'Treat it like kids would': How Erin Blanchfield compartmentalized first UFC loss

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – Erin Blanchfield hasn’t experienced loss too much as a professional mixed martial artist, but she’s still familiar with it.

At UFC Fight Night 246 on Saturday, Blanchfield (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) aims to bounce back from a largely one-sided March unanimous decision defeat to Manon Fiorot. The loss was the first noncontroversial one of her pro career.

“Losing always sucks and it takes a little getting over,” Blanchfield told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I didn’t harp on it for too long. I just let my body heal from the fight and then I was back to training. Yeah, I feel like me and my coaches watched over it. We found things we wanted to improve on, my distance management and my striking and my wrestling and everything as I always do. So I kind of focused on that.”

Blanchfield, 25, built the reputation as a combat sports prodigy from her early grappling successes to her quick rise through the UFC ranks. While outsiders might have seen the loss as a window for self-doubt to rear its ugly head, Blanchfield has removed all emotion from the defeat and remains firm in putting everything in relative perspective.

“I think it’s just from competing my whole life,” Blanchfield said. “I’ve grown up competing since I was eight years old. You win a lot, you lose a lot. It’s something that you always have to learn from and grow from, not take it too hard, not harp on it too much. I think people really get down on themselves.

“Honestly, it’s just a sport at the end of the day and you have to treat it like kids would. You just get up and get back to training and focus on the things you need to improve on. I think I had a lot of time after that fight to do that and time to just train, not have a fight, and then finally have a fight and have a camp and feel really good.”

Even with the setback, Blanchfield has an opportunity to reaffirm her place as a potential future title challenger when she faces former champion Rose Namajunas (13-6 MMA, 11-5 UFC) in Saturday’s co-main event at Rogers Place.

“I think Manon (Fiorot) is definitely getting the title next and I think having a really good performance Saturday, like getting a finish over Rose definitely puts me in that title picture next,” Blanchfield said.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 246.