UFC 281 results: Erin Blanchfield torques Molly McCann into nasty submission to finish off one-sided performance

Watch Erin Blanchfield silence the “Meatball Molly” chants with a nasty submission.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Molly McCann[/autotag] entered Madison Square Garden with an ovation that made it seem like she was New York’s child – not [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag].

In a highly-anticipated UFC 281 prelim, Blanchfield (10-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC), despite being from New Jersey, ran right through the boos and McCann (13-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) for a kimura submission win at 3:37 of Round 1.

A takedown in the opening minute marked the beginning of the end for McCann, who showed some guts as she spent the next two-plus minutes fighting out of submission and crucifix attempts by Blanchfield.

When McCann would pop out of the submission, Blanchfield would crucifix her. When the crucifix wasn’t there, Blanchfield immediately isolated an arm. Eventually, Blanchfield locked in a kimura – and that was that.

A nonchalant Blanchfield stood up, brushed off her shoulder, and embraced her coaches – finally getting some hometown cheers.

With the win, Blanchfield extends her winning streak to seven since a controversial decision loss to Tracy Cortez in 2019 outside the UFC. Since she signed with the promotion in 2021, Blanchfield has picked up wins over McCann, JJ Aldrich, Miranda Maverick, and Sarah Alpar.

As for McCann, a three-fight winning streak snapped with the loss. She entered UFC 281 with an all-time self-high popularity. Her two previous victories came by violent spinning elbow and elevated her popularity to a new level. McCann and longtime friend Paddy Pimblett have become two of the most beloved figures in UK MMA today, which she admitted prior to UFC 281 has been a major adjustment.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 281 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.