Erin Blanchfield: UFC title reign inevitable – whether now or later, through Manon Fiorot beforehand or not

Following her UFC Fight Night 225 win, Erin Blanchfield explains where she fits into title picture and responds to Manon Fiorot's comments.

By all accounts, Erin Blanchfield is in the mix of a complicated UFC women’s flyweight title picture. She thinks there’s no better time than the present to get a crack at gold.

Following her UFC Fight Night 225 win over Taila Santos by unanimous decision, Blanchfield (12-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) could be next for the winner of Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 2 on Sept. 16. However, if Shevchenko wins, it’s possible the promotion goes for a trilogy bout. Additionally, it’s possible the winner of Manon Fiorot vs. Rose Namajunas could be chosen.

Blanchfield still likes her odds.

“I feel like things in MMA change so quickly, so you never know,” Blanchfield told MMA Junkie on Wednesday, four days after her UFC Fight Night 225 win. “I think I’ve made my case for sure, beating (Jessica) Andrade the way I did and beating Taila, someone that a lot of people think Valentina lost to. I feel like I’ve made my statements for sure and I should 1000 percent be the next title challenger.”

“With Rose and Manon fighting soon, that’s obviously another big fight in the division. I feel like it almost depends on how the Alexa and Valentina fight goes. If Valentina wins, do they fight again to solidify that, like best two-out-of-three? Or do they just have a new contender fight? I don’t really know and I won’t really know until we see the next two fights play out. But I know if I am next, I’m definitely ready.”

Manon Fiorot "wasn’t impressed at all" by Erin Blanchfield's fight in Singapore and "100%" expects the next title shot with a #UFCParis win.

Full video: https://t.co/8PmOE2skQ4 pic.twitter.com/CVFSqMSPrs

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) August 30, 2023

At a news conference Wednesday in Paris, Fiorot (10-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) downplayed Blanchfield’s recent successes and said she was unimpressed with the fight vs. Santos. When presented with Fiorot’s quotes for the first time, Blanchfield let them roll off her.

“I feel confident that I’ve done enough because I have competed against people at a high level,” Blanchfield said. “My fight previous to Taila was against a former champ. I feel like I’ve beaten higher-level fighters than Manon has. I’ve kind of stated my case. If I can beat up Manon to get that title, I’ll do that, too. I’m not really sure. I don’t see that she edges me out there. I feel like I could make more of a case. Also, being able to be the youngest champ is another thing that I feel like the UFC could promote. I feel like I could definitely get the shot over her.”

Blanchfield radiates confidence she will be champion. It’s nothing new. She’s been saying the same things since she won the Eddie Bravo Invitational in 2017 at age 18. At 24, Blanchfield has the opportunity to become the youngest female champion in promotion history.

While the immediate pathway to a title is clouded with multiple relevant fights scheduled in the coming weeks, Blanchfield sees the end destination as crystal-clear – and that’s really all that matters.

“I don’t think it’s a question of my ability,” Blanchfield said. “It’s just how the cards fall. I’m always just focused on the next fight in front of me and what comes. I’m just waiting to see what happens with that. If that happens, that’ll be great. If it doesn’t, I’m still going to be champ.”