Erin Blanchfield was instantly one to watch upon the scheduling of her MMA debut bout in March 2018. Now, she’s a legitimate contender for UFC gold.
At just 18, Blanchfield became the first woman to win an Eddie Bravo Invitational Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament. After beginning her grappling journey at 13, Blanchfield only needed five years to achieve black belt status, essentially the highest level in the discipline.
While she didn’t find a submission win until her fifth MMA fight in June 2019, the New Jersey native’s grappling skills were dominant throughout her first four fights. It was evident before she started MMA that Blanchfield would stick around for a long time at whatever she decided to do. Her rapid improvements as an overall martial artist made her one of the best prospects in the sport. Her striking has only followed suit with her unshakeable grappling foundation.
Now 23, Blanchfield has established herself as an inevitable 125-pound flyweight contender and possible future champion. As we’ll explain below, her sports betting odds reflect her potential.
Who Will Erin Blanchfield Fight Next?
Blanchfield has reached a point where she should only be fighting upward in the UFC.
As the current No. 4-ranked flyweight contender, “Cold Blooded” arguably deserves the next crack at gold with no fight currently booked. Unfortunately for the young rising star, the longtime reigning champion and all-time great Valentina Shevchenko lost before Blanchfield could get her hands on her.
Shevchenko’s status in the sport and all her accomplishments guarantee her an immediate rematch with her successor, Alexa Grasso. Both fighters want to make it happen, and UFC President Dana White has already indicated that’s what the promotion will look to do soon.
While Blanchfield feels she should get a title shot in her next fight, she’s never been one to wait around. Realistically, the only two options that make sense outside of a title tilt are the two names ahead of her not named Shevchenko: Manon Fiorot and Taila Santos.
Santos was supposed to face Blanchfield for their last fight but was forced out with an injury on two-weeks’ notice. With that history alone, it makes sense to try to reschedule. Fiorot, on the other hand, will soon be ready to get back in action after healing from an injury of her own. After openly stating that she wanted one more fight before a potential title shot, Blanchfield or Santos are her best bets. Nothing else makes sense for the trio of contenders, but someone will ultimately be left out.
There don’t appear to be any wrong matchups between the three. From a business perspective, Santos could be the right one to pair with Blanchfield. Unlike Fiorot, Santos has already challenged for the title and is coming off a loss in that attempt. There are also more possibilities to springboard off either outcome. Therefore, leaving Fiorot to face Shevchenko in the meantime makes sense should Grasso defeat her again. If Grasso loses, a trilogy bout would surely entice the UFC.
There are many directions to go in the flyweight division, but we were close to getting Santos vs. Blanchfield before. It would make sense to schedule it around Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2.
Erin Blanchfield MMA Record
Blanchfield holds an 11-1 record as a professional MMA fighter, with four submissions and two knockouts. Even still, her record should be an undefeated 12-0.
Blanchfield’s split decision loss to Tracy Cortez in her fourth fight at Invicta FC 34 blemishes her otherwise perfect stretch. Invicta’s history has been riddled with robbery decisions and officiating mishaps, despite its necessary existence as an MMA promotion. Blanchfield fell victim to one of those instances in one of her five appearances in the promotion’s cage.
Three of those five career fights saw Blanchfield score solid and notable wins over UFC fighters Kay Hansen, Victoria Leonardo and Brogan Walker. The Leonardo win, in particular, was a turning point for Blanchfield, as she made massive leaps in her striking game from the previous fight. Leonardo received two devastating head kicks that showed a new and horrific possibility of what was to come for Blanchfield’s opponents. Her grappling was already a step above, but the knockout win proved that everything else was catching up.
Blanchfield’s first two UFC wins were wrestling dominations over Invicta alumni Miranda Maverick and Sarah Alpar. As impressive as they were, it was still the tip of the iceberg, as the crushing hype-train derailment of Molly McCann was as one-sided as any fight you’ll see.
McCann stylistically never stood a chance against Blanchfield, but she had accrued newfound stardom thanks to her ridiculous knockout streak that consisted of two spinning back elbows. Leaving no space, it was a wrap as soon as the first takedown from Blanchfield landed. She pummeled McCann into an eventual kimura submission from the crucifix position. McCann was outstruck 93-7 when the action mercifully ended at the 3:37 mark of Round 1.
As impressive as the McCann performance was, it would never be Blanchfield’s best win and arguably wasn’t better than Maverick in terms of opposition. That changed in the BJJ black belt’s last fight when she submitted former UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade via rear-naked choke in Round 2 of the youngster’s first promotional main event.
Andrade’s bruising fighting style seemed a tough challenge. Instead, Blanchfield remained composed and avoided the always-powerful and dangerous shots from “Bate Estaca,” finding great success with her jab and counter-boxing to win the opening round on some scorecards. Short notice or not because of the Santos withdrawal, Andrade is among the best names any fighter can have on their resume.
Odds for Erin Blanchfield to Win a Belt
Blanchfield is more than likely going to be a UFC champion. It’s simply a matter of when.
At +600 betting odds to hold gold at the end of 2023, Blanchfield is worth a small bet, as one more win is all it will take to get a title shot. It just comes down to everything lining up schedule-wise. As much as Blanchfield probably still wants to beat Shevchenko, she’ll want to root for Grasso in that impending title rematch, so there’s no Grasso-Shevchenko trilogy.
Blanchfield has earned the right to be a moneyline favorite over her next opponent. When assessing her +600 futures price, that’s likely coming from Grasso’s chances against Shevchenko, as sportsbooks will see the new champion as the underdog. Grasso is +250 to hold the belt by year’s end.
Blanchfield is improving rapidly, but she’s not yet in her prime UFC fighting years. You’ll likely see her at or near the top of the UFC futures list for years to come.
