Maycee Barber had to withdraw from the UFC Denver main event due to ongoing health issues stemming from a previous hospitalization and subsequent Epstein-Barr virus infection, which severely impacted her ability to train and compete.
Maycee Barber is still feeling the effects from what caused her lengthy hospital stay more than two months ago.
The UFC flyweight contender explained how that trip is dramatically still plaguing her and caused new issues to pop up in a lengthy Instagram post on Friday night. Those issues are what caused her to drop out of the UFC Denver main event in July against Rose Namajunas.
“This is the last post I wanted to be making heading into July,” she began. “Wish I was putting up a post about being 2 weeks out from my first main event. God must have other plans in store for the future.”
Unfortunately, as many of you may know, she was hospitalized for many days following her last fight. She spent 9 days in the hospital less than 2 months ago.
Doctors at the time couldn’t find exactly what was going on, and she ended up developing pneumonia during that time. She was put on numerous rounds of oral and IV antibiotics, which absolutely wrecked her system.
When she accepted this fight, she was told that she would be okay by July. So after a few weeks, she eased back into training and camp.
But as she got deeper into camp, she just couldn’t find any intensity needed for a 5-round fight—let alone the first 5 minutes of practice. “I wanted so badly to be able to go out there and perform in front of my home, family, and friends,” Barber wrote.
Especially against such a high-level opponent like Rose Namajunas. Although she tried to keep pushing through, her team recognized that she’s not physically close to where she needs to be.
Not even safe enough for a single training session without risking lifelong damage. She needed answers as to why her body seemed to be turning against her.
She sought out a team of medical professionals who ran extensive tests on her blood, urine, sinus microbiome, gut, and hormones. They found many things physically not working properly in her body; exacerbated by an Epstein-Barr virus infection.
This infection causes body aches, headaches, extreme fatigue, and an inability to recover between training sessions. Every time she tried pushing through the fatigue, symptoms consistent with these lab findings would appear.
The more they dug into her physiology and immune system, the more apparent it became: those numerous rounds of antibiotics wrecked her immune system. Constant training compounded this issue—making her feel perpetually sick and wiped out.
After being informed of severe risks like spleen rupturing among other life-altering risks—she was devastated. The decision was made with her team of coaches, doctors, and the UFC that attending to her physical health now is crucial for making a future run possible.
Tracy Cortez filled in for Barber to face Namajunas at UFC Denver on July 13 at Colorado’s Ball Arena.