Erin Blanchfield Calls for Interim Flyweight Title Fight Against Manon Fiorot

Erin Blanchfield expects her next fight to be against fellow contender Manon Fiorot — preferably for the interim UFC women’s flyweight title.

Both Blanchfield and Fiorot are undefeated in six UFC appearances, making them the top two female contenders in the promotion at 125 pounds. However, the title picture is complicated due to the status of reigning flyweight queen Alexa Grasso and ex-champ Valentina Shevchenko. The two rivals battled to a split draw in their rematch at Noche UFC, and the controversy regarding the scorecards in that bout left the door open for a trilogy. The third meeting could be delayed after both Grasso and Shevchenko recently underwent hand surgeries.

Blanchfield is fairly certain that a matchup against Fiorot is next for her, but she wants it to have interim title relevance if the Grasso-Shevchenko trilogy is delayed.

“Yeah, it’s definitely stalling. I feel like I’ve had a couple No. 1 contender fights now. But you know, I’m still pretty young and gained valuable experience in those fights. … Whether it’s an interim [title fight] or not, I’ll beat [Fiorot], and then I should definitely get a title [shot] next,” Blanchfield said during a HUMBL online stream [transcription via MMAjunkie.com.]

“I haven’t been told about that yet. I would definitely push for that. That’s something I’d definitely be interested in. I’m not sure when Valentina and Alexa are going to be ready to fight again. I know I think they’re on a similar timeline in their recovery. I would hope that if it ends up being longer, they’d have me and Manon fight for an interim.”

Blanchfield is coming off a unanimous decision win over Brazilian standout Taila Santos at UFC Fight Night 225 in August, while Fiorot took a unanimous verdict over Rose Namajunas in her last appearance at UFC Fight Night 226 on Sept. 2.