Maycee Barber Admits She Feared Losing Her Leg During Mystery Illness After UFC 299

During a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Barber provided more insight into her woes post-UFC 299 victory.

"Pneumonia was kind of like the topper for everything else that was going on," Barber said. "Woke up (Tuesday post-UFC 299), my skin was hurting and I couldn't figure it out... A couple hours later, I couldn't even have my pants on my leg. It was hurting so bad and it started to turn red... It wasn't like I had got kicked. I couldn't figure it out. There was no bruise on my leg Saturday or Sunday... They (UFC medical personnel) thought maybe it was a blood clot.

"I went to urgent care, they took a look... When I got in the car, I was in so much pain... We went to the emergency room and, by that point, I was like, 102, 103 fever," Barber continued. "They started running tests... They didn't really have any answers. Couldn't figure it out so they sent me home."

Barber was later readmitted after her condition quickly worsened at home. The flyweight contender added context behind the serious nature of the illness by admitting she feared losing her leg or even her life during the worst stage.

"We still, to this day, there's no like, 100 percent answer," Barber stated. "It (105 fever) lasted for like three, four days. They couldn't get the fever to reduce... My body was just in a rough shape. It was scary, honestly. My leg was in so much pain. I spent nine days in the hospital.

"The two things that crossed my mind were, one, that I could potentially lose my leg. The other part was, there was a night... day three, four, or five. I was laying in the bed and they had given me some sort of medication that did not mix well with my body. My blood pressure dropped, heart rate dropped, oxygen dropped... They had to keep me awake to the point where I didn't think I was gonna make it through the night."

Thankfully, Barber was able to overcome the mystery illness. And with her health improving, she can turn her attention back to her ambitions inside the Octagon following a win over Cerminara in Miami.

While Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot are hoping to stake their claims for a shot at the flyweight gold this weekend in Atlantic City , "The Future" has expressed interest in serving as the backup fighter for Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko's planned trilogy this year.