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Daniel Cormier has pleaded with flyweight fighter Erin Blanchfield to move up to the top division and fight Juliana Pena for the vacant strawweight title.
Pena was scheduled to face Amanda Nunes in a three-way match for the title at UFC 289 but was forced out of the fight due to an injury. Nunes instead fought Erin Aldana and dominated the fight to 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 take on the 33-year-old.
According to Cormier, Blanchfield deserves a title shot because of her recent dominance in the octagon and five straight fights. DC also added that the flyweight division is already tied for a rematch between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso.
During the last episode of the programme DC&RC show, Cormier said:
“She was supposed to get the title at 125. But because Valentina Shevchenko lost, and she has to pick it up again against Alexa Grasso, that kind of ties the band. Nothing else makes sense for Irene Blanchfield. I hit all the way on Irene Blanchfield vs. Juliana Peña for the bantamweight championship, 1,000 percent.”
Pick up 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 of not training for her fight against Irene Blanchfield.
Blanchfield picked up the biggest win of her career when she submitted Andrade in the second round of her fight at UFC Vegas 69. The win not only moved the 24-year-old up the flyweight rankings, but also put her in line for the UFC title shot.
But according to Shevchenko, Blanchfield’s victory over Andrade does not matter. Bullet blasted the Brazilian for her performance against Cold Blooded, even though Bate Estaca took the fight in just one week’s time:
“I have great doubts that Jessica even trained for that fight. I think it was like relaxing on the beach in Brazil like goodies with family, and then, ‘Oh my God, I have a call.’ (UFC said) Do you want to fight in one week? She said, ‘Yeah, why not? I need some money,’ and I went there.”
Watch Shevchenko’s comments here:
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