On the prelims of UFC 322 tomorrow night, we are going to see a very intriguing and important rematch in the women’s flyweight division. While Valentina Shevchenko and Zhang Weili are fighting for the title in the co-main event, Erin Blanchfield (13-2) and Tracy Cortez (12-2) are running things back on the prelims.
These two first fought in Invicta back in 2019 when Blanchfield was just 3-0 and Cortez was 4-1. Cortez won that fight by split decision. After that win, Cortez found her way to The Contender Series where she won again earning herself a UFC contract.
She made her debut at the end of 2019 and she won her first five fights inside the octagon. Those five wins earned her a headliner against former world champion Rose Namajunas and in that fight, Cortez was just overmatched. She returned from that loss over the summer and defeated Viviane Araujo with a solid performance.
Now, she’ll look to go 2-0 over Blanchfield. Like Cortez, Blanchfield went on a winning streak after their first fight. She won three straight to earn a shot in the UFC and then she won her first six fights inside the octagon including wins over former champ Jessica Andrade and title challenger Taila Santos.
Those wins led her to a title eliminator against Manon Fiorot and Fiorot dominated that fight. Blanchfield then returned about seven months after that loss and won a five-round decision over Rose Namajunas. She was supposed to fight Maycee Barber at the UFC’s APEX this past May, but the fight was cancelled just before walkouts.
UFC 322 Prediction
I think that this is a sensational fight between two very tough contenders in the flyweight division. Flyweight is even more exciting right now with Weili entering the mix at 125 and the winner of this fight is going to be in the mix at the top of the division.
These two have similar strengths in that they are both very good wrestlers. I would favor Tracy Cortez in terms of overall technique, but I would favor Blanchfield in terms of strength and just her overall aggressiveness inside the octagon. In this fight at UFC 322, I think that the aggressiveness and strength is going to win out.
I think this fight is so much closer than the odds have it, but I just think that the overall pressure of Blanchfield is going to lead her to more success ultimately leading to a close decision win. If Cortez can maintain range and time the entries of Blanchfield, I could easily see her winning, but I’m going with Blanchfield.
Prediction: Erin Blanchfield by Decision
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