After her hard-fought win over Katlyn Cerminara in March 2024, Maycee Barber’s career came to a grinding halt. What followed was a terrifying health scare—nine days in the hospital. Things took a darker turn when Barber was diagnosed with pneumonia, only to contract the Epstein-Barr virus later, forcing her into a long 14-month layoff. Now, finally healthy and ready to make her return, Barber finds herself under fire. Her opponent, Erin Blanchfield, has openly expressed doubts, citing Barber’s history of fight withdrawals. But ‘The Future’ is not in a mood to let that slide so easily.
“Yeah, I’m a little worried because Maycee has a history of pulling out of fights quite frequently. There’s always some concern, but honestly, that could happen with anyone,” said Erin Blanchfield in her conversation with MMAFighting, expressing her concern about Barber’s return to the Octagon. The women’s flyweight stalwarts were supposed to fight each other back in 2021, but the fight was ultimately called off due to an unfortunate injury sustained by Barber.
When asked about Blanchfield’s statement, ‘The Future’ not only dismissed her but also criticized her for having a boring fighting style. “I did [see the comments], and I think they’re pretty dumb,” Barber said. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to say that she thinks I’m going to pull out of the fight, like I have this history of pulling out of fights. I’ve pulled out of two fights, total, and both were for some pretty serious things,” said Barber in her conversation with Ariel Helwani.
She further added, “Kind of a weird thing for her to say, I think she’s just trying to figure out what she can say bad about me, because I think she can’t really talk anything bad about my style or my marketability. That’s the only thing she can say about me, is that she thinks I might not show up to the fight. Her fighting style is terrible, there’s a lot of things you can say about Erin Blanchfield, she’s a boring fighter and she has a terrible style.”
“I think her fighting style is terrible. There’s a lot of things you could say about Erin Blanchfield, that she’s a boring fighter, that she has a terrible fighting style… I think the only thing for her to say about me is, that she thinks I might not show up.”@MayceeBarber… pic.twitter.com/56QHsFHgFW
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 27, 2025
So, now you might be wondering why Barber called out Blanchfield for her boring fighting style. Well, if we take a closer look at her career, we can see that she has won most of her fights by decision—a metric that isn’t particularly desirable in the sport. In addition to that, her last fight against Rose Namajunas at UFC Edmonton was controversial as well. Why? Well, many within the community perceive that the fight was a slug-fest from the very first minute. Blanchfield walked away with a decision victory to bounce back from her first UFC defeat against Manon Fiorot.
Well, ‘Cold Blooded’ has yet to respond to her comments, but one thing is certain—their fight could result in some serious injuries for both fighters. Interestingly, Blanchfield did have some warm thoughts on Barber’s long hiatus. Let us have a look at what the fight has to say about her opponent.
Erin Blanchfield reveals her true thoughts on Maycee Barber’s long hiatus
Maycee Barber’s victory over Katlyn Cerminara left her vulnerable to a series of illnesses, which struck her all at once. She battled pneumonia, followed by the Epstein-Barr virus, forcing her to compromise her training for months before she could step back onto the mat. In her conversation with MMAFighting, Erin Blanchfield expressed that such a long hiatus is hypothetically dangerous for a fighter.
“Taking a year off is never ideal,” Blanchfield said. “I know she had issues, so you do want to heal, you don’t want to rush into those kinds of things. But the prime of your career, this is the time to get experience and keep fighting as much as you can. I think consistency of fighting, it’s always helped me stay consistent and fighting all the time just helps you grow.”
Looking to make a comeback after a long hiatus, Maycee Barber is confident she will perform better against her opponent, who is considered a rather boring fighter. It’s worth noting that their upcoming battle will be a classic striker vs. grappler matchup. What are your thoughts on the hype surrounding this fight? Share your opinion in the comments below!
The post Maycee Barber Goes Scorched Earth on Erin Branchfield in Retaliation to Fight Cancellation Remarks appeared first on EssentiallySports.
