The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) canceled Saturday’s main event between Erin Blanchfield and Maycee Barber due to Barber not being medically cleared to compete. Barber was set to face Blanchfield in a women’s flyweight headliner at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, after missing weight by half a pound and surrendering 20% of her purse to Blanchfield. The cancellation occurred just moments before the fighters were scheduled to walk out to the cage.
Barber had not fought in over a year due to an injury and illness that hospitalized her for 11 days. However, she recently made a brief update on Instagram, stating that her life is “not messy” but rather facing a difficult situation. Blanchfield expressed her disappointment with Barber’s weight miss and late cancellation, calling it “super unprofessional.” The fighter also called upon the UFC to book her in another fight, preferably against someone else in the top five.
Blanchfield has been ranked No. 4 in the ESPN women’s bantamweight rankings and stated that she is not interested in rebooking the fight against Barber. She plans to continue working towards the title and is eager for another five-rounder against a top opponent.
Source: https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/45414609/barber-medical-issue-forces-ufc-cancel-blanchfield-bout