The UFC canceled Saturday's main event just as the fighters were scheduled to walk out to the cage, after Maycee Barber was not medically cleared to compete.
Barber was set to face Erin Blanchfield in a women's flyweight headliner at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas.
Barber had not fought in over a year because of injury and an illness that she says hospitalized her for 11 days. She missed weight Friday, coming in a half pound over the 126-pound limit and surrendering 20% of her purse to Blanchfield.
Blanchfield said she heard of the cancellation just moments before she was to head to the Octagon, when UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell entered her dressing room.
"I knew when I saw him that it wasn't something good, because he was kind of like being real serious," Blanchfield said in an interview on the UFC broadcast. "I'm feeling a little disbelief."
The broadcast did not reveal details of Barber's medical issue beyond saying she was not medically cleared just moments before walkouts. Sources told ESPN's Brett Okamoto that Barber has been hospitalized for undisclosed medical reasons.
Barber provided a brief update in an Instagram post Sunday, writing, "Not what I had planned for a Sunday post. Thank you to everyone for the prayers & support I owe an apology to @ufc @mickmaynard2 @danawhite @seanshelby & @blanchfield_mma."
She added, "** PS my life is not messy this is just a bad hand. We will get to the bottom of it all and be back."
Blanchfield (13-2), who is No. 4 in the ESPN women's bantamweight rankings, called upon the UFC to book her in another fight, preferably "another five-rounder against someone else in the top five -- keep working my way toward the title."
She said she is not interested in rebooking the fight against Barber (14-2).
"No, my coaches were [saying] right away, 'Don't entertain her. She's not on your level,'" Blanchfield said.
Referring to Barber's weight miss as well as late cancellation, Blanchfield added, "Super unprofessional."
