UFC women’s flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield has a big name for her return next year.

‘Cold Blooded’ is fresh off her return at UFC 281 in November. Standing opposite Blanchfield was the fan-favorite Brit, Molly McCann. ‘Meatball’ was riding a three-fight winning streak heading into the event, but didn’t have much success in New York.

In their bout at UFC 281, the 23-year-old dominated en route to a first-round submission victory. Following the win, Blanchfield voiced her intentions to face a top-five opponent in her return. As she announced in an interview with Morning Kombat, she will get her wish.

During the interview, Erin Blanchfield revealed she will face Taila Santos next. The Brazilian had been out of action since a loss to Valentina Shevchenko in June. While Santos hoped to get an instant rematch with ‘Bullet’, that won’t be the case, as she will face Blanchfield next.

Along with the announcement of her fight against the Brazilian, Blanchfield revealed that she had signed a new deal with the UFC. Her bout with Santos will be the first as a part of a new four-fight contract.

“I’ve signed some contracts already… I haven’t been told I can’t [announce] so, I signed a new four-fight deal and I signed to fight Taila Santos,” stated Blanchfield in the interview with Morning Kombat. “As long as I have notice, I like to have a full camp so I can be prepared for anybody. As long as I have that, I know I can beat anybody in the world, so I’m hyped for it.”

She continued, “She’s a little bit taller than me, I’m like 5’4, she’s like 5’6. She’s a striker but she has some good wrestling, she likes her takedowns off the cage. Her jiu-jitsu is decent. She’s well-rounded, but I don’t think she’s necessarily dangerous.”

The matchup itself will fall on a February 18th, UFC Fight Night event. As of now, there’s been no headliner announced for the event.

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