UFC fighter Maycee Barber was transported to the hospital after reportedly experiencing a seizure just before her scheduled main event bout against Erin Blanchfield at UFC Vegas 107. The sudden medical issue led to the cancellation of the highly anticipated flyweight contest.
The main event was set to feature Barber and Blanchfield. However, moments before the fighters were expected to make their walk to the Octagon on Saturday night, officials announced that Barber was “medically unfit” to compete.
Erin Blanchfield shared her perspective on the abrupt cancellation. She told ESPN, “We were told six minutes to the walkout… We already warmed up, I had pads, I was warming up with my training partner. I was literally ready to go.” She added, “I feel like I could already smell the cage. I was ready, and then we just got the news.”
According to a report from Yahoo Sports, Blanchfield later indicated that the medical issue Barber suffered prior to the fight was a seizure.
The 27-year-old fighter was subsequently taken to a Las Vegas hospital for medical evaluation. As of now, the precise cause of her medical condition has not been officially confirmed by the UFC.
This incident occurred after Barber missed weight for the fight by just half a pound on Friday. She was entering the bout on a six-fight winning streak, but her recent activity has been limited. She had competed only once since June 2023, having been sidelined by injuries and an illness that required an 11-day hospitalization.
The unexpected situation caused confusion during the ESPN broadcast when Barber, a native of Colorado, failed to appear for her walk-on. The pre-main event video package played as scheduled, but neither fighter emerged.
After a noticeable silence lasting about half a minute, commentator Brendan Fitzgerald informed viewers that Barber was “not prepared to walk.” He described the situation as “truly unprecedented,” stating, “I’m still getting details but all I know is that she is not walking to the Octagon right now… for a main event prepared to make the introductions and she’s not there to walk right now.”
Percy Harlow