Athletes
Erin Blanchfield Is Biding Her Time
Flyweight Contender Erin Blanchfield Hasn’t Earned Her First Title Shot Just Yet, But 2026 Could Be The Year She Finally Breaks Through
On April 24, 2021, Valentina Shevchenko capped a dominant performance over Jéssica Andrade with a second-round TKO, prompting UFC commentator Jon Anik to emphatically ask: “Does anyone have anything for her at 125?” Five months after Shevchenko beat Andrade, Erin Blanchfield made her UFC debut as a 22-year-old, defeating Sarah Alpar on the scorecards and starting her own journey toward the top of the flyweight division that has essentially remained Shevchenko’s domain.
Outside of Alexa Grasso’s shocking submission win over Shevchenko in March 2023, the answer to Anik’s question has mostly been a resounding “no.” All told, Shevchenko cleaned out the flyweight division during her first championship reign and is well on her way to doing it for a second time after defeating Manon Fiorot and Zhang Weili in 2025. Blanchfield, along with Brazilian sharpshooter Natalia Silva, stand as the most likely title challengers in 2026.
Blanchfield had a relatively quick climb up the ladder, and when she secured her fifth win in the form of a submission win over Andrade in February 2023, it seemed as if she positioned herself to challenge for the belt. Grasso’s upset the next month put that on hold, so Blanchfield returned and scored a gritty decision win over Taila Santos the following August, hoping Shevchenko and Grasso would have their rematch and open the door for a new challenger. That wouldn’t be the case, however, as Grasso fought Shevchenko to a draw, further delaying Blanchfield’s potential title shot.
By the time Grasso and Shevchenko concluded their saga with the latter reclaiming the title, Blanchfield relinquished her pole position in the title queue to Manon Fiorot when she lost to the Frenchwoman in a main event. She got back on track with a decision win over Rose Namajunas, but when she tried to stamp her claim on the next shot in a main event bout against Maycee Barber, she found herself unlucky once again when Barber was forced out of the fight moments before making the walk, which then opened the door for Shevchenko to fight Zhang.
Erin Blanchfield Submits JJ Aldrich | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs Rozenstruik
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Erin Blanchfield Submits JJ Aldrich | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs Rozenstruik
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That is all to say: Blanchfield has spent the last three years right on the cusp of her first title fight, which is a precarious place to spend your mid-20s.
“The title picture has been kind of like convoluted and like, who's got who and this and that… It definitely been weird,” Blanchfield told UFC.com. “I'm curious what the UFC is thinking with that and who they want to place there, but, yeah, I think it is a little strange with how, like, who's fought who and who got a win, but who's like, who's available in this and that.”
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Athletes early in their career often take two paths: one filled with hype that allows them to compete with the best quickly, or a less heralded journey that allows them chances to gain experience along the way. Blanchfield has sort of done both. Her win over Andrade came just 17 months after her debut, catapulting her into the thick of the title picture, but the aforementioned strokes of unfortunate luck have left her out in the cold on occasion.
“Cold Blooded” admitted to feeling frustrated with the way things played out when it seemed like she was next-in-line, but now, she is approaching it all with a “what will be, will be” mindset.
“Even though I've had to wait or be a little more strategic with the fights that are coming, I feel like it's just given me time between the fights to really train,” she said. “Since I am fighting the best people, it really does expose everything, like what you're good at (and) your weaknesses. I feel like I've been really able to look back on tape and see genuinely what I could do better, what did work, what didn't. I think it's just kind of given me the time, I guess, to work on things. It hasn't been rushed.”
Time is very much on Blanchfield’s side. She is the youngest flyweight in the top-15, and while nothing is a guarantee in the fight game, one could generally think Blanchfield will work her way into a title fight in the near future.
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Don’t expect her to hop online and start calling for that, though. The New Jersey resident is well-spoken but not one to really trash-talk or call out an opponent. Rather, she lets her fighting do the talking, and eventually, she believes everything will fall into place.
“I am very realistic,” she said. “I try not to be boisterous if it's not completely warranted, you know what I mean? Let's say I go back and I rematch Manon, and I beat her, I fight Silva, and I beat her, then yeah, I'd be like, ‘OK, I deserve the shot.’”
It’s that approach that gives Blanchfield the air of maturity beyond most her age, as well as her performances in the Octagon. For now, she’s waiting for the next opportunity. Some came away from Silva’s win over Namajunas at UFC 324 thinking the former strawweight champion won. Fiorot rebounded from her loss to Shevchenko with an emphatic knockout of Jasmine Jasudavicius. Shevchenko, ever the professional, remains without an opponent or prospective date for her next fight.
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In the meantime, Blanchfield will remain in the gym sharpening her skills alongside friend, training partner, and UFC strawweight Fatima Kline, who herself is on a 3-fight winning streak.
So, does anyone have anything for Shevchenko at 125? Grasso proved it’s possible to knock her off the throne, but keeping her off is a whole different beast. Maybe Blanchfield can; she just needs the chance to prove it.
