Molly McCann will make her pay-per-view debut in her next fight as she faces Erin Blanchfield at UFC 281 on November 12.
The UFC is yet to officially announce the fight, but Blanchfield has announced it on her Instagram account. The news comes just one day after McCann teased she had signed the contract for her next bout, as she wrote: "Contract signed. Who, when and where coming tomorrow."
McCann is enjoying her best UFC run to date having knocked out Hannah Goldy and Luana Carolina in identical fashion in her past two fights. 'Meatball' was on the brink of being cut from the UFC when she lost consecutive fights to Taila Santos and Lara Procopio, but her finishes against Goldy and Carolina have propelled her into the spotlight.
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Following her knockout win against Goldy last month, McCann welcomed a fight with Miranda Maverick at Madison Square Garden. "I want to fight in November at Madison Square Garden, but he [Paddy Pimblett] doesn't want to until December. Miranda, I'll fight you in November. Southpaw wants to smother my work, watch what I do to you. Be careful what you wish for," she said.
Noticeably absent from the Madison Square Garden card is McCann's sidekick Pimblett, who also insisted he would be competing on pay-per-view events following his latest win. UFC boss Dana White planned to have Pimblett compete on a Boston or New York card, but Pimblett played down fighting in The Big Apple because of the tax rate in the state.
It's not the opponent she originally called for, but McCann will face one of Maverick's former opponents in Blanchfield. The 23-year-old is one of the youngest fighters on the roster and holds a professional record of 7-1. Blanchfield has gone unbeaten in the UFC since debuting for the promotion last year, with her latest win coming against JJ Aldrich by submission in June.
McCann broke into the top-15 at women's flyweight following her knockout win over Goldy. A fight with Blanchfield, who is ranked at No.13 in the division, provides a chance for McCann to work her way even further up the 125lb ranks. 'Meatball' had also called for a fight with the sister of women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, Antonina, after her latest win.
