Erin Blanchfield, the No. 4 UFC flyweight contender, has expressed her interest in fighting Julianna Peña for the vacant bantamweight title. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Blanchfield mentioned her desire to fight for the belt left vacant by Amanda Nunes.
Erin Blanchfield wants Julianna Peña for vacant UFC bantamweight title next
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Erin Blanchfield is in a prime position to fight for either title
Blanchfield is currently in a prime position to challenge for the flyweight title in her next outing, but she is interested in moving up to bantamweight to fight for the belt.
Blanchfield is a 24-year-old fighter who has been making waves in the UFC flyweight division. She has a record of 11-1 and is currently on an eight-fight win streak. Blanchfield is known for her grappling skills and has won four of her 11 fights by submission. She is also a former Invicta FC flyweight competitor.
Peña, on the other hand, is the No. 1-ranked bantamweight contender. She has a record of 11-5 and is coming off a loss to Amanda Nunes losing her bantamweight title in July 2022. Peña has been vocal about her desire to fight for the title and has been campaigning for a fight against Nunes ever since she got injured and had to pull out of their scheduled fight at UFC 289.
Fans on Twitter gave their thoughts on the potential matchup and did not think it favored the No.1-ranked contender, Pena. Some fans went as far as predicting how Blanchfield will win against Pena while others would rather she stuck to her division and challenged for the championship in it. “Blanchfield win by however she wants” “Blanchfield 1st round finish”… “No way Pennington doesn’t get the shot first”.
Erin Blanchfield could make UFC history
If Blanchfield were to win the bantamweight title, she would become the youngest female fighter to win a title in the UFC. Jon Jones currently holds the record for the youngest fighter to win a title in the UFC, achieving the feat at the age of 23.
Blanchfield is a rising star in the UFC and has the potential to become a champion in both the flyweight and bantamweight divisions. It remains to be seen if the UFC will grant her wish and give her a shot at the bantamweight title, but fans are excited about the prospect of seeing Blanchfield in action against Peña. Seeing as the bantamweight division has been quite stagnant with exciting prospects or fighters to watch bringing in some new blood might be able to liven up the stale division.
It remains to be seen what is next for Erin Blanchfield because she is on the cusp of a potential title fight in the flyweight division perhaps after current champ Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko rematch. In the meantime though, the bantamweight title is now vacant and doesn’t have a clear contender. With everything going Blanchfield’s way where she could make history she could potentially slide right into a title fight. This is something worth watching because this would make the bantamweight division worth watching again.
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