ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Erin Blanchfield thinks she’ll have an ironclad case for a women’s flyweight title shot with a win over Manon Fiorot in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 54 headliner. Blanchfield (12-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) has put together a solid undefeated streak to begin her octagon tenure, which has led her to a main event for the first time against Fiorot (11-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC), who brings a perfect promotional record of her own into the fight at Boardwalk Hall (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+). In many circumstances, both women likely would’ve received title opportunities already with their respective resumes. Alexa Grasso’s shocking upset of longtime champion Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 285 in March 2023, followed by their controversial draw in the rematch at Noche UFC in September, has caused a logjam at the top of the division. With Grasso and Shevchenko currently filming as coaches on Season 32 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show and unlikely to have their trilogy bout until September, the respective contenders came to a decision.
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