Overview
- Barber is slated to face Karine Silva at UFC 323 on December 6 after more than 21 months out of competition.
- She recounts spending nine days in the hospital after her UFC 299 win for what she initially believed was a worsening staph infection.
- Barber says she collapsed backstage earlier this year before a planned main event against Erin Blanchfield and was removed hours before her walkout.
- Doctors later diagnosed mono with an enlarged spleen and warned that a body shot could cause a rupture with potentially fatal consequences.
- Barber reports recent health stabilization and return to training, and a decisive win in December could position her for a title shot against the Shevchenko–Zhang winner.