There was no shortage of excitement around Erin Blanchfield’s octagon debut Saturday at UFC Fight Night 192. She showed why with a dominant performance.
Blanchfield (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), a highly touted women’s flyweight prospect, controlled and overwhelmed Sarah Alpar (9-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in their women’s flyweight bout en route to a unanimous decision victory.
The 22-year-old nearly got a stoppage in every round in the fight – and was especially close in Round 3 – but Alpa hung tough from the opening bell to the final one. In the end, though, it was a definitive scorecard sweep of 30-25, 30-25 and 30-26.
Check out some highlights from Blanchfield’s win below (via Twitter):
Going to work on the ground! 🤛
Nasty GnP from @Blanchfield_MMA. #UFCVegas37 pic.twitter.com/xIFi5i3Nly
— UFC (@ufc) September 18, 2021
Looking impressive in her debut 👀
💢 @Blanchfield_MMA is showing up on @ESPNPlus. #UFCVegas37 pic.twitter.com/OgMJxh3Vex
— UFC (@ufc) September 18, 2021
👏 Flyweight division…@Blanchfield_MMA has arrived! #UFCVegas37 pic.twitter.com/rl8FROzGGs
— UFC (@ufc) September 18, 2021
Short of a finish, Blanchfield couldn’t have asked for much more in the fight. She racked up nearly 10 minutes of ground control time and landed well over 150 total strikes. She said she was satisfied, but also craved more.
“I really wanted the finish,” Blanchfield said in her post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I was pretty close a few times, but it’s my UFC debut, so at least a win is good.”