Introduction
Thursday, July 30th, American flyweight prospect Erin Blanchfield will be in action for Invicta FC, where she will be looking to continue her hot streak against Stephanie Geltmacher. She will be looking for another win, as Blanchfield looks to impress the UFC brass in an attempt to earn a contract. She represents Renzo Gracie Academy, a respected camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Jiu Jitsu: Blanchfield may be best known for her head kick knockout of Victoria Leonardo, but the fact is that Blanchfield is a great grappler. Offensively, she’s very sound. When she gets on top, she has very good transitions and advances position with ease. She’s also very aggressive when it comes to looking for submissions. she loves looking for armlocks, though she will look for the neck as well. She’s also good defensively. She doesn’t mind fighting off her back, as she is tactical in looking for sweeps and fishing for submissions. She will throw up a triangle or armbar off her back if needed.
Improved Striking: Every time we see Blanchfield, her striking improves. This is a great sign, as she shows that she is a sponge. She tends to throw combos as opposed to one strike at a time, which makes her more dangerous. That has also helped her set up her head kicks, as seen in the Leonardo fight. She dropped her in the first round with a well set-up head kick and finished her in the second round with another beautiful head kick. Further than that, Blanchfield has started setting up her takedowns off the combos she throws. That has made her wrestling more effective, while ensuring her striking is as effective as it can be.
Needs Improvement
Ground-and-Pound: The one thing Blanchfield could utilize better in the cage is more frequent ground-and-pound when the fight hits the mat. Blanchfield has shown a knack for straight jiu-jitsu grappling, as opposed to a striking approach from top position. She’d rather search for submissions as opposed to racking up damages with her hands that could lead to a stoppage or them giving up an even better position. What’s ironic is that her submissions could be even more effective in her finish rate if she were to utilize more strikes.
Outlook
Top-10 UFC Flyweight: Blanchfield is just 21 years old and this good? There’s no way Blanchfield doesn’t have a bright future in the largest MMA promotion. She gets better with every fight and is not even close to hitting her prime. With that kind of ground game and the quick improvements in her striking, she has top-10 talent at the minimum. Imagine her in five years. She could be somebody in title contention or even looking at a title shot of her own.
MMA Intel 