Erin Blanchfield can now add a UFC finish to her already impressive résumé.
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 trying to move up the rankings and I want the winner of Eye vs. Barber. I think either of those girls would be a great fight for me and I’ll finish them, too.”
It wasn’t an easy fight for the former Invicta FC standout by any stretch, as Aldrich had been soundly out-striking her for the majority of the contest. 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 Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt then snatched Aldrich’s neck and torqued it a scary angle, forcing the tap.
Aldrich saw a three-fight win streak snapped after consecutive wins over Gillian Robertson, Vanessa Demopoulos, and Cortney Casey. Her UFC record falls to 7-4.