After big bounce back win at UFC Edmonton, what’s next for Erin Blanchfield?

This past Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Edmonton , we saw a five-round potential title eliminator in the women's flyweight division. Former strawweight champion "Thug" Rose Namajunas (13-7) was looking for her third straight win at 125 as she took on top contender Erin Blanchfield (13-2) who was looking to bounce back after her first loss in the octagon.

Back in March in Atlantic City, Erin Blanchfield took on Manon Fiorot in a title eliminator which served as the main event. In that fight, Blanchfield never got anything going with her wrestling and lost a clear decision to Fiorot. It was the second straight fight where Blanchfield didn't look that great after a dominant start to her UFC career.

She had a golden opportunity to silence some critics on Saturday night. However, those critics were really loud through two rounds. Blanchfield lost the first to rounds to Rose Namajunas on all three scorecards. Namajunas looked sharper on the feet and Blanchfield couldn't get the fight to the ground.

However, this is where Blanchfield's cardio and determination really earned her some respect. As Namajunas began to fade, Blanchfield came on strong. She used her wrestling in the third and fifth rounds successfully while leaning on her pace and pressure to win the fourth round. All three judges gave her the final three rounds and a huge decision win at UFC Edmonton.

What's next after UFC Edmonton?

This was a massive win for Erin Blanchfield. I'm not going to lie, through two rounds, I figured we'd seen the immediate ceiling for Blanchfield. Not a permanent one especially with her being so young, but she hadn't made big enough improvements to really be a championship threat at this point.

She struggled on the feet and she couldn't outstrike Namajunas. However, she showed real toughness and her cardio was on point. A lot of fighters fold down 2-0, but she rallied and won the biggest decision of her career. She still has so much to work on, but she earned her spot near the top of the UFC's flyweight rankings.

So, what should be next? Honestly, I think there's a perfect fight that could get her right into a title shot with a win. It's known that Manon Fiorot is going to challenge Valentina Shevchenko next for the title. With that, I think Blanchfield should face former champion Alexa Grasso.