Bryan Barberena’s recent fight withdrawal prior to UFC on ESPN 28 was pre-empted by a near-death experience.
Barberena (15-7 MMA, 6-5 UFC), who meets Jason Witt (18-7 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in a welterweight bout on Saturday’s ESPN-televised card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, had to pull out of a November bout when a training camp accident leg to two ruptured arteries in the abdomen.
It was a chaotic and frightening experience for Barberena, who felt the worst symptoms while driving home from practice and needed emergency surgery to have four liters of blood to be drained from his stomach, a blood transfusion, and a lot of other “crazy” stuff.
“It’s a miracle that I’m here,” Barberena told MMA Junkie and other reporters during Thursday’s UFC on ESPN 28 media day. “It’s a miracle. They said two minutes longer and I was a goner.”
Watch the video above for Barberena’s complete media day appearance where he shares details of his health scare, being told he might not ever fight again, the matchup with Witt, and much more.
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Bryan Barberena recounts ‘miracle’ near-death experience ahead of UFC on ESPN 28
