The flyweight division’s top two contenders face off in the main event, as Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot battle to potentially determine who is next in line for a championship opportunity.
A New Jersey native, Blanchfield looked like a future champion in her first six UFC outings, showing tenacity and a strong fight IQ while racking up six straight victories against increasingly accomplished opposition. Although she is happy to trade and continues to grow as an attacker, her greatest strength lies in the area of grappling, where the 24-year-old is a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu and has won JJ finishes Aldrich, Molly McCann and Jessica Andrade.
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Fiorot is also undefeated inside the Octagon, having increased her record to 6-0 with a victory over Rose Namajunas at home in Paris last time out. “The Beast” has racked up 11 straight wins in total, and after starting her UFC tenure with back-to-back finishes, the 34-year-old has since shown a deft ability to outwork her opponents and dominate the scorecards.
Each woman can already make a credible case to deserve a title shot, but Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko have yet to resolve their differences – and are expected to spar against each other on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter – the opposing each other. determining the undisputed No. 1 contender makes perfect sense.
Other Main Card Matches:
Vicente Luque vs. Joaquín Buckley