Why did Maycee Barber pull out of UFC Denver? How training for Rose Namajunas nearly put 'The Future at "risk for lifelong damage"
Maycee Barber's lengthy hospital stay forced her to withdraw from the UFC Denver main event against Rose Namajunas. Barber revealed the news in a lengthy Instagram post on Friday, detailing her struggles since being hospitalized and the lingering effects that made training for a fight impossible.
Doctors initially struggled to diagnose the cause of her illness, and antibiotics prescribed during her stay further weakened her immune system. Despite initial optimism about returning in July, Barber's training camp exposed her limitations.
'The Future' wrote on her Instagram post:
"When I accepted this fight I was told that I would be okay by the time July came around and so after a few weeks eased back to training and into a camp, as I got deeper into camp I just couldn’t find any intensity needed to get ready for a 5-round fight let alone the first 5 minutes of a practice. I wanted so badly to be able to go out there and perform in front of my home, family and friends. Especially against such a high level opponent in Rose. Although I tried to keep pushing through, my team recognized that I’m not just not physically even close to where I need to be to safely enter a fight let alone into a single training session without putting myself at risk for lifelong damage."
Pushing through the fatigue only worsened her condition, and further medical tests revealed an Epstein-Barr virus infection along with other issues.
Faced with "severe risks" including a potential spleen rupture, Barber, her team, and the UFC made the difficult decision to prioritize her health and withdraw from the fight. Tracy Cortez stepped in as a replacement to face Namajunas at UFC Denver, which takes place on July 13.
Check out Maycee Barber's post below:
Maycee Barber's run in the UFC so far
Maycee Barber's path in the UFC has been a rollercoaster ride. Starting strong with three consecutive second-round knockouts, she established herself as a rising star. However, a shocking unanimous decision loss to Roxanne Modafferi in 2020 halted her momentum.
Following a lengthy injury layoff, Barber returned with mixed results. She earned controversial split decision wins over Miranda Maverick and Montana De La Rosa, but also suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Alexa Grasso.
Barber has found her footing again recently, stringing together four victories - two by decision and two by stoppage - including a dominant Performance of the Night win against Amanda Ribas.
Her most recent bout was at UFC 299, where she defeated Katlyn Cerminara via unanimous decision at the end of three rounds.