UFC Vegas 107 suffered a major disruption when Maycee Barber withdrew just moments before her scheduled walkout against Erin Blanchfield.
The main event of UFC Vegas 107 at the Apex on Saturday was set to feature Erin Blanchfield versus Maycee Barber.
The fight was put in jeopardy the day before when Barber missed the 126lb limit after weighing in heavy. She forfeited 20% of her pay, and the fight was initially still scheduled to continue.
During the ceremonial weigh-in face-off, the two fighters exchanged insults. Blanchfield called Barber a “clown” for missing weight, echoing a previous remark Barber had made about Blanchfield.
Erin Blanchfield had a hunch Maycee Barber might withdraw from UFC Vegas 107 days before the incident
Following her impressive win against Rose Namajunas last November, Blanchfield aimed for another significant victory to boost her title contention hopes.
Maycee Barber (27), who hadn`t competed since March, was on a six-fight win streak. A win over Blanchfield would have positioned her near the top of the flyweight division.
However, just minutes before Barber was due to walk out for the main event, the UFC broadcast team announced she was not medically cleared to fight, and the bout was cancelled.
Blanchfield called the last-minute withdrawal “super unprofessional” but later suggested a seizure might have been the cause of Barber`s withdrawal.
Given Barber`s history of health complications over the past year, Blanchfield had actually predicted she might withdraw from the fight just days before the cancellation occurred.
“Yeah, a little bit of a worry [that Barber will withdraw],” Blanchfield told MMAFighting just days prior.
“Maycee is someone that has pulled out of fights pretty frequently. She has a history of that. There’s always a worry but that could happen with anyone at the same time,” she added.
Erin Blanchfield received show and win money despite last-minute withdrawal
After Barber forfeited 20% of her fight purse, it was reported that Blanchfield was paid both her show money and win money despite the fight cancellation.
Blanchfield (26) stated after the event that she is not interested in rescheduling the fight with Barber and plans to move on to a different opponent instead.
