NEW YORK – Erin Blanchfield met the media Wednesday ahead of her fight at UFC 322.
Blanchfield (13-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) takes on Tracy Cortez (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in a key women’s flyweight bout on the preliminary card at Madison Square Garden. At media day, Blanchfield took questions from members of the press corps before her fight.
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The fight is a rematch from one that took place in 2019 under the Invicta banner. Cortez walked away from that fight with a split decision win, and Blanchfield said the difference from then to now should be noticeable Saturday.
“I think the biggest change, honestly, is that I just grew up,” Blanchfield said. “I was only 19 years old when I fought her the first time. I was like a kid. I grew up, had a lot more experience, really locked in – that’s the growth I’ve had.”
Blanchfield has won all but one of her fights since that loss to Cortez nearly seven years ago. The only setback came in March 2024 to recent title challenger Manon Fiorot. But she bounced back a year ago with a win over former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas.
What could be interesting for Blanchfield is she’s been out for a year. She was set to return in May against Maycee Barber, but Barber was pulled during her weight cut. More than five months later, Blanchfield finally gets to step back in. Her fights with Fiorot, a main event, and Namajunas, a co-main event, each were five-round fights. Now she’s back to a three-rounder on the prelims, but at the famed MSG.
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Plus, the UFC 322 co-main event is a women’s flyweight title fight between champ Valentina Shevchenko and former strawweight titleholder Zhang Weili, who is moving up. That means she’ll be on a similar potential schedule as the new champ if she beats Cortez.
“I think that’s definitely important, being on the same timeline as the champ,” Blanchfield said. “The fight game changes so much – it’s about timing and who’s available – that I think both of us fighting on the same night makes it that much closer to having a title shot next.”
Check out Blanchfield’s full media day interview in the video above.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Erin Blanchfield on title shot after Tracy Cortez rematch at UFC 322
