Erin Blanchfield Ready to Dominate in Atlantic City

“I know how to use my skills, to get in there, get that finish, and not get hurt in the process”

Erin Blanchfield pins Miranda Maverick and lands a hit during / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to The Weekly Takedown, Sports Illustrated’s in-depth look at MMA. Every week, this column offers insight and information on the most noteworthy stories in the fight world.

Erin Blanchfield: “I know how to use my skills, to get in there, get that finish, and not get hurt in the process”

Maycee Barber made news this week by calling Erin Blanchfield a boring fighter.

Blanchfield did not appreciate the comment, responding there is nothing dull about the way she dominates.

“I know how to use my skills, to get in there, get that finish, and not get hurt in the process,” said Blanchfield. “It leads to finishes, and people want to see me fight–I’m getting main event slots, which speaks for itself.”

Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

Blanchfield returns to her home of New Jersey this weekend to headline the UFC Fight Night card in Atlantic City. She fights in the main event against a very dangerous Manon Fiorot. Like Blanchfield, Fiorot (11-1) has won all six of her UFC bouts, making this an extremely compelling fight with high stakes for the flyweight division.

The Weekly Takedown

1. Dana White announces new slate of fights for ABC card

And Barber timed out her critique perfectly. If Blanchfield (12-1) finds a path to victory on Saturday, it is unlikely she will be next in line for a title shot. Reigning champion Alexa Grasso will remain linked to former champ Valentina Shevchenko until their commitments with The Ultimate Fighter are complete. So even with a win against Fiorot, Blanchfield will still likely have another bout–and Barber (14-2) seems like a natural fit.

“I know they’re doing The Ultimate Fighter, but things change so much in MMA,” said Blanchfield. “You never know what’s going to happen. I’m only focused on winning the fight on Saturday. If I don’t win, then everything I have planned won’t matter. So the goal is to get the win on Saturday, and then we’ll focus from there.”

Sep 2, 2023; Paris, France; Manon Fiorot (red gloves) fights Rose Namajunas (blue gloves) / Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports

Blanchfield is the odds favorite, but this won’t be easy. Fiorot continues to exceed expectations. She is three inches taller than Blanchfield, and she is typically able to use size to her advantage. Fiorot is only months removed from defeating Rose Namajunas in her flyweight debut, where she showed her strengths as a striker. Blanchfield will undoubtedly look to get her on the ground, but it will also be interesting to see whether she can close the distance against a bigger opponent. This should be a high-level bout, and the winner is effectively the top contender after Shevchenko.

Best of all for Blanchfield, it all goes down on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City.

“It’s super awesome to come back to New Jersey and get the main event,” said Blanchfield. “The crowd is going to be awesome and with a lot of energy. It’s going to be a great night. I can fight in front of my family and friends, and celebrate with them after.”

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Dana White announces new slate of fights for ABC card

UFC CEO Dana White announced new fights last night, with none bigger than Khamzat Chimaev against Robert Whittaker.

Aaron Meullion-USA TODAY Sports

Chimaev-Whittaker will main-event the Fight Night card on June 22, which takes place in Saudi Arabia and airs on ABC. The bout is effectively Chimaev’s final step en route to a middleweight title bout, likely after Dricus du Plessis defends the belt against former division king Israel Adesanya. He will need to defeat Whittaker, who did look impressive last month when he defeated Paulo Costa, but this is a matchup Chimaev needs to win.

The co-main is a battle of Russian heavyweights between Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov. After losing to Tom Aspinall in November, that is a fight Pavlovich desperately needs in order to remain a title contender. There is also Kelvin Gastelum-Daniel Rodriguez, Johnny Walker-Volkan Oezdemir, and Shara Magomedov-Ihor Potieira.

That is an outstanding card, perfectly fitting the mold of White’s ABC events. There is a combination of star power and rising stars, along with a must-see main event.