Amid a constellation of renowned names and high-stakes championship
duels at UFC 281,
Erin
Blanchfield seemed to drift slightly under the radar with
relatively muted fanfare. Meanwhile, her opponent for that night,
Molly
McCann was cruising in on a three-fight win streak with
significant hype behind her. Yet, as the curtains closed on an
electrifying evening of combat at the Madison Square Garden in New
York, Blanchfield undeniably carved her place amongst those who
etched the boldest narratives and hijacked the momentum of her
opponent. That win marked her fourth triumph inside the Ultimate
Fighting Championship Octagon, and the American rides on a
nine-fight win streak leading up to her next assignment against
Manon
Fiorot at UFC on ESPN 54.
Meanwhile, Fiorot rapidly rose to the No. 3 spot in the flyweight
rankings, leveraging on the strength of some of the best striking
in any of the women’s divisions. Undefeated since her professional
MMA debut, “The Beast” has rattled off eleven straight victories.
While her eyes are on the title fight, she has been tasked with a
mammoth challenge to take on the No.2-ranked Blanchfield. With
undeniable title ramifications tied to this matchup, the upcoming
event set for March. 30 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New
Jersey, harbors the potential to serve as the seminal juncture
propelling either fighter towards the summit of championship glory.
With that, let’s take a look at the statistical intricacies that
weave the fighters’ narrative together:
6: With six wins apiece in the UFC, Blanchfield and Fiorot share
the seventh spot on the UFC women’s flyweight all-time list.
3: Three of Blanchfield’s UFC victories have come by finish, enough
for a share of the No.4 spot in the 125-pound division.
3: She also holds the second spot for most submission victories in
divisional history with three submission wins.
6: “Cold Blooded” boasts a six-fight win streak, tied for second
most—again with Fiorot—in the division.
55.1%: Blanchfield is the divisional leader for control time
percentage, boasting a staggering rate of 55.1%.
52.8%: The American is ranked sixth for significant strike accuracy
with 52.8% of her strikes finding their mark.
2.26: The fact that she’s ranked fifth for the best striking
differential at 2.26 underscores her ability to overwhelm and
stifle her opponents.
2: With two KO/TKO wins, Fiorot is the third-best in the divisional
rankings for that attribute.
0.22%: With an impressively low bottom position rate of 0.22%,
Fiorot holds the second spot on the ladder, highlighting how
difficult it is for opponents to control her on the ground..
2.74: Fiorot boasts a striking differential of 2.74, the
second-best in the division, a testament to her well-renowned
standup prowess.