Erin Blanchfield harbors no lasting resentment towards Maycee Barber, but she stands by her frustrated reaction after learning their fight was called off just moments before she was due to make her walk to the octagon.
At a recent UFC event, Blanchfield was positioned in the entryway, on the verge of heading towards the cage for her scheduled main event bout, when UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell intervened to deliver the unfortunate news: Barber had experienced a medical emergency, and the fight was cancelled. In the immediate aftermath, Blanchfield publicly criticized Barber, suggesting she needed to resolve personal issues because “she’s a complete mess in every aspect of her entire life.”
While Barber later contested that characterization when offering an apology for the withdrawal, Blanchfield feels no remorse about how she handled the intense situation given the abrupt circumstances that unfolded that night.
“I don’t wish her any illness,” Blanchfield clarified. “We’ve had our back and forth, but it’s strictly about the competition. I was simply upset. As someone who has loved competing since childhood, I want to do it. To get that close and be unable to perform is incredibly disappointing. It feels almost like a defeat in a way. So it did feel quite intense to have to do media immediately after.”
“I believe I was justified in being upset in that moment. Now that a few days have passed, she’s apologized, and it is what it is. I would prefer to move past the idea of that specific fight and arrange something else.”
Blanchfield admitted the initial news that the fight was off left her in a state of near shock. It took her a few moments to fully process that she wouldn`t be competing and her night was over without throwing a single strike.
“When [Hunter Campbell] informed me the fight was cancelled, I felt like I was still in disbelief,” Blanchfield recounted. “They were telling me ‘let’s take your gloves off’ and I replied, no, I can’t, I haven’t fought yet! I can’t take them off. It was definitely a strange experience.”
“It feels very deflating,” she continued. “You’re left with all this pent-up energy and emotions, prepared to compete, and then it just has nowhere to go. It’s kind of all still bottled up. So it was quite odd leaving the arena without experiencing any type of release. Win or lose, you still go through something if you actually fight. It was weird going through that.”
Weeks prior to the scheduled contest, Blanchfield had expressed concerns about booking the fight against Barber, citing a previous withdrawal by Barber and a subsequent year-long absence reportedly due to a mysterious medical condition.
Barber had dismissed those earlier remarks as “ignorant,” but Blanchfield certainly wasn`t hoping the events of fight night would prove her initial worries correct.
“I was worried leading up to the fight,” Blanchfield stated. “I thought perhaps she might pull out a week or two weeks beforehand, as she’s done previously. I didn’t anticipate it happening by the time we reached fight week and had essentially completed everything – she was even present at the arena, ready. That part I didn’t really expect.”
“I understand she had some form of health issue in the locker room, which is somewhat beyond her control. I suppose I remembered having said it before, but as the fight was so close, I didn’t think it would actually happen then.”
Following the fight`s cancellation, the UFC ultimately compensated Blanchfield her full contracted pay, including the win bonus. Furthermore, she also received a percentage of Barber’s purse as Barber had missed weight the day before the event.
“I’m definitely grateful the UFC did the right thing; they were able to pay me,” Blanchfield said. “Both my show and win money. I still received a portion of her money for missing weight. In that respect, they were fair with me, but I definitely would still have preferred to perform and have the chance to prove myself within the division. I guess I’ll have to wait for another opportunity for that.”
“I still got the money — meaning I completed basically everything required. I just couldn’t do the final step because she wasn’t available or healthy. But hopefully, we’ll figure something out soon.”
Considering everything that transpired, a future matchup between Blanchfield and Barber would undoubtedly generate significant storyline potential for the promotion. However, the 26-year-old does not intend to revisit the pairing.
While she hopes Barber recovers and is eventually able to compete again, Blanchfield is focused on advancing her career and pursuing new opponents.
“I definitely do not plan on rebooking with her,” Blanchfield stated firmly. “This marks the second fight that has fallen through, and while I know she has had her issues, that`s precisely part of the reason – if she is unwell to that extent and requires time or cannot maintain consistency or reliability because of it – that is something I wish not to be involved in.”
Wesley Dunham