Flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield picked up her first five-round UFC victory in Saturday’s co-main event, mounting a comeback against two-time strawweight champ Rose Namajunas to win on scorecards.
Blanchfield had to claw back into the fight against Namajunas after falling behind early on scorecards.
Former champ Namajunas was seemingly cruising to a win in the early minutes of the bout, proving to have effective counter-striking against the advancing Blanchfield.
Up by two rounds on all official scorecards, Namajunas needed just five more minutes of success to secure a decision win and keep her solid year at flyweight alive. But Blanchfield started to gain momentum in the third round and didn’t slow down until the fight was over.
Blanchfield was able to get a takedown two minutes into the third round, stuffing a surprising attempt from Namajunas and using a clinch position afterward to trip her onto the mat. She then spent more than half of the round in control on top, giving her the first of three rounds needed to get a scorecard nod.
The fourth round remained on the feet, but it was a noticeably closer competition than what was seen earlier in the fight. Blanchfield out-landed her opponent for the first time in the fight, and Namajunas seemingly wasn’t responding with the sharp shots she put together before.
“I think that third round, taking her down and putting that pressure on her, got her a little slowed down,” Blanchfield said during her post-fight interview. “I could feel it in that fourth. I felt like I was finding my strikes better.”
The final round played out much like the third, with control time from Blanchfield dictating who was favored by judges. Blanchfield moved into a crucifix position while on top briefly, allowing her to score with elbows to the head.
All three judges were in agreement after 25 minutes of action, giving Blanchfield a three-rounds-to-two victory.
“It was a tough fight,” she admitted afterward. “I thought I won the last three [rounds], but you never know. It was so close, it was so tough. Coming off a loss, I wanted that win so bad.”
The victory put Blanchfield back into the win column after suffering her first UFC loss earlier this year, dropping a five-round decision to French contender Manon Fiorot. Before then, she got past names like Taila Santos and Jessica Andrade as part of a six-fight run in the promotion.
With former opponent Fiorot being the more qualified contender for a shot against current top 125-pound champ Valentina Shevchenko, Blanchfield instead eyed a matchup with a former titleholder who sits first place in the flyweight standings.
“I would love to fight Alexa Grasso,” she mentioned. “I think she’s an amazing fighter, someone I’ve been watching just like I was watching Rose. I want to get that win over her.”
Namajunas came into this weekend with momentum from a pair of five-round flyweight wins earlier in the year. She went the distance with Amanda Ribas and Tracy Cortez in the main event of previous “Fight Night” cards, winning via decision in both instances.
Here are the quick results from Saturday night:
Main Card (8:00PM EDT / 6:00PM MDT) (ESPN+)
Bout 13: Brandon Moreno def. Amir Albazi via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 12: Erin Blanchfield def. Rose Namajunas via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 11: Brendson Ribeiro def. Caio Machado via Decision, Split
Bout 10: Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Ariane da Silva via Submission, D’Arce Choke (RD 3, 2:28)
Bout 9: Dustin Stoltzfus def. Marc-Andre Barriault via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:28)
Bout 8: Mike Malott def. Trevin Giles via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card (5:00PM EDT / 3:00PM MDT) (ESPN+)
Bout 7: Aiemann Zahabi def. Pedro Munhoz via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Charles Jourdain def. Victor Henry via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 2, 3:43)
Bout 5: Youssef Zalal def. Jack Shore via Submission, Arm Triangle Choke (RD 2, 0:59)
Bout 4: Alexandr Romanov def. Rodrigo Nascimento via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Serhiy Sidey def. Garrett Armfield via Decision, Split
Bout 2: Cody Gibson def. Chad Anheliger via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Jamey-Lyn Horth def. Ivana Petrovic via Decision, Split
Knockdown News 