- UFC flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield reportedly wants to compete for the vacant women’s bantamweight title
- Amanda Nunes said she will still be the only true champion and whoever wins the vacant title will be considered “fake”
With the UFC now back on the drawing board to figure out who’s gonna compete for the vacant women’s bantamweight title, women’s flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield reportedly stepped up and made a pitch to become the other half of the title match.
Bold and brave
According to MMA journalist Aaron Bronsteter, Blanchfield wants to make history and has already proposed a title fight with the No. 1 bantamweight contender Julianna Pena, who would be waiting for an opponent for the title Amanda Nunes vacated.
“One candidate throwing her name in the hat for the vacant bantamweight title is Erin Blanchfield,” Bronsteter wrote on Twitter. “…With a Grasso/Valentina bout expected to be next at flyweight, she is interested in facing Pena for the vacant title and becoming the youngest female UFC champion ever.”
One candidate throwing her name in the hat for the vacant bantamweight title is Erin Blanchfield, I'm told.
With a Grasso/Valentina bout expected to be next at flyweight, she is interested in facing Pena for the vacant title and becoming the youngest female UFC champion ever.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) June 11, 2023
Blanchfield is currently sitting at the No. 4 spot in the UFC flyweight rankings. She has gone undefeated in the UFC and her latest was a submission win over Jessica Andrade at UFC Vegas 69.
Fake Champion
Nunes is set to become a past tense but before she leaves her throne, “Lioness” declared that whoever wins the vacant titles would be considered a “fake” champion as technically, nobody took it away from her.
“I’m going to have my belt at home with me. That’s going to be the fake one. It’s going to be fake forever,” Nunes explained. “ Whoever gets the belt now, it’s going to be just, like, pretending to have it.
Pena was supposed to be Nunes’ opponent at UFC 289 but an injury saw her being replaced by Aldana. As it stands, Racquel Pennington, Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira are the three top bantamweight contenders below Pena and the UFC has yet to announce who would be competing for the vacant title.
