Erin Blanchfield hopes to headline her first show at home.
Blanchfield (12-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) takes on Manon Fiorot (11-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in a pivotal flyweight clash at UFC Fight Night on March 30, which takes place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. The card is expected to air on ESPN.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Blanchfield is excited to fight in front of her home fans. What would make it even more special is if her fight received top billing.
“I don’t know yet,” Blanchfield told MMA Junkie about headlining. “I’m pushing, I want it to be a main event. I’d love to fight five rounds. I feel like that fits my style really well, and prepping myself for a title fight, I think going five rounds would be super beneficial. So I don’t know for sure, but I’m going to push for five rounds.”
Blanchfield got a taste of fighting close to home when she had a breakout performance against Molly McCann at UFC 281 in November 2022 at Madison Square Garden. However, with McCann’s popularity, Blanchfield didn’t get the homecoming she was expecting.
But fighting in Atlantic City, Blanchfield is confident she’ll have plenty of support.
“I have a lot of family in the city, and MSG was always a big goal for me,” Blanchfield said. “I mean who wouldn’t want to fight at MSG? So that was a huge goal. But fighting in my home state, I mean, I was raised here, I went to school here, trained here my entire life in Jersey. So I think being a main event in Atlantic City would be so awesome. I feel like I’d bring a crowd, too. Everyone I know lives here, everyone I train with, so that would be super special. It would be something to remember.”