Erin Blanchfield is back in the women's flyweight title race. “Cold Blooded” overcame a cold start in her fight against Rose Namajunas at UFC Fight Night and turned up the pressure just in time to win a unanimous decision.
Blanchfield and Namajuans met in a five-round fight on Saturday in Edmonton. At stake was the chance to keep an eye on the UFC Women's Flyweight Championship.
Blanchfield decided to take on Namajunas in Round 1. The strategy didn't pay off immediately, but it benefited her later in the fight. Namajunas' deft attack and takedown defense earned her the first two rounds on all judges' lists, but she couldn't hold off Blanchfield forever.
Blanchfield fended off a regrettable takedown attempt from Namajunas in round 3 before increasing her pace in the final two rounds. Blanchfield fired a cannon in rounds four and five. Blanchfield clearly prevailed over her opponent in the last three rounds.
Blanchfield improved to 13-2 in professional mixed martial arts, rebounding from a loss to Manon Fiorot. Blanchfield defended her third spot in the official UFC women's flyweight rankings and is likely to stay. Since moving up from strawweight, Namajunas (13-7) is just 2-2.
