At true 24, Erin Blanchfield finds herself within the fragment of her profession when her subsequent fight is “the largest fight of her existence.”
Final day time out, it turn into dilapidated UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade, a test Blanchfield passed with flying colors when she submitted her within the second round. Developing Saturday, it’s dilapidated UFC flyweight title challenger Taila Santos, whom Blanchfield meets on the principle card of UFC Battle Night 225 at Singapore Indoor Stadium.
And Blanchfield is well responsive to her difficulty.
“I believe fancy each and every fight feels fancy the biggest fight of my existence,” she mentioned at UFC Battle Night 225 media day. “I’m trim enraged to be here and be in a situation to fight somebody fancy Taila, who’s fought for the title before. Yeah, I’m enraged to present myself.”
Blanchfield (11-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) has performed a barely true job of that to this point for the length of her UFC tenure, winning all five of her promotional appearances, including the previous three by submission. That’s earned her the No. 3 bid within the first rate UFC girls folks’s flyweight rankings, with the alternative to assemble an announcement if she can be able to beat No. 4 Santos (19-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), who some imagine would possibly also quiet’ve gained after pushing then-champ Valentina Shevchenko to a spoil up resolution remaining year.
“I at all times want to cloak how well rounded I’m and that I will accumulate a fight wherever,” Blanchfield mentioned of Santos. “That’s what I plot on doing Saturday. I plot on outdoing her wherever the fight goes.”
These subsequent few weeks are a pivotal time for the head of the ladies folks’s flyweight division. As well to to Blanchfield vs. Santos, dilapidated strawweight champ Rose Namajunas is making her divisional, leaping true true into a contenders’ matchup against No. 2-ranked Manon Fiorot on Sept. 2 at UFC Battle Night 226. Then there’s the expansive one – the rematch between champ Alexa Grasso and Shevchenko on Sept. 16 at Noche UFC, six months after Grasso panicked the realm by choking her out to claim the title.
Suffice to enlighten, there are a tall resolution of components that would possibly also opt who fights for the belt after that. Blanchfield is aware of one in every of these is a heroic ample efficiency against Santos on Saturday.
“I pronounce it’s no doubt imaginable,” Blanchfield mentioned of incomes a title shot with a accumulate. “I do know Rose and Manon are also struggling with, so I believe fancy that’s one other expansive fight within the division. However clearly I plot on finishing this fight Saturday and becoming the next title challenger. Whatever occurs, I’m true at all times enthusiastic on what’s in front of me.”
For further on the cardboard, consult with MMA Junkie’s tournament hub for UFC Battle Night 225.