"Nothing else makes sense!" - Daniel Cormier explains why Erin Blanchfield vs Julianna Pena is the perfect matchup despite weight difference
Daniel Cormier has pleaded with women's flyweight fighter Erin Blanchfield to move up a division and fight Julianna Pena for the vacant strawweight title.
Pena was set to face Amanda Nunes in a trilogy bout for the title at UFC 289 but was forced out of the fight through injury. Nunes instead fought Irene Aldana and dominated the fight for a unanimous decision victory before announcing her retirement from MMA.
Pena is now expected to fight next for the vacant title and Daniel Cormier believes the only suitable matchup is if Erin Blanchfield steps up to face the 33-year-old.
According to Cormier, Blanchfield is worthy of a title shot due to her recent dominance in the octagon and her five-fight win streak. 'DC' also added that the flyweight division is already tied up with a rematch between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso.
During the latest episode of the DC & RC show, Cormier said:
“She should be getting the title fight at 125. But because Valentina Shevchenko lost, and she’s having to run it back against Alexa Grasso, it kind of ties up the division. Nothing else makes sense for Erin Blanchfield. I tap all the way in on Erin Blanchfield vs. Julianna Peña for the bantamweight championship, 1,000 percent.”
Catch Cormier's comments here (37:28):
Valentina Shevchenko discredits Erin Blanchfield's win over Jessica Andrade
Former women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko has accused Jessica Andrade for not training for her fight against Erin Blanchfield.
Blanchfield had earned the biggest win of her career when she submitted Andrade in the second round of their bout at UFC Vegas 69. The win not only shot the 24-year-old up the flyweight rankings but also put her in line for a first UFC title shot.
According to Shevchenko, however, Blanchfield's win against Andrade doesn't count. 'Bullet' was heavily critical of the Brazilian for her performance against 'Cold Blooded', despite 'Bate Estaca' taking the fight on just one week's notice:
“I have huge doubts that Jessica even trained for that fight. I think that she was like relaxing on the beach in Brazil like good stuff with the family, and then, 'oh my god, I have a call.' [The UFC said] do you wanna fight in one week? She said, ‘yes, why not? I need some money,’ and she went in there.”
Catch Shevchenko's comments here: