Erin Blanchfield is no stranger to accepting short-notice opponents, but she believes the risk is even higher with her next fight booked against Maycee Barber in the UFC Vegas 107 main event.
Her reasons are primarily focused around a previously scheduled matchup between them being cancelled after Barber dropped out due to injury. Those concerns have only been amplified by Barber’s long layoff due to a mystery medical issue that’s kept her out of action for the past 14 months.
While there’s been no indication that Barber has suffered any kind of setback, Blanchfield admits she’s staying ready for any possibility with fight day creeping up this Saturday.
“Yeah, a little bit of worry,” Blanchfield told MMA Fighting. “Because Maycee is someone that has pulled out of fights pretty frequently. She has a history of that. There’s always a worry but that could happen with anyone at the same time.
“A lot of the other top flyweights were already booked because they were booked [at UFC 315]. I think it just made sense and so far she’s still in the fight so hopefully it stays that way.”
The nature of the sport sometimes forces fighters to stay ready at a moment’s notice and the same goes for the athletes already deep into a training camp for a five-round main event.
Blanchfield hopes nothing changes and she faces Barber at UFC Vegas 107, but she also understands the harsh reality that she may end up with a different opponent because that’s happened to her before. It’s never ideal, but Blanchfield promises she’s staying ready for whoever ends up standing across the octagon from her.
“I’m just staying ready,” Blanchfield said. “I’m trying to improve myself the most. There’s always little things you try to tweak for your opponents but I really try to focus on my own tool set and what I want to grow in. Regardless if the opponent changes, I’m ready to go.”
While there’s risk involved with Barber as an opponent, Blanchfield saw this fight coming when the promotion started matching up flyweights after champion Valentina Shevchenko got booked against Manon Fiorot at UFC 315.
“I wasn’t too surprised,” Blanchfield said. “I knew after my last fight I could have been fighting Alexa [Grasso] or [Natalia] Silva or Maycee, all of those names were still open. Like no one had fights booked yet. So when I got the offer to fight Maycee in a main event, it made sense.
“I’m excited for this one. We were matched up years ago to fight and we’ve had our words back and forth. So it’s fun that we’re finally getting to fight in a main event, too.”
Assuming nothing changes and Barber stays in the fight as scheduled, Blanchfield is more than prepared because she’s now prepared for this same matchup multiple times.
Barber returns to the cage for the first time in over a year so there’s a possibility she might have ring rust to knock off. Blanchfield isn’t counting on that playing a factor in the fight, although she knows it’s a real possibility.
“Taking a year off is never ideal,” Blanchfield said. “I know she had issues so you do want to heal, you don’t want to rush into those kinds of things. But the prime of your career, this is the time to get experience and keep fighting as much as you can.
“I think consistency of fighting, it’s always helped me staying consistent and fighting all the time just helps you grow.”
Blanchfield’s fight against Barber takes place just a few weeks after Shevchenko defeated Fiorot and Natalia Silva vanquished former champion Alexa Grasso, which brought clarity to the current title picture at 125 pounds.
Nothing is set in stone regarding Shevchenko’s next defense, but Blanchfield knows an impressive showing against Barber puts her in a perfect position to call for a title shot.
“I don’t think it’s clear cut,” Blanchfield said. “I think how the fight with me and Maycee goes, like if I go in there and I finish her and I have a really good performance, I think that puts me ahead.
“In the division where there isn’t a clear contender, I think it matters how you win the fight. So I’m preparing to win my fight as exciting as possible.”
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