Erin Blanchfield and Maycee Barber can make significant strides in their redemption arcs on Saturday. Blanchfield vs. Barber headlines UFC Fight Night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, with a shot at women’s flyweight champion Valentino Shevchenko within reach.
Blanchfield (13-2) continues her rebuild after losing to Manon Fiorot, the most recent women’s flyweight title challenger. Blanchfield bounced back by beating former women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas. Another win puts her on the shortlist of title contenders with Natalia Silva and reigning strawweight champ Zhang Weili. Barber recently labeled Blanchfield boring, claiming she was gifted an undeserved decision over Namajunas. Blanchfield countered, arguing Barber is more bark than bite.
“She calls anyone she doesn’t want to fight boring,” Blanchfield told CBS Sports. “I remember when Manon and I were going to fight, she called us both boring. She pulled out of a fight with me and denied a fight with Manon. It’s her way of maybe throwing jabs at people she’s jealous of.”
Anointed “The Future,” Barber (14-2) had aspirations of breaking Jon Jones’ record as the youngest UFC champion. That opportunity passed Barber, 27, four years ago. Sharing such lofty aspirations publicly comes with consequences, and Barber lost her buzz after losing to Roxanne Modafferi and Alexa Grasso. However, success is better late than never. Barber now rides a six-figure win streak, and a win over Blanchfield is the signature statement she needs to establish herself as a legitimate title threat.
“Having goals and ambitions, and being very outspoken about them, is important,” Barber told CBS Sports. “If you have a goal and dream you’re not willing to share, I think it’s because you have a little bit of doubt. I don’t think anyone should ever doubt themselves, especially if they’re getting into a cage to fight another person.
“I am the more well-rounded fighter. I am the more dominant fighter. I am the meaner fighter. I plan on going out there and hurting Erin Blanchfield.”
Check out the full interview with Erin Blanchfield below.
The remainder of the main card isn’t inspiring. Seventh-ranked lightweight Mateusz Gamrot is worth watching, but pairing him with unranked contender L’udovit Klein is odd. Klein is undefeated in his last seven fights but Gamrot, coming off a split decision loss to Dan Hooker, seems like a bridge too far.
Below is the rest of the fight card for Saturday with the latest odds and a main event prediction.
UFC Fight Night card, odds
| Erin Blanchfield -260 | Maycee Barber +210 | Women’s flyweight |
| Mateusz Gamrot -145 | L’udovit Klein +122 | Lightweight |
| Billy Goff -370 | Ramiz Brahimaj +290 | Welterweight |
| Dustin Jacoby -205 | Bruno Lopes +170 | Light heavyweight |
| Macy Chiasson -125 | Ketlen Vieira +105 | Women’s bantamweight |
| Zachary Reese -250 | Dusko Todorovic +205 | Middleweight |
UFC Fight Night viewing information
Date: May 31 | Start time: 9 p.m. ET (main card)
Location: UFC Apex — Las Vegas
TV channel: ESPN+
Prediction
Erin Blanchfield vs. Maycee Barber: Barber does her best work from top position, a domain in which Blanchfield rules. Blanchfield’s ability to control Namajunas is an important indicator for this fight. Barber is a well-rounded fighter, but her 53% takedown defense average is concerning. The grappling gap between them is wider than their striking. Barber might have a slight edge on the feet, but Blanchfield likely outclasses her in close. Expect Blanchfield to control her way to a decision in Barber’s first five-round fight. Blanchfield via Unanimous Decision
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