Erin Blanchfield states she doesn`t harbor ongoing resentment towards Maycee Barber. However, she has no regrets about expressing her frustration immediately after their fight was canceled moments before she was scheduled to walk out to the octagon.
The incident occurred last Saturday at UFC Vegas 107. As Blanchfield stood ready to enter the octagon for her scheduled main event bout, UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell informed her that the fight was off due to a medical emergency suffered by Barber. Following this news, Blanchfield publicly criticized Barber, stating she needed to resolve issues because “she’s a complete mess in every aspect of her entire life.”
Although Barber disputed Blanchfield`s comments after issuing her own apology for withdrawing from the fight, Blanchfield maintains no regrets about her reaction, citing the specific circumstances of that evening.
“I don’t wish her any illness,” Blanchfield stated. “We`ve had our exchanges, but it`s strictly related to fighting. I was simply upset. As someone who loves to compete, having done so since childhood, I wanted that opportunity. To get so close and be unable to do it was profoundly disappointing. In a way, it felt like a defeat. Therefore, doing media immediately afterward felt quite intense.”
“I believe my frustration was justified in that particular moment,” she added. “Now that a few days have passed, and she has apologized, it`s less of an issue. I prefer to move past this potential matchup and focus on scheduling a different opponent.”
Blanchfield admitted she was initially in shock upon learning the fight was canceled. It took her a few moments to fully comprehend the news that she would not be competing at all, ending her night without throwing a single strike.
“When [Hunter Campbell] informed me the fight was off, I still felt a sense of disbelief,” Blanchfield recounted. “They started saying, ‘Let`s take your gloves off,’ and I reacted, ‘No, I can`t, I haven`t fought yet! I can`t remove them.’ It certainly felt surreal.”
“It feels very deflating,” she explained. “You`re left with all this built-up energy and emotions, ready to compete, and then it has nowhere to be released. It just stays bottled up. So, leaving the APEX without experiencing any kind of physical or emotional release, which you get win or lose from fighting, felt quite strange.”
Weeks prior to the scheduled bout, Blanchfield had expressed concerns about facing Barber, referencing Barber`s previous withdrawal from a fight and a subsequent year-long layoff due to an unspecified medical condition.
Barber had previously labeled Blanchfield`s concerns as “ignorant,” but Blanchfield emphasized she did not wish for her pre-fight worries to be validated by the events of this past Saturday night.
“I was apprehensive in the period leading up to the fight,” Blanchfield stated. “I anticipated a potential withdrawal maybe a week or two beforehand, similar to her past actions. What I didn`t expect was getting all the way to fight week, going through all the preparations, and for her to be at the arena, ready to compete. That part was unexpected.”
“I understand she experienced some form of health issue in the locker room, and that`s somewhat beyond her control,” she conceded. “While I recall expressing concerns previously, I truly didn`t think a cancellation would occur at the very moment the fight was about to happen.”
Following the cancellation, the UFC compensated Blanchfield with her full scheduled pay, including the potential win bonus. Additionally, she received a portion of Barber`s fight purse due to Barber missing weight the day before the event.
“I`m definitely appreciative that the UFC did the right thing and compensated me,” Blanchfield stated. “They paid me my show money plus what would have been my win money. I also still received a part of her money for missing weight. In that sense, they settled things correctly with me financially. However, I absolutely would have preferred to compete and have the opportunity to prove myself in the division. I suppose that will have to wait for another occasion.”
“I did still get the money,” she clarified, “meaning I completed basically all the requirements. The only part I couldn`t do was the final step, the fight itself, because she wasn`t available or healthy. But hopefully, we can arrange something soon.”
Given the events at UFC Vegas 107, a future fight between Blanchfield and Barber would undoubtedly generate significant promotional interest. However, the 26-year-old New Jersey native has no plans to revisit this matchup.
While she expressed hope that Barber receives the necessary support to return to competition eventually, Blanchfield is moving forward with her own career and seeking new opportunities.
“I definitely don’t plan on rebooking with her,” Blanchfield firmly stated. “This marks the second planned fight that has fallen through involving her. While I understand she has had her issues, that inconsistency or lack of reliability due to her health needs or time away is precisely why I don`t wish to pursue that matchup any further.”
