LAS VEGAS – Dana White was very impressed by Erin Blanchfield’s performance at UFC Fight Night 219.
Blanchfield (11-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) emerged as a top flyweight contender when she submitted former champion Jessica Andrade in the second round earlier this month and earned a Performance of the Night bonus.
White was especially impressed by Blanchfield’s willingness to engage on the feet with power puncher Andrade before she capitalized on the ground and submitted her.
“I was blown way. She looked incredible,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the UFC Fight Night 220 post-fight news conference. “She came out and did exactly what she needed to do. She went right at her. She wasn’t afraid of her. She wasn’t afraid of her power. She stood in the pocket, mixed it up with her and went right after her. You couldn’t ask for a bigger stud than Andrade to come out and do what she did, and you couldn’t ask for a better badass performance by Erin.”
Unbeaten in the UFC, Blanchfield has submitted three opponents in a row. Her finish of Andrade gave her a big boost up the UFC’s women’s flyweight rankings and the 23-year-old is confident she has the style to dethrone reigning champion Valentina Shevchenko.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 220.