Maycee Barber has endured probably the most tough 18-month stretch of her preventing profession and that’s with out including a single loss to her report.
As an alternative, the 27-year-old flyweight has been battling well being points that successfully derailed her momentum after a six-fight win streak had her on the cusp of title rivalry. She was scheduled to face former UFC champion Rose Namajunas when Barber ended up in an prolonged hospital keep that pressured her out of motion for almost a 12 months.
Barber lastly scheduled a return struggle in opposition to Erin Blanchfield in Could however simply seconds earlier than she was purported to stroll out to the octagon, she endured one other medical emergency the place she awoke in an ambulance with no reminiscence of what simply occurred. With docs largely unable to inform her precisely what went fallacious, Barber was caught making an attempt to place the items again along with the haunting specter looming overhead that perhaps she may by no means struggle once more.
“It’s been probably the most difficult issues I’ve needed to face so far as profession clever,” Barber instructed MMA Preventing. “As a result of there’s been a number of occasions I’ve sat down, not going to lie, I’ve sat down within the kitchen or the lounge and I’ve simply cried. I’ve by no means felt so shut but thus far. It’s only a full what the heck. In my profession and in my performances, once I’m in a position to carry out and I’m going out and I do what I’m able to doing, I can really feel the belt. I can really feel it. I can see it. I can style it. I can scent it.
“All of these issues, I can simply inform it’s proper there. It’s on the tip of my fingers however on the similar time then life occurs and a part of me, particularly on this final scenario, am I going to find a way stroll out once more? What’s happening? Not having these solutions and never having that understanding, I’m identical to what on this planet? I’m so shut but feeling thus far.”
Barber admits that pushing by way of the ache is one thing that each one athletes are inclined to do however particularly fighters who usually occasions cope with nagging accidents that simply really feel like a part of the game.
Trying again now, she might have been coping with some early warning indicators that her physique was shutting down, however there’s no solution to actually know for positive. Maybe the hardest capsule to swallow was doing precisely what the docs instructed her to do and nonetheless not really getting wholesome sufficient to struggle once more.
“For me, I’m a really cussed individual and once I really feel drained I’m like I’ll simply be good,” Barber defined. “It’s most likely simply the elevation, I used to be simply coaching right here, I simply moved to Denver, all of these items. Quick ahead, they’re like ‘you might have mono, you’re actually sick, you may’t even prepare. You may have an enlarged spleen, you could possibly get punched it the physique, it might rupture and you could possibly die.’ These are the sorts of issues while you hear that you simply’re like wait that’s not true. These sorts of issues are bizarre however they’re invisible. You may’t see them.
“Quick ahead to once I was preventing Erin, I’m preparing for all the pieces and getting ready and I’m doing all the pieces that I really feel I’m required to do and I’ve recognized to do and I’ve ready for fights, a number of fights, I’ve had so many various fights within the UFC. I do know the method. I do know what it takes and all of the various things I have to do. Then one thing like that simply occurs and it’s like I don’t know what that is. I don’t know tips on how to cope with it.”
The preliminary sickness that landed Barber within the hospital again in 2024 required her to endure therapy that included quite a few rounds of antibiotics.
Whereas the life-saving drugs restored her well being, the uncomfortable side effects had been quite a few and lengthy lasting. Nonetheless, Barber adopted her physician’s directions to the letter of the regulation as she desperately tried to get her profession again on monitor.
“I bear in mind once I was on the point of struggle Rose [Namajunas] and I used to be in Denver and I bear in mind speaking with a number of the folks on the [UFC Performance Institute] and the docs and everyone and so they’re like ‘we don’t know however you’ll most likely be out for like a 12 months, you may want a minimum of a 12 months,’” Barber stated. “So I took the 12 months off. I did all of the issues that I used to be instructed you might want to reset your physique. As a result of popping out of the hospital, I didn’t have any solutions.
“I had been on I believe 15 completely different rounds of antibiotics by way of IV’s in order that alone messes together with your physique and also you don’t know what the results are of that. Then you must recuperate from all of that. On prime of that, I come out of the hospital and now I’m making an attempt to construct again and I get a camp and I get a struggle after which swiftly we’re like OK you could be out for longer as a result of your physique continues to be sick however you may’t see it.”
Over the previous 12 months and a half, Barber has undergone so many rounds of checks that she’s misplaced rely by now.
After spending a lot time in therapy, Barber was by no means instructed if her illness again in 2024 performed a component within the last-minute ailment that prevented her from preventing in Could, however she has a tough time believing the 2 conditions are a minimum of considerably associated.
“I’ve talked to a number of folks, I’ve talked some docs, and I don’t know if there’s essentially a solution,” Barber stated. “However from my opinion, and what I’ve sort of gathered, and I’m not a health care provider however from what I’ve observed with my physique and my therapeutic and all the pieces, it must be one way or the other associated as a result of while you’re on so many various IV antibiotics and you’ve got an an infection in one thing that you simply don’t know what it’s, it’s a overseas factor and your physique’s preventing it after which swiftly your physique’s being pumped with a bunch of various antibiotics.
“My discharge papers had been I believe 400 or 500 pages lengthy. When you might have all of these various things that your physique’s been launched to in a overseas method, you don’t understand how your physique’s going to react.”
In some methods, Barber says her physique could be eternally modified from the medical points she’s endured or on the very least it’s not one thing that’s simply going to go away in a single day.
“One of many issues I’ve had points with now since being out of the hospital, I’ve by no means had this in my life, one of many issues I’ve needed to have fastened is my blood strain,” Barber defined. “After the antibiotics, my blood strain is extraordinarily low and so they didn’t know why. That was one of many issues we’ve needed to tackle.
“Blood strain is essential in functioning as a lady and it’s essential in your cycle and chopping weight and all of these issues. Blood strain regulation is essential. So I believe if I needed to say if I believe it was associated, I do assume it was associated to the an infection and being within the hospital and simply the lingering factor of your physique’s been by way of a lot.”
As disappointing as all this has been, Barber credit the UFC for sticking by her facet and doing all the pieces doable to get her the assistance she wants.
That was undoubtedly true after she successfully blacked out simply earlier than she was scheduled to face Blanchfield however in the end received rushed to the hospital as a substitute.
“It’s very tough and really difficult however fortunately having the UFC behind me and having all the pieces there, they had been like OK, we’re going to get on prime of this,” Barber stated. “In order that they despatched me to the very best neurologists and went to Boston and labored with them and we did scans and testing and all the pieces and though they didn’t have a transparent [reason] this is the reason it occurred, that is what occurred, that is precisely phrase for phrase [what happened], there’s a number of completely different items that had been put collectively and so they’re like we’d not have the precise pinpoint [diagnosis] that is what you might have and this is the reason you might have it, however we’ve got an answer.
“The answer that they gave me and that I began doing, it’s labored thus far. It’s been in a position to permit me to coach and do all the pieces I have to do to arrange for this struggle and I really feel wonderful. I’m in nice form and I’m in a terrific psychological area. I really feel wonderful. I’m actually simply excited to exit and showcase that.”
With a struggle now nearly a month away, Barber is hopefully placing all these medical points behind her however she will’t deny the darkish locations her thoughts traveled to whereas she looked for solutions ad infinitum.
“There may be all the time that spot the place it’s like am I going to have the ability to do that once more?” Barber stated. “Realizing what I need and what I’ve set for myself so far as targets and desires and plans, and realizing that it’s not essentially in my fingers, it’s actually been a lesson and it’s actually been one thing the place it’s such as you actually must be taught that it’s not in our fingers, it’s in God’s fingers. I actually have to permit that to be one thing. I’ve to have the ability to let go of the issues that I can not management and simply belief that there’s a plan. I consider there’s a greater plan and a much bigger objective.
“I’ve been by way of a lot in my life. From issues that occurred to me as a child to the medical conditions that I’ve needed to cope with as an expert fighter being this near the belt. I’ve had a number of challenges thrown at me and I believe that it’s only a [test] of religion and your willpower in the direction of your targets and your desires.”
After all, Barber understands she’s going to must preserve addressing the identical questions on her well being till she’s lastly in a position to compete once more after which hopefully all the eye goes again on her struggle profession.
Barber acknowledges that the unknowns surrounding her well being have most likely been probably the most irritating half about her day off. It’s nothing just like the torn ACL in her knee that after required surgical procedure as a result of Barber knew from working desk to rehab precisely what it will take to get again within the octagon once more.
There have been no simple solutions with these well being issues however Barber is assured that she’s going to lastly put all of it behind her when she fights on Dec. 5.
“Sadly folks don’t like not having solutions. I hate not having solutions,” Barber stated. “It’s a really irritating factor however on the finish of the day I believe that we are able to all simply sort of agree that it’s simply good to be again.”
Make no mistake, Barber isn’t being flippant together with her well being, particularly not after what occurred on the UFC APEX in Could when it appeared like she was greater than able to struggle once more.
She’s as soon as once more following physician’s orders throughout her coaching camp and present process the required testing to make sure there aren’t any extra obstacles on her highway again to the octagon.
“I really feel nice,” Barber stated. “We’ve been operating labs. We’ve been doing testing. We’ve been monitoring all the pieces. Simply monitoring all the pieces from sleep to coaching and restoration and bloodwork and all the pieces, ensuring all the pieces is dialed in and likewise weight clever as a result of I do know lots of people have requested ‘has this contributed to the burden minimize?’ Honestly, I don’t consider any of that was due to the burden minimize.”
Because the day she signed with the UFC, Barber’s objective has been changing into champion and he or she’s not giving up on that simply because she’s been sidelined with well being issues for the previous 12 months and a half.
If something, the time away has solely made Barber develop that rather more decided and he or she’s ready to do no matter it takes to lastly dwell out her desires. And if there’s a vivid facet to all she’s suffered by way of, it’s that Barber continues to be simply 27 and the prime of her profession continues to be forward.
“Trevor Wittman requested me ‘what’s your why?’ He requested me this once I was 17 I believe and I might by no means reply that query at first as a result of I used to be like I don’t know tips on how to reply this,” Barber stated. “Now I do know what my why is. Regardless of the entire issues I’ve gone by way of, so long as I maintain onto that why, I’m going to have the ability to accomplish something that I got down to. It’d take me till I’m 30, it would take me till I’m 28, it would take me nevertheless lengthy however I do know that it’s one thing that I’m going to have the ability to do. It’s simply a type of issues, I’m simply going to maintain doing what I have to do and what I do know is finest for me and pushing ahead and do the subsequent proper factor and I do know that I’ll have that belt round my waist.
“That is my time to shine. That is my struggle the place I get to exit and get a dominant end and a dominant win and simply solidify my spot in both this struggle or the subsequent struggle being my title run.”
