Erin Blanchfield feels no lasting animosity towards Maycee Barber but remains unapologetic for her outburst after their fight was canceled just moments before she was scheduled to enter the cage.
During UFC Vegas 107 this past Saturday, Blanchfield was moments away from her walkout when UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell delivered the news that Maycee Barber had suffered a medical emergency, resulting in the main event cancellation. In the aftermath, Blanchfield expressed her frustration publicly, remarking that Barber needed to get her life in order as she was “a complete mess in every aspect of her entire life.”
Although Barber disputed Blanchfield`s comment after issuing an apology for the fight withdrawal, Blanchfield stands by her reaction, stating she has no regrets considering the events of that night.
“I don’t wish her any illness,” Blanchfield commented. “We`ve had our exchanges, but it`s always been purely about fighting. I was just genuinely upset. As a lifelong competitor, getting so close to the octagon and then being unable to fight was incredibly disappointing. It felt almost like a defeat. Doing media interviews immediately after felt pretty intense.”
“I believe my frustration in that moment was justified,” she added. “Now that a few days have passed and she’s apologized, it’s essentially over. I’m ready to move on from this particular matchup and look for something else.”
Blanchfield admitted she was almost in shock when she first heard the fight was canceled. It took her a few moments to truly understand that she wouldn`t be competing at all and her night was over without landing a single strike.
“When [Hunter Campbell] told me the fight was off, I felt like I was still in disbelief,” Blanchfield recalled. “They wanted to take my gloves off, and I just kept thinking, ‘No, I can’t, I haven’t fought yet!’ It felt really strange.”
“It felt incredibly deflating,” she stated. “You build up all this energy and emotion, you’re ready to go, and then suddenly there’s nowhere for it to go. It just stays pent up. Leaving the APEX without the release of a fight felt really weird. Win or lose, fighting provides a sense of completion. It was strange not to experience that.”
Weeks before the scheduled bout, Blanchfield had expressed reservations about accepting a fight with Barber, citing Barber`s previous withdrawal from a fight and a lengthy layoff exceeding a year due to an undisclosed medical issue.
Barber had dismissed these comments as “ignorant,” but Blanchfield emphasized that she absolutely did not want her prior concerns to be proven accurate by the cancellation on Saturday night.
“I was concerned leading up to the fight,” Blanchfield admitted. “I thought she might pull out maybe a week or two beforehand, similar to what happened previously. I absolutely did not expect it to happen by fight week, after we had completed all the pre-fight activities and she was even at the arena, seemingly ready. That part was genuinely surprising.”
“I know she had some kind of health problem in the locker room, and that’s somewhat out of her control,” she added. “I guess I knew I had said it before, but with the fight being so close, I really didn’t think it would happen *then*.”
After the cancellation, the UFC paid Blanchfield her full agreed-upon pay, including her win bonus. Furthermore, she also received a portion of Maycee Barber’s purse as a penalty for Barber missing weight the day before the event.
“I’m definitely appreciative that the UFC did the right thing and paid me,” Blanchfield said. “I received my show and win money, plus a portion of her purse from the missed weight. Financially, they squared everything away, but I absolutely still wanted to perform and prove myself in the division. I’ll just have to wait for another time for that.”
“I still got the money — I mean, I basically did everything I needed to do,” she remarked. “I just couldn’t complete the final step because she wasn’t available or healthy. Hopefully, we can figure something else out soon.”
Considering the events at UFC Vegas 107, a potential future bout between Blanchfield and Barber would offer a compelling storyline for the UFC, but the 26-year-old New Jersey fighter has no plans to pursue that rematch.
While she hopes Barber receives the necessary support and can eventually return to competition, Blanchfield is focused on moving forward with her career and exploring new opportunities.
“I definitely don’t plan on rebooking with her,” Blanchfield stated. “This is the second time a fight with her hasn’t happened. I know she’s had her issues, but that’s part of the reason – if she is that unwell, needs time, or can’t be consistent and reliable because of it – that’s not something I want to be involved with.”
