Las Vegas, NV — Following a career-best performance against Jessica Andrade at UFC Vegas 69, victorious flyweight Erin Blanchfield called for the winner of next month’s Valentina Shevchenko vs. Erin Blanchfield title fight.
If she gets her way, it will be longtime 125lb champ Shevchenko that Blanchfield (11-1) faces for gold.
Speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press following Saturday’s card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Blanchfield said that “I would definitely prefer Shevchenko. I think she beats Grasso. I think Grasso’s a very tough fighter, but I want to be the one to take that title from her.”
She may very well get that chance. Few expected Blanchfield to hang on the feet with Andrade; her path to victory, most surmised, would be on the ground. But she found success in both areas, in a fight that ended in the second round when Blanchfield took the former strawweight champ’s back and sunk in a rear-naked choke.
Blanchfield knew in advance that the position would be there for her, and likewise knew the choke was in. “When I was in that clinch with her I felt my overhook was super heavy, so that inside trip was there. And then I got her down and she gave up the back right away trying to get up, so that choke was right there,” Blanchfield recalled. There was no concern about Andrade escaping the submission.
“She didn’t defend it at all; I sunk the choke right in. I even knew when she stood up she was going to pass right out, and she did.”
The soft-spoken Blanchfield has been undefeated through five UFC fights now, and had an idea of who she would call out after the win beforehand. “I always try to think of what I want to say after a win. Because it can be very emotional, and it can be a little cloudy,” she explained. “I knew beating someone like her, especially if I finished her, I could deserve that title next.”
If the UFC wants to go in another direction, however, that’s just fine with Erin Blanchfield. “I’m definitely okay with fighting again,” she said. “I think the title fight is in two weeks, so I think it could line up perfectly. But if they want me to fight again, I’ll gain more experience.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 69 post-fight media appearance with Erin Blanchfield above.
