Valentina Shevchenko is discrediting Erin Blanchfield’s win against Jessica Andrade.
Blanchfield put the UFC women’s flyweight division on notice by securing a second-round submission against Andrade. ‘Cold Blooded’ is now ranked number three with a chance at fighting for the title next time out.
Reigning flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko joined James Lynch to discuss the UFC Vegas 69 main event and had this to say about Andrade potentially not being fully prepared:
“I have huge doubts that Jessica even trained for that fight. I think that she was like relaxing on the beach in Brazil like good stuff with the family, and then, ‘oh my god, I have a call.’ [The UFC said] do you wanna fight in one week? She said, ‘yes, why not? I need some money,’ and she went in there.”
Blanchfield was initially supposed to fight Taila Santos before the Brazilian pulled out due to visa issues. As a result, ‘Bate Estaca’ stepped up on short notice and only had a week to prepare for the young phenom. Regardless of Andrade’s preparation time, ‘Cold Blooded’ beat a former world champion, further validating her potential to win a UFC title in the future.
Watch Valentina Shevchenko discuss Erin Blanchfield below:
Valentina Shevchenko thinks Erin Blanchfield is too green for a title fight
Erin Blanchfield has been calling for a women’s flyweight title shot since her hand was raised against Jessica Andrade. With Taila Santos and Manon Fiorot likely needing another win before fighting for the throne, Blanchfield has a solid argument for a world championship opportunity next time out.
During the same interview with James Lynch, Valentina Shevchenko had this to say about Blanchfield:
“Erin, she’s talking too much right now, using the opportunity to bring her name up and yeah, she’s young. She’s kind of like 23 years old. This is what she has to do but I think, for the title fight, she is still green… For me, she looks like a little, happy puppy.”
Shevchenko will defend her flyweight title against Alexa Grasso at UFC 285 on March 4. If ‘Bullet’ emerges victorious, the most likely title challenger at 125 pounds would be Blanchfield. There is still a possibility that the Kyrgyzstan native could move up to 135 pounds for a trilogy fight against Amanda Nunes. Before worrying about what’s next, the 34-year-old shouldn’t overlook Grasso.