On a night where Charles Oliveira cemented his standing atop the lightweight division, Julianna Peña shocked the world to claim the bantamweight title, and “Suga” Sean O’Malley showed he’s ready for a step up in competition, Blanchfield still managed to put forth the kind of performance that left people talking about her once the smoke cleared at UFC 269.
The 22-year-old flyweight strode into the Octagon and dominated Miranda Maverick, showcasing impressive strength and tremendous control in the clinch and on the ground en route to earning a clean sweep of the scorecards. It was one thing for Blanchfield to beat Sarah Alpar the way she did in her September debut, but few expected such a one-sided performance in her clash with Maverick, a rising star in her own rights, and the outcome put the New Jersey native on the radar for those looking for “The Next Big Thing” in the UFC.
I don’t want to sound hyperbolic, but Blanchfield is one of the best prospects to reach the UFC in quite some time.
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She has a complete understanding of her strengths inside the cage and plays to them expertly, has a surprisingly impressive record for a 22-year-old, with eight wins in nine appearances, including an early victory over fellow UFC hopeful Kay Hansen. Her lone setback is a debatable split decision loss to Contender Series grad Tracy Cortez, who followed that win with her victory over Agapova before adding three wins in as many starts inside the Octagon.
She’s gotten demonstratively better since that contest and yet still has tons of room to grow as a fighter, profiling as someone that could be a contender in the 125-pound weight class for a considerable amount of time, starting as soon as next year.
Blanchfield is the goods, and you need to pay attention to her.
