"It did look bad in the moment" - Erin Blanchfield weighs in on controversial 10-8 score against Valentina Shevchenko
UFC women's flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield has weighed on the controversial main-event result at Noche UFC last weekend.
Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko met once again in a highly anticipated rematch for the women's flyweight belt. The pair went to war in an entertaining back-and-forth contest, while demonstrating their elite talent.
The bout went the distance and was controversially scored a split-draw due to a contentious 10-8 scorecard for Grasso from judge Mike Bell, who otherwise had 'Bullet' winning 3-1 heading into the fifth round.
Fellow judges, Sal D'Amato scored the bout 3-2 in favor of Shevchenko and Junichiro Kamijo had it 3-2 for Grasso. Hence, Bell's 10-8 scorecard directly resulted in the draw instead of Valentina Shevchenko reclaiming her title via split-decision.
Reacting to the fight was Erin Blanchfield, who spoke to The Schmo on his YouTube channel. 'Cold Blooded' was asked her thoughts on the controversial fifth round, where she admitted she also didn't think it was a 10-8. Blanchfield said:
"I didn't think it was a 10-8. Valentina Shevchenko was maybe covering up for a little bit too long and it looked bad in the moment but I don't think it was a 10-8, no."
Check out Blanchfield's reaction here (2:10):
Erin Blanchfield reacts to Sean Strickland's win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293
Erin Blanchfield has given her thoughts on Sean Strickland's stunning victory over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 earlier this month.
Strickland put on the performance of his career when he faced Adesanya in the main event in Sydney, Australia. Initially given little to no hope by the MMA community, 'Tarzan' drowned out the noise and dominated 'The Last Stylebender' by demonstrating an elite defence and a vicious 1-2 jab combination.
The bout went the distance and Strickland had his hand raised via unanimous decision. He became the middleweight champion after winning 4-1 on all three judges' scorecards.
In the same interview with The Schmo, Erin Blanchfield was asked her thoughts on the result, where she admitted it was "crazy" to see Strickland as the champion. 'Cold Blooded' said:
"That was crazy, I remember waking up, I didn't see that fight live but I remember waking up and seeing he'd [Strickland] won. That was awesome, that was crazy."
Check out Blanchfield's comments here (2:50):