Erin Blanchfield improves to 6-0 inside the octagon with victory over Taila Santos at UFC Singapore
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to us today, August 26, 2023, for UFC Singapore, going down live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.
Headlining the event is a 145 lb affair between former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway (24-7) and former two-time title challenger Chan Sung Jung (17-7).
Co-headlining the event was a light-heavyweight bout between no. 8 ranked former title challenger Anthony Smith (36-18) and no. 10 ranked Ryan Spann (21-8), a rematch of their 2021 encounter.
Our second bout going down on the main card tonight came in the flyweight division between no. 3 ranked Erin Blanchfield (12-1) and no. 4 ranked Taila Santos (19-3).
Blanchfield came into the bout off a submission victory over former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade earlier this year in February, while Santos came in off a defeat to former flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko in her title shot last year in June, a fight many believed she won.
These two came into today’s showcase with a combined record of 30-3, all three defeats came via split decision.
Continue reading to see how this flyweight encounter went down:
Official Result: Erin Blanchfield def. Taila Santos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Santos opens up the bout with some good leg kicks, Blanchfield returning with some of her own. Santos really begins to piece Blanchfield up about two minutes in, showcasing the superior kickboxing skills and landing solid punches and good knees to the body as Blanchfield is coming in.
Blanchfield is able to tie up with Santos but is unable to get her down and is ultimately outstruck through the opening five minutes.
Blanchfield had a much better round two; she presses Santos into the fence in search of a takedown, though Santos is able to dig her double underhooks in. In attempt to reverse the position however Santos ends up on her back. She locks Blanchfield in her guard immediately before Blanchfield passes to half guard and eventually side control.
After a couple minutes Santos changes position and gets back to her feet, nearly getting her back taken in the process.
Blanchfield really begins to wear on Santos in the third and final round, pressing her into the fence through much of it. This opens up her striking, where she starts to win the exchanges on the feet as the fight goes on.
This was not an easy fight for Blanchfield to win, but she didn’t get discouraged after dropping round one and stayed persistent to secure the unanimous decision victory. At just 24 years of age, Erin Blanchfield just improved to 6-0 inside the octagon by handing Taila Santos the first definitive defeat of her 22-fight career.
Make that NINE STRAIGHT WINS for @Blanchfield_MMA 👏👏👏
📺 Tune in to watch #UFCSingapore LIVE on @ESPNPlus! pic.twitter.com/XT7eYLLvQc
— UFC (@ufc) August 26, 2023
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