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Erin Blanchfield claims she didn't hesitate to accept the UFC's offer to face Jéssica Andrade on short notice.
The upcoming prospect had to switch to Andrade after Taila Santos' squad had their visas to enter the United States denied at UFC Vegas 69 on Saturday. Santos was originally the opponent for the prospect. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, "Cold Blooded" was fortunate that the promotion led to the discovery of a fighter who was willing to battle on short notice.
“My manager called me and told me Taila was out, but Andrade was willing to fight and I was definitely down right away,” said Blanchfield at her media day scrum on Wednesday. “I already put in all the work and I really wanted to fight. Taila is a tough opponent, Andrade is a tough opponent, but everybody’s tough, so I didn’t really care. I was just happy to get a fight.”
Many questioned whether Blanchfield would face a "bigger" opponent now that she had transitioned from being a title challenger to a winner. There was no difference in size between Santos and Andrade for the 23-year-old.
“I know a lot of people have been saying that, I guess because Andrade has a lot of experience in the UFC,” said Blanchfield. “She has a lot more fights than me or Taila, but I think that’s only reason why. Obviously, she’s super tough. She’s different than Taila, but I don’t think it’s necessarily a bigger fight like skill-wise. I think it may be bigger for people that know Andrade.”
Though preparing for a short-notice fight is less than ideal, Blanchfield says her preparation has gone through little to no changes.
“I think they’re different body types, a little bit different styles,” said Blanchfield. “It’s just adjusting to that. Andrade has to adjust to me, too. She just fought and she didn’t know she was fighting me until a week ago. We both have to make a little bit of adjustments, so I think we’re on an even playing field with that.”