Full steam ahead for Erin Blanchfield
This weekend, Erin Blanchfield will look to put a stamp on her meteoric rise in the women’s flyweight division. She takes on Manon Fiorot in the main event in Atlantic City and a win will put the New Jersey native on the top of a division and in line for a title shot.
Blanchfield has been on a collision course for some time, beating big names throughout her rise. After beating Kay Hansen in Invicta and dropping her only fight to Tracy Cortez, a split decision loss, Blanchfield made her way to the UFC and has torn through the flyweight ranks.
Erin Blanchfield and her destructive flyweight run
Making her UFC debut in September of 2021, Erin Blanchfield beat Sarah Alpar via unanimous decision. She was booked to face Maycee Barber in December of that same year before Barber was forced out. Instead, Blanchfield took on Miranda Maverick at UFC 269 and took home the win.
Next, she took on the tough JJ Aldrich and weathered a storm early on to win via standing guillotine in round two. The surging Molly McCann was next, a fan favorite alongside Paddy Pimblett. Blanchfield ran through the adorned “Meatball” Molly and many eyes turned to Blanchfield as someone who could contend for then-champion Valentina Shevchenko.
It was then a step up in competition for Blanchfield. After a fairly close first round, “Cold Blooded” choked out former title holder Jessica Andrade in the second. It was another title challenger next as Blanchfield took a decision over Taila Santos.
Title shot on the line
For Erin Blanchfield, this is the precursor to a shot at a lifetime. Everything is on the line. Her opponent, Fiorot, is no slouch. With a win over Rose Namajunas in her last fight, Fiorot is good where Blanchfield has struggled in the past.
Beating Manon Fiorot would answer questions asked about Blanchfield. If she can deal with the striking of Fiorot, she will be in better position to face Alexa Grasso or Valentina Shevchenko. Those two are currently scheduled to coach the new season of The Ultimate Fighter and will presumable fight for a third time after that.
With a title shot on the line on top of Fiorot’s striking capabilities, the pressure of the fight in tandem with the headlining of a main card in her home town of will tell us if Blanchfield is ready for a shot at UFC gold.
The division must play out
Don’t be surprised if Erin Blanchfield wins this fight and has to fight someone else like Maycee Barber. With how the Grasso-Shevchenko fights have played out, more tomfoolery is possible. Grasso was losing the fight on the scorecards before she choked Shevchenko out in round four. The second fight ended in a controversial split draw.
With the two slated to coach The Ultimate Fighter, there’s plenty of time for things to go awry. That doesn’t even include the fight which, if Shevchenko wins in a non-decisive manner, could be booked for a fourth fight.
Unfortunately for Erin Blanchfield, the future is not in her complete control. But it is in her control partially and come Saturday night in Atlantic City, she must execute.
