UFC 269 Fighter to Watch: Erin Blanchfield

Promising flyweight squares off with Miranda Maverick in a battle between two of the top young talents on the UFC roster

Name: Erin Blanchfield
Nickname: Cold Blooded
Record: 7-1 overall; 1-0 UFC
Division: Flyweight
Team: Renzo Gracie Academy / Silver Fox BJJ
Opponent: Miranda Maverick (9-3 overall, 2-1 UFC)

If the purpose of this series is to highlight emerging talents that more people should be paying attention to going forward (and it is), than selecting Erin Blanchfield as this week’s Fighter to Watch was an easy decision. While there are younger fighters on the roster, there are few in the 22-year-old’s age range that have the depth of experience she has already as she readies to face fellow young flyweight Miranda Maverick on Saturday night.

Blanchfield is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Karel Pravec, a former Eddie Bravo Invitational tournament winner (at age 18), and 7-1 already as a pro, including wins over Kay Hansen, Victoria Leonardo, and Brogan Walker-Sanchez. She dominated her promotional debut against Sarah Alpar, showing a solid striking base and the same pressure style she deployed on the mats, winning the fight in every phase while collecting scores of 30-25, 30-25, and 30-26 in victory.

What really stood out about that performance (at least to me) is that there was no easing off and exactly zero moments where Blanchfield seemed bothered by the return fire coming her way.

After controlling the exchanges throughout the first, Blanchfield was right back in Alpar’s face to start the second, working in behind her hands and staying active when the fight hit the canvas. There were no moments where she allowed Alpar to rest or think through situations; she just forced her to keep defending, keep adjusting to the offence coming her way. Blanchfield delivered three rounds that were virtually identical, landing between 38 and 41 significant strikes each round with her percentage increasing as the fight when on, and needing just a single takedown in each frame to drag the fight to the canvas and control things from there.

That’s an impressive performance from a seasoned veteran, and should be a major “What do we have here?” moment when we’re talking about a 22-year-old fighter making their promotional debut.

Blanchfield came in at No. 20 on ESPN’s list of the Top 25 Under 25, a collection that seems to value names over actual upside and in-cage results and features some confusing alignments, and has the opportunity to rocket up that list and the divisional ranks this weekend as she takes on Maverick, who clocked in at No. 6 on the ESPN rankings and dropped a questionable split decision to Maycee Barber, whom she replaces here, in July to snap her five-fight winning streak.

This is a terrific matchup between a pair of elite emerging talents, and one that should tell us a lot about where each fighter stands at the moment and how quickly they could climb the ranks.

Maverick is two years older than Blanchfield and one of the better all-around athletes in the division. She’s a powerful grappler with improving striking, and has shown the ability to navigate dangerous spots inside the Octagon, which will continue to serve her well as she advances in her career. The 24-year-old is a little more fluid in her movements on the feet, but has also been a little hesitant at times, which Blanchfield will surely look to capitalize on this weekend.

What really stands out for me about Blanchfield are how she is consistently attacking and how well she works from top position on the ground.

In her fight with Tracy Cortez back at Invicta FC 34 — which she lost by split decision, a decision I still can’t explain — she spent the majority of the first round attacking armbar and transitioning through different setups and grips off her back, putting Cortez in some dangerous spots and remaining calm even when getting stacked up. She didn’t relinquish control of the wrist until the final moments of the round, and while she took a couple solid knees to the body, the near-finishes that put the Contender Series graduate and now streaking UFC flyweight on the defensive should have won her the round.

After losing the second, Blanchfield, who was three fights into her career and 19 years old at the time, came out and put Cortez on the deck early in the third, maintaining top control while transitioning through dominant positions and threatening with a head-and-arm choke into the final 30 seconds of the frame. Each time Cortez looked poised to work free or look for a way out on the ground, Blanchfield was a half-step ahead of her, floating through to a better spot, keeping the Fight Ready representative stuck on the mat playing defence.

Those are things that many older fighters struggle with and Blanchfield has been showing it since her teens, and is only going to keep improving as she gets older and continues to log more experience. She’s tenacious, knows her strengths, and plays to them, which sounds basic, but is actually something more fighters need to do with the same commitment and confidence as Blanchfield.

This is a tough fight on Saturday — Maverick is a legitimate prospect herself, with slightly more experience both in the UFC and overall, and should be an excellent test for Blanchfield.

Even if things don’t go her way at UFC 269, do not stop keeping tabs on sophomore from New Jersey — she has a promising future inside the Octagon, and should be a rankings fixture within the next two years.