At just 24, [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag] finds herself in the part of her career when her next fight is “the biggest fight of her life.”
Last time out, it was former UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade, a test Blanchfield passed with flying colors when she submitted her in the second round. Coming up Saturday, it’s former UFC flyweight title challenger Taila Santos, whom Blanchfield meets on the main card of UFC Fight Night 225 at Singapore Indoor Stadium.
And Blanchfield is well aware of her situation.
“I feel like every fight feels like the most important fight of my life,” she said at UFC Fight Night 225 media day. “I’m super excited to be here and be able to fight someone like Taila, who’s fought for the title before. Yeah, I’m excited to prove myself.”
Blanchfield (11-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) has done a pretty good job of that so far during her UFC tenure, winning all five of her promotional appearances, including the past three by submission. That’s earned her the No. 3 spot in the official UFC women’s flyweight rankings, with the opportunity to make a statement if she can beat No. 4 Santos (19-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), who some believe should’ve won after pushing then-champ Valentina Shevchenko to a split decision last year.
“I always want to show how well rounded I am and that I can win a fight anywhere,” Blanchfield said of Santos. “That’s what I plan on doing Saturday. I plan on outdoing her wherever the fight goes.”
These next few weeks are a pivotal time for the top of the women’s flyweight division. In addition to Blanchfield vs. Santos, former strawweight champ Rose Namajunas is making her divisional, jumping right into a contenders’ matchup against No. 2-ranked Manon Fiorot on Sept. 2 at UFC Fight Night 226. Then there’s the big one – the rematch between champ Alexa Grasso and Shevchenko on Sept. 16 at Noche UFC, six months after Grasso shocked the world by choking her out to claim the title.
Suffice to say, there are various factors that could determine who fights for the belt after that. Blanchfield knows one of those is an impressive enough performance against Santos on Saturday.
“I think it’s definitely possible,” Blanchfield said of earning a title shot with a win. “I know Rose and Manon are also fighting, so I feel like that’s another big fight in the division. But obviously I plan on finishing this fight Saturday and becoming the next title challenger. Whatever happens, I’m just always focused on what’s in front of me.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 225.