All eyes have focused on Maycee Barber’s return to the Octagon, after she unexpectedly pulled out of her bout against Rose Namajunas, back at UFC Fight Night Denver. Soon, she revealed the troubles that she had been facing because of the pullout. She was indeed put in a dark place. But keeping the past in the past, all she has in her mind now is her return to the MMA cage. 

Barber’s medical team ran some tests to pinpoint what was wrong with her body. After all, she had been getting sick quite often. Right after her fight at UFC 299, she was hospitalized for about 9 days and later developed pneumonia. However, the medical staff weren’t able to find out exactly what was wrong. 

‘The Future’ took to Instagram and shared the details of her struggles. She wrote, “The last several months have been some of the most mentally challenging, frustrating, and discouraging times that I have experienced. I have worked with over 15 different drs and medical professionals searching for answers and a path back to not just fighting but the gym itself. I’ve been staying patient, praying daily and trusting in the fact that God has a plan and a purpose for everything in life.” Nevertheless, she did promise that she would try and become the next flyweight champion.

Just 2 days after dropping the dark confession, the flyweight prospect shared her motivation with the fighting community. Taking to Instagram, she shared 2 pictures of herself and in the captions, she wrote, “On the road again,” followed by a beamed quaver emoji. Needless to say, the air around her was heavy with anticipation of an epic comeback.

But what really happened to Barber that forced her to pull out of the fight against Namajunas? Let’s find out!

Why did Maycee Barber pull out of UFC Fight Night Denver?

After pulling out of her fight with Namajunas, the flyweight revealed that she expected to recover from pneumonia by the time she was set to fight in Denver. But fate seemed to have other plans. When she pushed herself to go on for 5 rounds in training, her medical troubles made a comeback. In an IG post, Barber revealed, “ 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. I needed to find answers as to why my body is seemingly turning against me.”

Later, ‘The Future’ found out that she was infected by the Epstein-Barr virus. This pathogen is often responsible for causing the cardiac muscles to swell up. This was indeed the reason why Barber had trouble with body aches, fatigue, and a slower recovery rate. The only option for her recovery was a heavy dose of antibiotics. But that came with yet another set of risks. 

Barber pointed out, “After I was informed of the severe risks of my spleen rupturing among other life altering risks I was devastated.” With these issues in mind, the flyweight’s team advised her to pull out and fight another day. Now, Barber looks forward to extending her 6-fight win streak and taking the fight to Valentina Shevchenko with the championship belt on the line. And the fight fans can indeed expect an announcement about Barber’s fight with Namajunas. 

What are your thoughts about the flyweight’s medical troubles? Do you think she can become the flyweight champion? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.