UFC fighter who withdrew at last minute breaks silence after rival's dig

UFC sensation Maycee Barber has fiercely responded to Erin Blanchfield's jibe that her life is 'a mess' following a seizure that forced her out of their bout.

The 27-year-old was set to headline Fight Night at the UFC Apex against Blanchfield on Saturday evening. However, in a shocking turn of events, the flyweight clash was scrapped just before their entrance due to Barber suffering a seizure backstage.

Blanchfield didn't hold back in criticising her opponent after the fight was called off, branding Barber 'unprofessional' and dismissing any possibility of rescheduling their match-up. As Blanchfield's scathing remarks went viral online, it did not take long for her rival to issue a response.

Barber, who had to pull out of the fight on medical grounds, stood by her professionalism. "Not what I had planned for a Sunday post. Thank you to everyone for the prayers and support," she said. "I owe an apology to UFC, [UFC matchmaker] Mick Maynard, Dana White, [UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby and Erin Blanchfield.

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"P.S: My life is not messy; this is just a bad hand. We will get to the bottom of it all and be back." The fighter also shared images on social media showing her connected to ECG leads, as well as a snapshot from her hospital bed, underlining the seriousness of her condition.

Following her social media update, it was evident that she wasn't fit to fight in Saturday's main event. Prior to the contest, Barber had a mishap at the weigh-in, clocking in at 126.5lbs. The top contender aimed to continue her impressive spell in the cage, bouncing back from consecutive losses to Roxanne Modafferi and Alexa Grasso in 2020 and 2021 with a six-fight winning streak, claiming victories over rivals such as Jessica Eye, Amanda Ribas, and Katlyn Cerminara.

Despite brutally criticising her rival, Blanchfield has recently changed course on her scathing remarks towards Barber. In an appearance on , Blanchfield clarified her harsh comments after Barber’s medical issues surfaced following Saturday night's fight card.

“She can’t control medical issues that she’s having, so that’s not unprofessional. I meant more the weight miss on Friday and the way she approached it,” Blanchfield said. “I believe she was offered more time to cut weight and didn’t, missed weight and then still was acting the way she was at the weigh-ins. So that’s more what I meant about being unprofessional…[being unreliable] I still stand by, she pulled out of the first [fight] and now this one.

“I know she has issues, but if she does have those severe medical issues, that’s why I wouldn’t want to be matched up with her again,” Blanchfield continued. “I was caught up in the moment myself, she probably does have some issues…and she probably should’ve pulled out sooner so that I would’ve had another opponent. Not being honest about her condition wasn’t the right thing to do.”