Erin Blanchfield doesn't think Jessica Andrade's claims of a wardrobe malfunction during their bout being partly responsible for the Brazilian losing takes anything away from her performance.
'Cold Blooded' put on a stunning performance against the former strawweight champion at UFC Vegas 69, securing a second-round submission to finish off 'Bate Estaca' in the biggest win of her career so far.
In the aftermath of her loss, Andrade surprisingly revealed that she was distracted by her breast falling out of her top during the final sequence of the bout and hence couldn't correctly defend Blanchfield's takedown attempt. While she refused to call it an excuse for her loss, many have wondered if it influenced the bout's outcome.
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In a recent interview with LowKick MMA, Erin Blanchfield addressed the claims and stated that she doesn't think she won because Andrade was distracted:
"She didn’t say anything during the fight and I didn’t really notice anything... I know sometimes when people lose like that they have to try to find every little reason of maybe why."
Blanchfield continued:
"Let’s say worst-case scenario, the takedown was from that, her giving up her back completely and letting me just choke her without defending has nothing to do with what had happened maybe a minute before. So, I don’t really think it takes away from me.”
Watch the full interview below:
Erin Blanchfield title shot: 'Cold Blooded' predicts Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso
Erin Blanchfield shot up the flyweight rankings to the No.3 spot after her dominant victory over Jessica Andrade at UFC Vegas 69. With only Manon Fiorot above her, 'Cold Blooded' has a solid case to make for a shot at the title. She has previously insisted that she hopes to be the one to beat Valentina Shevchenko for the strap.
'Bullet' is set to face Alexa Grasso at UFC 285 in her eighth title defense. If successful, Blanchfield or Fiorot are two fighters who will most likely challenge the seemingly unstoppable Shevchenko for her flyweight strap.
In the same interview with LowKick MMA, Erin Blanchfield stated that she's backing Shevchenko to beat Grasso and predicted that she will be the one booked next against the flyweight champion:
"I definitely see Valentina winning, Alexa Grasso is a talented fighter in her own right... I think Valentina is just a little more well-rounded overall... I think she'll be able to impose herself a little more."
When asked who else could face Shevchenko, if not her, the 23-year-old American stated:
"I think I'll be the title contender next because who else are they going to put? I think I fit perfectly in that picture."