Erin Blanchfield can now add a UFC finish to her already impressive resume.
The 23-year-old flyweight prospect submitted veteran JJ Aldrich (11-5) with an impressive guillotine choke to kick off the preliminary portion of UFC Vegas 56 on Saturday, bouncing back from a tough first round that she dropped on all three judges’ scorecards. It was the first finish inside the octagon for Blanchfield (9-1), who improved to 3-0 in the UFC.
Watch the fight-ending choke above.
Afterward, Blanchfield explained how she applied the technique and called for a potential matchup with the winner of the Jessica Eye vs. Maycee Barber bout that takes place at UFC 276 on July 2.
“I felt she wasn’t defending her neck,” Blanchfield said in her post-fight interview. “High elbow [guillotine chokes] are something I hit all the time in the gym so I knew it was there.
” I’m working to climb the ranks and want Eye vs. Barber the winner. I believe either one of these girls would make a good fight and that I will finish them .”
It wasn’t easy for Aldrich, who had been out-striking Aldrich for most of the fight. However, Blanchfield landed a knee to the body midway through the second round that pushed Aldirch down to the mat and Blanchfield immediately hunted for a grappling opportunity.
The black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu seized Aldrich’s neck, torqued it at a frightening angle and forced the tap.
Aldrich had a string of three wins after beating Gillian Robertson and Vanessa Demopoulos. Her UFC record falls to 7-4.
