Erin Blanchfield is preparing for the toughest test of her professional career thus far and, from the sound of things, she is up for the challenge.
During an interview on Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell, ‘Cold Blooded’ revealed that she had signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC. For the first bout on that new contract, she will share the Octagon with Taila Santos—the one-time title challenger coming off a razor-thin fight with champion Valentina Shevchenko.
Though she initially called for opponents closer to her in the official rankings, Blanchfield gladly accepted a potential No. 1 contender with Santos.
“When they offered it to me—I love to have notice, I like to have a full camp so I can be prepared for anybody. But, as long as I have that, I know I can beat anybody in the world,” said Blanchfield. “So, yeah, I’m definitely hyped for it.”
Despite suffering a split decision loss to the champion, Santos was the one challenger who gave Shevchenko a run for her money for the first time in her reign. The Brazilian found success on the ground, controlling and threatening Shevchenko with submissions throughout the first three rounds.
As impressive as her performance was, Blanchfield still feels confident she gets her hand raised against Santos.
“She’s a little bit taller than me, I’m like 5’4, she’s 5’6,” said Blanchfield. “She’s a striker, but she has some good wrestling, she likes her takedowns off the cage, her jiu-jitsu is decent. I mean she’s well-rounded, but I don’t think she’s necessarily dangerous.”
Blanchfield improved to 4-0 in the UFC with a first-round submission of Molly McCann at UFC 281 this past November.
