Santos vs. Blanchfield added to Feb. UFC event

Reigning UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko may have a new No. 1 contender in the division soon. 

A potential No. 1 contender’s bout in the flyweight division is set.

During an appearance on Morning Kombat, Erin Blanchfield announced her next opponent is Taila Santos. Both fighters expect to share the Octagon at an upcoming UFC Fight Night scheduled for Feb. 18 at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

“I signed a new four-fight deal and I signed to fight Taila Santos,” said Blanchfield.

One of the best prospects in the UFC, Blanchfield is 4-0 since joining the promotion a year ago. ‘Cold Blooded’ earned unanimous decisions over Sarah Alpar and Miranda Maverick in her first two Octagon appearances at UFC Vegas 37 and UFC 269, respectively. She followed those up with back-to-back submissions of JJ Aldrich and Molly McCann.

Following her win over McCann, Blanchfield said she wanted to get someone in the top ten for her next appearance, with Casey O’Neill and Andrea Lee among her targets. However, the 23-year-old is getting someone higher in a one-time title challenger instead.

Santos returns since losing a razor-thin split decision to reigning UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 275 this past June. Though she requested an immediate rematch, it appears as though Santos has to work her way to another championship opportunity.

Prior to her loss, Santos was on a four-fight win streak, which included the likes of Gillian Robertson, Roxanne Modafferi and Joanne Wood.

With the addition of Santos vs. Blanchfield, the UFC Fight Night has 10 confirmed fights. Here is the line-up:

• Nazim Sadykhov vs. Evan Elder
• Billy Goff vs. Themba Gorimbo
• Juancamilo Ronderos vs. Clayton Carpenter
• Gabriel Benitez vs. Jim Miller
• William Knight vs. Marcin Prachnio
• Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Joe Solecki
• Abus Magomedov vs. Gerald Meerschaert
• Lina Länsberg vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
• Ovince Saint Preux vs. Philipe Lines
• Taila Santos vs. Erin Blanchfield

Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more updates to the event as they become available in the coming months.