Erin
Blanchfield’s time may have arrived sooner than expected.
The 23-year-old Elmwood Park, N.J., native earned a signature
victory, as she submitted former strawweight queen Jessica
Andrade (24-10, 15-8 UFC) in the UFC
Fight Night 219 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on
Saturday night. Blanchfield (11-1, 5-0 UFC) locked in a rear-naked
choke to force the tapout 1:37 into Round 2. “Cold Blooded” has won
five straight fights in the UFC at 125 pounds, tying her for the
second-longest active winning streak in the division. Now she has
her sights set on capturing flyweight gold.
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“Give me the winner of Shevchenko vs. Grasso next,” Blanchfield
said. “I’m going to win the title and become UFC champion.”
Blanchfield never appeared out of her depth against Andrade, who
replaced original opponent Taila
Santos on short notice. The Brazilian blitzed forward with her
trademark barrage of power punches, but Blanchfield kept her
composure and fired back with hard straight shots of her own in the
opening stanza.
Andrade continued her usual heavy-handed approach in Round 2, but
Blanchfield was able to turn the tables with a trip takedown. From
there, she quickly hopped to side control and took Andrade’s back
when “Bate Estaca” attempted to return to her feet. Blanchfield had
the choke secured even before she had both hooks in, and at that
point, it was academic.
“She hits really hard, but I got that clinch and I could just feel
that inside trip was there, so I took it,” Blanchfield said. “I
knew she was a good striker. I knew she wasn’t going to want to go
to the ground with me, so I I had to deal with that. It was a good
experience.”
Pauga Grinds Past Wright
“The Ultimate Fighter 30” finalist Zac Pauga
relied on grinding clinch work and close quarters offense to
capture a unanimous decision triumph against Jordan
Wright in the evening’s light heavyweight co-main event. All
three judges submitted scores in favor of Pauga: 30-27, 30-27, and
29-28. Wright, (12-5 1 NC, 2-5 UFC), who went the distance for the
first time in his professional tenure, has lost four consecutive
outings.
Pauga (5-2, 0-2 UFC) set the tone by forcing Wright into the clinch
and holding him against the fence for the majority of the bout’s
first 10 minutes. The former Houston Texans player landed the
offense of note in close quarters, as he sliced his opponent open
with numerous slashing elbows. Wright didn’t find the space he
desired until Round 3, but even then, he was unable to gain a
discernable advantage in the striking exchanges that ensued.
Pogues Outduels Parisian
Takedowns and control carried Jamal
Pogues to a hard-fought win over Josh
Parisian in a heavyweight matchup of Dana White’s Contender
Series veterans. Pogues (10-3, 1-0 UFC) garnered tallies of 30-27,
30-27 and 29-28 from the cageside judges. The Syndicate MMA product
has been victorious in six of his last seven professional
outings.
Pogues scored takedowns in every round while landing quick punching
combinations on the feet, but he had to weather a strong push from
Parisian over the second half of the fight. Parisian (15-6, 2-3
UFC) kept Pogues on the defensive with forward movement and heavy
strikes in close quarters. He ended the contest on Pogues’ back
near the fence, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to change the
outcome. After the bout, Pogues revealed that he broke his right
hand during the bout.
Prachnio Leg Kicks Batter Knight
Marcin
Prachnio controlled the range and relied on his kicking game to
carry him to a decision victory over a listless William
Knight in a light heavyweight clash. All three cageside judges
submitted 30-27 tallies in favor of the 34-year-old Pole, who has
won three of his last four promotional appearances.
Prachnio (16-6, 3-4 UFC) was rarely threated as he switched
stances, managed distance and attacked with kicks to all levels.
His weapon of choice, however, was the low kick, and his attacks to
that area had Knight (11-5, 3-4 UFC) grimacing on multiple
occasions. Other than catching a couple of kicks, the Thornton
Martial Arts member did very little to alter the game plan of his
opponent. As a result, Prachnio was content to continue with the
same course of action right up until the final horn. All told,
Prachnio outlanded Knight by a 63-to-6 count in significant leg
strikes.
Hernandez Holds Off Miller
Alexander
Hernandez edged a hard-charging Jim Miller,
earning a unanimous decision in an entertaining lightweight scrap.
The Factory X product received scorecards of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28
to halt a two-bout skid. Miller, who owns the record for most UFC
appearances, sees a three-fight winning streak snapped in
defeat.
Hernandez (14-6, 6-5 UFC) kept Miller (35-17, 24-15 1 NC UFC) off
balance thanks to a nice blend of punches, elbows and kicks on the
feet — an assault that gradually battered and bloodied the visage
of his veteran foe. Miller had his moments, as he briefly rocked
Hernandez with a head kick in Round 1 and a left hand in Round 3,
but he was often just a step slow in exchanges. The Sparta, N.J.,
native offered one last threat late in tthe final period when he
tripped Hernandez to the canvas, jumped on his back and threatened
with a rear-naked choke. However, the angle wasn’t quite there, and
Hernandez escaped and ended the fight by dropping heavy
ground-and-pound until the horn.
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