Erin Blanchfield didn’t pull the punch with feelings for Mayselbar after the main event fight at UFC Vegas 107 was cancelled just seconds before he was scheduled to walk to the Octagon.
The turn of the unfortunate event occurred in real time as the Video Package was supposed to lead to a direct strike within UFC Apex, but the broadcasting team had to announce that Barber had not been medically cleared due to the competition. Blanchefield expressed disappointment at a postwar press conference on UFC Vegas 107 after she had already accepted the fight despite the barber losing weight on Friday.
“She needs to look at another department,” Branchfield said of Barber. “She needs to correct her life. She needs to correct herself. I think she’s totally confused in every aspect of her life.
“I’ve never missed my weight before or even acted in her way. It’s pretty crazy, especially at this level. I expect every athlete to be professional, so it’s pretty wild.”
Blanchefield admitted in the weeks leading up to the fight that he was concerned about accepting Barber as his opponent after withdrawing from a previously scheduled matchup. On top of that, Barber has not fought for more than a year due to a mysterious medical condition that has not been prevented from acting.
With this latest incident, Blanchefield has moved forward in her career, hoping to attract new opponents for her next fight, saying she won’t accept another matchup with Barber.
“No, I don’t want to book another fight with her,” Branchfield said of Barber. “I want to reassess, see who is available. I still want to fight in the top five, but still push towards that title fight. I think I need to talk to my manager, talk to Mick (Maynard) and see what happens.”
Blanchfield revealed that when she got the word that her fight with Barber had been cancelled, she was waiting for her strike music to hit the speakers within the UFC apex.
That’s when UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell came backstage and said her barber couldn’t compete.
“I was literally at the doorway, already wearing all the gloves. My corner was ready to go,” Branchfield said. “I was told that I literally went out at the door and then left (the fight was off).
“I remember them saying it for six minutes. This seemed to feel so long. I didn’t feel it for about six minutes. No one said anything until Hunter (Campbell) came in and said she was having a seizure and she couldn’t compete.”
Blanchfield, who won the victory over former champion Rose Namajnas on her recent outing, was excited by the opportunity to bring out another ranked opponent in the hopes that the victory would allow her to win a shot against flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.
Now she’s stuck with Limbo again without real clue about what’s coming next.
“I feel it’s almost like a nightmare,” Branchfield said. “When you have anxiety, something may happen, the fight may not happen, but you don’t want it. That’s pretty disappointing.”