UFC fighter rips opponent after seizure causes last-second main event cancellation: ‘She's a complete mess'
Just minutes before the fighters were set to make their walkouts, Barber, who had already missed weight by half a pound the previous day, reportedly suffered a seizure backstage and was rendered medically unfit to compete.
Blanchfield, visibly frustrated, did not hold back during a press conference.
3 Erin Blanchfield reacts backstage after her main event bout against Maycee Barber was canceled due to a medical issue with Barber during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on May 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Zuffa LLC
'She needs to look at another division,' Blanchfield said of Barber. 'She needs to fix her life. She needs to just fix herself. I think she's a complete mess in every aspect of her entire life.'
Blanchfield added, 'I've never even had any other opponents miss weight before or act the way she does. It's pretty crazy, especially at this level. You expect all the athletes to be professional, so it's pretty wild.'
She also expressed disbelief over the sequence of events, questioning Barber's professionalism.
'I feel like I'm still in pretty much disbelief right now. I feel like I was in disbelief yesterday when she missed weight because we knew about this fight since January. You could have been 50 pounds overweight and still made weight.'
Blanchfield adds that she would not accept a rematch with Barber.
'No, I would not want to book another fight with her,' Blanchfield said. 'I would like to reassess, see who's available. I still want to fight within the top five, still push towards that title fight. I think I need to talk to my manager, talk to [matchmaker] Mick [Maynard], see what can happen.'
3 Opponents Erin Blanchfield and Maycee Barber face off during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in at the New York New York Hotel & Casino on May 30, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Zuffa LLC
The cancellation was a surprise for a very important fight within the division.
Blanchfield, ranked No. 4 in the division, was looking to further solidify her position as a top contender.
Barber, ranked No. 5, was on a six-fight winning streak and aiming to reestablish herself after a 14-month layoff.
3 Maycee Barber has her hands wrapped before her fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on May 31, 2025.
Zuffa LLC
Plus, Barber's status as a once-rising star has taken a hit in recent years, which included consecutive losses in 2020 and 2021.
Barber's medical condition remained under evaluation.
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2 days ago
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Forbes
3 days ago
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UFC 318 Fight Card: Odds, Lines, Prop Bets, Predictions And Picks
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Johnson's longest winning streaks with the UFC are a four-fight run between 2013 and 2015 and a three-fight unbeaten stretch in 2012. Johnson went 0-4 between 2019 and 2021. He ended that run with a 2022 knockout win over Alan Patrick. Since then, Johnson is 3-2. He enters UFC 318 on a two-fight winning streak, beating Darrius Flowers and Ottman Azaitar. He has not fought since he knocked out Azaitar in December, winning a 'Performance of the Night' bonus in the process. Johnson is at the point in his career where the UFC is booking him as a gatekeeper against younger fighters or competitors who are relatively new to the promotion. Daniel Zellhuber (15-2) might be coming off a loss to Esteban Ribovics at UFC 306, but that fight was in the running for 'Fight of the Year' in 2024, and earned Zellhuber his third straight UFC Fight Night bonus. Zellhuber might have lost some momentum in that fight, but he did not lose much stock. He is looking for a bounce-back performance at UFC 318. Zellhuber moved his professional record to 12-0 in September 2021 when he defeated Lucas Almeida to earn a UFC contract on a Dana White's Contender Series card. UFC CEO Dana White praised both men for their performance that night, but offered the contract to Zellhuber, saying, "First of all, he's got an incredible chin, well-rounded game. He's only 22 years old, which usually I look for people who are a couple of years older, but he's 12-0 at 22 years old. You never see that. 'He said something about fighting like a real Mexican. This dude fights like a real Mexican. He's awesome. I love everything about him.' Zellhuber dropped his UFC debut, losing a decision to Trey Ogden by decision. He rebounded from that defeat with three straight wins before falling to Ribovics. When the betting lines opened for this fight, Zellhuber was a heavy -600 favorite over the +425 Johnson. Since then, Zellhuber has climbed to -650, while Johnson is the +475 betting underdog. With the odds being so lopsided, bettors are looking for the upset. Johnson has picked up 80 percent of the bets and 75 of the handle. NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JULY 17: Daniel Zellhuber of Mexico is seen on stage during the UFC 318 ... More press conference at Smoothie King Center on July 17, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC) Zuffa LLC This should be a fun fight, as Johnson is a game opponent who won't back down from any challenge, but Zellhuber is better than him everywhere. This matchmaking seems designed to give Zellhuber the opportunity to rebound from his loss to Ribovics. The pick is Zellhuber to win via decision, but there is a chance for a knockout depending on how willing Johnson is to get into a slugfest with the younger harder-hitting fighter. *Odds via BetMGM UFC 318 Fight Card Prop Bets To Consider Holloway to beat Poirier by KO, TKO or DQ: +400 Poirier to beat Holloway by KO, TKO or DQ: +350 Poirier to beat Holloway via submission: +1200 Poirier vs. Holloway to end in decision: -150 Poirier vs. Holloway to go over 3.5 rounds: -240 Costa to beat Kopylov via KO, TKO or DQ: +550 Kopylov to beat Costa by decision: +110 Costa vs. Kopylov to complete two full rounds: -260 Rodriguez to beat Holland via decision: +950 Holland to beat Rodriguez by decision: +225 Holland vs. Rodriguez completes two full rounds: -120 Freire to beat Ige by decision: +270 Ige to beat Freire by decision: +120 Ige vs. Freire to complete two full rounds: -375 Zellhuber to beat Johnson via decision: +175 Johnson to beat Zellhuber via decision: +750 Johnson vs. Zellhuber to complete two full rounds: -145 *Odds via Bovada Saturday, July 19, 2025 UFC 318 Fight Card: Location Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA UFC 318 Fight Card: How to Watch Or Stream Main Card: ESPN+ PPV Preliminary Card: ESPN and ESPN+ Early Prelims: UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+ UFC 318 Fight Card: Fight Card Time Early Prelims: 6:15 p.m. ET Prelims: 8:00 p.m. ET Main Card: 10:00 p.m. ET We will have more on the UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3 fight card as the event nears. Also, look for live results, reactions, highlights and more for the UFC 318 pay-per-view card on fight night.
USA Today
3 days ago
- USA Today
Alex Perez confirms 'fracture' caused withdrawal from UFC on ESPN 72 fight vs. Steve Erceg
Alex Perez opened up on his scrapped bout at UFC on ESPN 72. Perez (25-9 MMA, 7-5 UFC) was forced out of his Aug. 9 co-main event against Steve Erceg (12-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Perez confirmed the news on Instagram after an initial report from "The Fight Analyst" on X. The former title challenger revealed that an injury caused him to withdraw, but didn't specify what it was exactly. "Sucks to say that I have to pull out of my fight due to a fracture. It is going to take some time to heal. I was looking forward to fighting on August 9, but everything happens for a reason. Hopefully, @steveerceg gets a new opponent. I'll be back soon, better than ever. Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this crazy journey. 🙏🏽" In his most recent outing, Perez injured his knee in a TKO loss to Tatsuro Taira in their UFC on ESPN 58 main event in June 2024. Erceg is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Brandon Moreno in the UFC on ESPN 64 headliner in March.
