish herself after a 14-month layoff.
Plus, Barber’s status as a once-rising star has taken a hit in recent years, which included consecutive losses in 2020 and 2021.
Barber’s medical condition remained under evaluation.
