Maycee Barber was forced to withdraw from her main event fight with Erin Blanchfield at UFC On ESPN 68 on Saturday night literally just as she was supposed to walk out into the arena after suffering a seizure, but it’s now emerged that it wasn’t her call to cancel the contest.
In a post on Instagram, one of Barber’s coaches at High Altitude Martial Arts revealed that Barber actually still wanted to fight after the seizure, but they insisted that she get medical attention, leading to the fight being scrapped and the broadcast ending prematurely.
“For the record, Maycee did not pull out of her fight,” Donovan wrote on Instagram. “She refused to surrender in spite of what has happening to her medically. As a coaching staff, we decided to call the doctor in. Even as she begged us not to. What we saw was just too dangerous.
“I am proud of the bravery she showed in the face of a medical emergency. Most fighters would have ran for the door. When they tell the story of Maycee Barber, this will be the Goliath that she got to overcome on her road to greatness. God is good.”
The 27-year-old Barber had come into the fight following a 14-month absence from the Octagon due to battling with a mysterious illness that doctor’s still hadn’t managed to diagnose despite her having undergone a battery of tests.
However, Barber had said that she had since returned to 100% fitness and had been looking forward to resuming her career as she looked to build on her current six-fight winning streak.
Barber missed weight for Saturday night’s show by half a pound though, and after her seizure it’s likely she’ll now need to take more time out to find out what caused this to happen, and if it’s in any way related to her previous illness.
