A pivotal women’s flyweight bout is headed to Singapore.
Surging contender Erin Blanchfield is expected to meet former title challenger Taila Santos at a UFC Fight Night event Aug. 26 in Singapore.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The news was first reported by Freak MMA on Instagram.
Blanchfield (11-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and Santos (19-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) were previously expected to fight Feb. 18 in the UFC Fight Night 219 main event. However, Santos withdrew from the bout after one of her corners was unable to get into the United States.
Former UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade replaced Santos in the bout. Blanchfield submitted Andrade at 1:39 of Round 2 with a rear-naked choke.
The win extended Blanchfield’s streak to eight that also included UFC victories over Molly McCann, JJ Aldrich, Miranda Maverick, and Sarah Alpar.
For Santos, the Aug. 26 bout marks her first competition since a failed yet spirited title challenge against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 275 in June 2022. Considered by many to be a long shot to earn gold, Santos mustered together the toughest title challenge against Shevchenko to date. She ultimately lost by split decision.
After the fight, Santos underwent eye surgery to repair injuries sustained from an accidental head clash during the bout.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Singapore includes:
- Max Holloway vs. Chan Sung Jung
- Lukasz Brzeski vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
- Michal Oleksiejczuk vs. Chidi Njokuani
- JJ Aldrich vs. Liang Na
- Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann
- Erin Blanchfield vs. Taila Santos
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for the UFC Fight Night event Aug. 26 in Singapore.
