Reports suggest odds favored Carli Judice as she headed into year’s third fight against Maycee Barber at UFC 335 on December 12, 2026. The assessment will need a thorough revision. The latest developments suggest Barber has pulled out of the fight. The reasons remain undisclosed.
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“Maycee Barber Is OUT Of Her #UFC335 Fight December 12th Per Sources Against Carli Judice,” read the post from MMA content creator Kevin.
The information is limited. So at this stage it’s difficult to analyze the reasons behind Barber’s withdrawal.
The Flyweight contender was coming off a major setback when Alexa Grasso knocked her out in the first round of their Fight Night bout on March 28, 2026.
Barber has a fairly well-documented history of withdrawing from high-profile fights. Her pullouts largely center on recurring medical complications.
The first instance took place two years ago. At UFC 299 on March 9, 2024, Barber defeated Katlyn Cerminara by a unanimous decision. She was later booked against Rose Namajunas on July 13 at UFC on ESPN 59. However, citing medical reasons, Barber pulled out of the matchup. Tracey Cortez subsequently replaced her.
🚨FIGHT UPDATE🚨 Maycee Barber Is OUT Of Her #UFC335 Fight December 12th Per Sources Against Carli Judice
On social media, Barber explained the reasons behind her withdrawal.
“This is the last post I wanted to be making heading into July,” she wrote. “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 a lot of you may know, I was hospitalized for many days following my last fight.
“I spent 9 days in the hospital less than 2 months ago. Doctors at the time couldn’t find exactly what was going on, and I ended up also developing pneumonia during that time. I was put on numerous rounds of oral and IV antibiotics, which absolutely wrecked my system.
“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, I 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.”
Barber wanted to face Namajunas in front of a home crowd. But medical examinations conducted with UFC involvement identified several abnormalities. It included blood, urine, gut health, sinus microbiome, and hormones, alongside an Epstein-Barr virus infection.
Another fight, another setback for Maycee Barber
These issues reportedly caused persistent muscle pain, headaches, severe exhaustion, and impaired recovery. Due to the risk of lasting damage, training and competition became potentially dangerous for Barber.
On May 31, 2025, Barber was supposed to fight against Erin Blanchfield at UFC on ESPN 68. But the headlining bout underwent a major reschedule.
At the official weigh-ins, Barber tipped the scales half a pound over the limit set for a non-title flyweight bout (126 pounds). As a result, the fight was set at catchweight. Barber was fined 20 percent of her purse in Blanchfield’s favor. Later, dramatic scenes unfolded during the walkouts. Barber finally pulled out minutes before she fought against Blanchfield.
Reports say Barber suffered seizures, forcing a pull-out at the last minute.
A few days later, Barber offered her version of the incident that unfolded backstage.
“We’re not entirely sure what happened,” she told ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto. “Obviously, there was a medical emergency. We’re not quite sure exactly what it was or what it is. But there was something that happened, and I don’t exactly remember everything, but there was an event that happened in the back when I was warming up.
“And the doctors, the commissioners, like everybody saw it, and the commissioners were, I guess, asking me if I was okay, and I was saying that I was, and then, they didn’t think that I was, and so they kept asking the coaches, and the coaches were like…again, I’m not entirely sure because it’s hard for me to remember everything that happened.”
It wasn’t until December 2025 that Barber returned to active fighting. At UFC 323 on December 6, she outpaced Karine Silva by unanimous decision.
There have been a few notable instances where, like Barber, fighters pulled out of a fight for various reasons.
Last week’s Fight Night, headlined by Renato Moicano and Tom Nolan, saw Azamat Bekoev pull out. The Russian fighter suffered a medical emergency a few days before the card took place at the UFC META Apex. Reportedly, he had an anaphylactic reaction and passed out inside a CVS pharmacy.
In July 2026, Islam Dulatov pulled out hours before the fight against Wellington Turman at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Over a month remains before UFC 335 unfolds at the T-Mobile Arena. The card has already had a fight between Joe Pyfer and Bo Nickal cancelled and rescheduled.
It remains to be seen what decision the UFC takes. Will it find a replacement for Carli Judice or cancel the fight completely?