Jasmine Jasudavicius defeated Erin Blanchfield by decision in the UFC Edmonton co-main event, using a dominant grappling attack to neutralize Blanchfield through the first two rounds. The Canadian entered as an underdog and became just the second woman to hand Blanchfield a UFC defeat. Jasudavicius has now won seven of her last eight, and said afterward that she believes Blanchfield underestimated her.
Jasmine Jasudavicius turned in the biggest win of her career at UFC Edmonton, taking a decision over Erin Blanchfield in the co-main event. The Canadian used a dominant grappling attack to neutralize Blanchfield through the first two rounds, and she did it as an underdog.
The result makes Jasudavicius just the second woman to hand Blanchfield a UFC defeat. It also extends her own run to seven wins in her last eight fights. Afterward, she said she believes Blanchfield underestimated her.
Jasudavicius, 37, now sits at 16-4-0 and is ranked sixth at women's flyweight. The Niagara Top Team fighter stands five-foot-seven with a 68-inch reach, a notable edge over her opponent. She averages 2.63 takedowns per 15 minutes, a figure that fits the grappling-heavy game plan she used in Edmonton, and lands 3.47 significant strikes per minute at 44 percent accuracy.
Blanchfield, 27, falls to 14-4-0 on the strength of this loss, with her record entering the bout standing at 14-3-0. The Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu product was ranked fourth in the division heading in. She is a grappler by trade, averaging 1.96 takedowns and 0.9 submission attempts per 15 minutes, and she lands 5.24 significant strikes per minute at 44 percent accuracy. At five-foot-four with a 66-inch reach, she gave up several inches in height and length to Jasudavicius.
Why it matters
- A fourth-ranked fighter lost to a sixth-ranked one, a result likely to reshuffle the upper half of the women's flyweight rankings.
- Jasudavicius, at 37, has won seven of eight and now owns a signature win over one of the division's top grapplers.
- The fight was decided on the mat, where Blanchfield is usually the aggressor, making the loss a stylistic surprise as well as a ranking one.
Jasudavicius's performance across the opening two rounds set the tone, and she did enough to secure the judges' nod. The win, delivered in front of a home-country crowd at UFC Edmonton, puts her firmly in the conversation near the top of the flyweight division.
