Erin Blanchfield on Maycee Barber: ‘She needs to fix her life’
UFC on ESPN 68 winner Erin Blanchfield talks to reporters post-fight after Maycee Barber was ruled out of their in main event due to a medical issue.
After what only can be described as an absolute debacle of a fight week, Erin Blanchfield will be paid both her show and win money from the UFC.
Blanchfield (13-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) was set to headline UFC on ESPN 68 on Saturday against Maycee Barber (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) in a women’s flyweight bout. The fight was canceled literally in the final minute or two before the fighters were set to walk to the cage from the back – leaving even the broadcast team unsure what was happening.
No official reason has been given by the UFC or from Barber’s side, and even the broadcast team speculated about the reason, including repeating a rumor that Barber suffered a seizure before she walked out. But the team also repeated the rumor that Barber was set to walk out, then turned around and walked back.
Fight week featured some veiled comments by Blanchfield wondering if Barber even would show up to the fight. Friday, Barber missed weight by a half-pound – and despite having an opportunity to cut the additional weight with extra time and avoid paying a penalty to Blanchfield, she immediately said she was done cutting weight.
At the ceremonial faceoffs just after the weigh-ins, the two had to be separated by matchmaker Sean Shelby, and their beef continued on social media later on in the day.
But when fight time rolled around, Barber didn’t make the walk. Her management said Blanchfield will be paid her win bonus from the UFC. But Blanchfield also was set to get a percentage of Blanchfield’s purse because of her weight infraction. Because she didn’t fight, that presumably won’t come Blanchfield’s way.
Blanchfield said post-fight she is not interested in rebooking a fight with Barber, whose social media comments have been awash with criticism from fans.
UFC on ESPN 68 had another cancellation at weigh-ins, and the Blanchfield-Barber fight scrapped meant the event wrapped with just nine fights, the most prestigious of which was the co-main event – that wound up being the headliner – at lightweight between Mateusz Gamrot (25-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) and Ludovit Klein (23-5-1 MMA, 7-3-1 UFC), which Gamrot won by unanimous decision.
Barber was set to fight for the first time in more than a year.
