With all due respect to the other 15 individuals that won fights in February by submission, there was no other choice here but Blanchfield’s finish of Andrade.
This was viewed as the fighting equivalent of Blanchfield taking the MCATs or LSATs — a top-end entrance exam to determine if the ultra-talented 23-year-old was in fact ready to be a bona fide contender in the flyweight division, and “Cold Blooded” not only aced the test, but finished in no time flat, too, making it look relatively easy.
We often talk about athletes taking a step up in competition, but this was clearing an entire flight of stairs.
Blanchfield went from facing Molly McCann — a solid, veteran battler at Madison Square Garden in November to dispatching a former strawweight champion and flyweight title challenger 97 seconds into the second round. How she did it was just as impressive, as well.
WATCH: See What Blanchfield Had To Say After Beating Andrade
After trading with Andrade for much of the first round, Blanchfield hit a beautiful trip in the second as the two came together in a body lock and, from there, it was done. She effortlessly floated into side control and quickly climbed onto Andrade’s back as the Brazilian made a tactical mistake, and as soon as she exposed her neck, the surging American laced up the choke, never really bothering with her hooks until things were all but over.
There are “yeah, but…” arguments that some will want to make to take away from Blanchfield’s achievement, but the bottom line is that she showed zero hesitation in accepting a fight with Andrade as her short-notice replacement opponent and then finished her in less than seven minutes.
This was an incredible performance, period.
