Mixed Martial Arts Weekend Watch & Bet

Match information

The upper echelon of the women’s flyweight division stays front and centre this weekend, mere days after Rose Namajunas picked up a statement win in the weight class against Amanda Ribas at the APEX. Erin Blanchfield will have the crowd in her corner in her home state of New Jersey Saturday when the American faces France’s Manon Fiorot in a five-round UFC Fight Night main event at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Blanchfield is the No. 2-ranked contender at flyweight, 12-1 in mixed martial arts with her lone loss a split decision in her fourth pro bout. The 24-year-old is already 5-0 in the UFC with notable submission wins over Molly McCann and former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade plus a unanimous decision over one-time flyweight title challenger Taila Santos in her most recent appearance. Fiorot, the No. 3-ranked contender at 125 pounds, is 11-1 in professional MMA with her lone loss a split decision in her pro debut. The 34-year-old is 6-0 under the UFC banner and coming off a three round unanimous decision win over Namajunas. Prior to her win over the former 115-pound champ, Fiorot bested previous title challengers Katlyn Cerminara, Jennifer Maia prior and Mayra Bueno Silva in consecutive bouts, also by unanimous decisions. Current flyweight champ Alexa Grasso and former longtime titleholder Valentina Shevchenko are expected to complete their trilogy later this year after serving as coaches on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series. Blanchfield and Fiorot are both about as close to a title shot as you can get without there being a literal guarantee and a memorable victory, particularly an impressive stoppage, from either woman this Saturday could elevate them to being the clear choice for next up. There is a decade age gap between the two athletes and a stark style contrast with Fiorot being a karate-style kickboxer and Blanchfield having a grappling-heavy base. Both have beaten a variety of styles on their respective winning streaks, so Saturday could simply come down to who can impose their game plan more effectively and which fighter will need to make the more pressing mid-fight adjustments? Blanchfield is currently ranked No. 4 in the women’s pound-for-pound rankings and is a slight betting favourite, while the underdog Fiorot is No. 6 on the women’s P4P list.