Erin Blanchfield battles Taila Santos in UFC Fight Night in Singapore

MANILA, Philippines – The Singapore Sports Hub will be the site of a career-defining moment or redemption.

For 24-year-old American Erin Blanchfield and her opponent Taila Santos, UFC Fight Night Holloway vs the Korean Zombie this Saturday, August 26, in Singapore has title implications. A win here for either fighter could see her face either Valentina Shevchenko or reigning champion Alexa Grasso.

Grasso took the title belt after she forced Shevchenko to tap out in the fourth round of their match in UFC 285 last March.

Now, both Blanchfield and Santos are looking to go after that belt. But first, there’s UFC Fight Night, which be aired in the Philippines on the Premier Sports Channel on Sky and Cignal as well as streaming sites TapGo TV and Blast TV. The preliminary card will begin at 6 p.m., while the main card will get underway at 8 p.m.

Santos is hoping for redemption after a controversial split decision loss to Shevchenko also in Singapore in UFC 275 in June last year. She is looking forward to leaving with a better memory of the Lion City state.

Blanchfield, for her part, is close to a title shot and she can taste it.

“I am going to give this my best,” she said. “This is going to be a tough fight as Taila is a well-rounded fighter and we saw how saw took on Valentina. For sure she is motivated to get back on the winning track but I am confident about my abilities as well.”

During Erin’s last bout, she headlined UFC Fight Night against Jessica Andrade; she was awarded Performance of the Night for her second round submission of the latter. 

“It was a great feeling to not only headline the event but to also get a win and the Performance of the Night Award bonus. After all it was my first in the UFC,” said Erin.

Prior to arriving in the world’s top combat sports organization, Blanchfield won two Performance of the Night awards with Invicta.

It was during her call up to the UFC where she temporarily halted her college career where she was taking up broadcast and communications at Montclair University in her home state of New Jersey.

“Yes, going to the UFC was life changing. My father is a fan of the UFC and he thought it was great for me to make it.”

“Ever since I was seven years old when my brother Brendan and I were brought into martial arts to learn how to defend ourselves, my parents would always drive us to the gym. They would always go to our matches as well. My father knows this opportunity of a lifetime so he was fine when I temporarily stopped college to go into the UFC and I will finish college.”

This Saturday, Blanchfield is looking to finish Santos. 

“I am not looking far ahead. I arrived early in Singapore to get acclimatized to the weather right away and so I can settle down and focus on the task at hand. I’ll give it my best!”