How many fights is Erin Blanchfield away from a title shot?

ESPN's database of the top 25 MMA fighters nether 25 years old has been headlined by 4 antithetic fighters the past 4 years: Song Yadong successful 2021, Usman Nurmagomedov successful 2022, Erin Blanchfield successful 2023 and, astir recently, Tatsuro Taira. Each of those fighters has seen occurrence successful their respective promotion, competing among the champion fighters their part has to offer. But 1 has reached the pinnacle successful this sport.

Only PFL lightweight Nurmagomedov has been a champion successful a large MMA promotion. He held the Bellator lightweight rubric from November 2022 until September 2024.

While nary of the different fighters person challenged for a rubric truthful acold successful their UFC careers, each 3 precocious dropped fights that would person boosted them into the title picture. Even with the losses, each appears positioned to marque different tally astatine the apical of their respective divisions astatine immoderate point, truthful we're outlining their paths from closest to furthest distant from a rubric challenge.

Erin Blanchfield (13-2), women's flyweight

Wins distant from a title: Two oregon fewer
Next fight: May 31 vs. Maycee Barber

The existent landscape: After losing to Manon Fiorot successful a No. 1 contender combat past March, Blanchfield bounced backmost with a unanimous determination triumph implicit erstwhile strawweight champion Rose Namajunas successful November. That triumph enactment Blanchfield backmost into the rubric picture.

Following Fiorot's nonaccomplishment to the champion, Valentina Shevchenko, astatine UFC 315 past month, the lone combatant up of Blanchfield successful ESPN's divisional rankings is third-ranked Natalia Silva, who present appears to beryllium the apical contender aft dominating erstwhile champ Alexa Grasso astatine UFC 315.

Blanchfield's spot successful the division's apical 2 fighters would beryllium cemented with a triumph implicit Barber, but it wouldn't warrant her a rubric shot. It would alternatively make a brace of imaginable scenarios.

1. If Silva gets the adjacent rubric shot, Blanchfield would beryllium adjacent successful enactment to situation the victor of that fight. Blanchfield could beryllium and hold for her accidental to vie for the championship, oregon she could look to avenge her nonaccomplishment to Fiorot.

2. The UFC could spell a antithetic -- much apt -- absorption and marque a champion versus champion combat betwixt Shevchenko and strawweight titleholder Zhang Weili. That lucifer would unfastened the doorway for a No. 1 contender oregon interim rubric combat betwixt Blanchfield and Silva.

Blanchfield's way to the belt: If I were Blanchfield, I would privation Silva to suffer to Shevchenko successful her adjacent rubric defense, due to the fact that Shevchenko is simply a amended matchup for Blanchfield. Silva would apt beryllium favored heavy implicit Blanchfield, due to the fact that Silva's striking is lightyears up and she has elite takedown defence to spell with a achromatic loop successful jiu-jitsu. Blanchfield would request to get the combat to the crushed and support it determination to person immoderate accidental to win.

Tatsuro Taira (16-1), men's flyweight

play

0:51

Tatsuro Taira's takedown injures Alex Perez to decorativeness the fight

Tatsuro Taira's assemblage triangle injuries Alex Perez and gives Taira the triumph aft Perez taps.

Wins distant from a title: Three oregon more
Next fight: Aug. 2 vs. Amir Albazi

The existent landscape: Like Blanchfield, Taira was astir apt 1 triumph distant from competing for a title past year. But a divided determination nonaccomplishment to Brandon Royval derailed his hopes of a rubric shot.

Taira needs a triumph implicit Albazi this summertime to get backmost successful the triumph file and re-enter the rubric picture. Albazi is the cleanable matchup for Taira stylistically and is ranked up of him successful the UFC's rankings.

Taira's way to the belt: With a triumph implicit Albazi, particularly if helium tin get a finish, Taira could past telephone for a combat with idiosyncratic specified arsenic erstwhile champion Brandon Moreno oregon erstwhile Bellator champion Kyoji Horiguchi. Considering Alexandre Pantoja is acceptable to support his rubric against Kai Kara-France and Royval is facing Manel Kape connected that aforesaid UFC 317 card, a triumph implicit Albazi astir apt wouldn't propel Taira to a rubric shot.

For Taira, it won't marque a quality whether Kara-France oregon Pantoja wins astatine UFC 317, but the loser of Royval versus Kape could beryllium an option. With Moreno expected to beryllium booked for a combat astatine UFC 320 successful September, Taira could instrumentality connected Horiguchi oregon Kape, if helium loses to Royval. Horiguchi is 1 of the champion flyweights successful the satellite and a large sanction to get connected the résumé -- though Taira would beryllium a betting underdog against him. Against Kape, however, helium would person a grappling advantage.

Song Yadong (22-8-1), men's bantamweight

play

1:16

Eye poke stops Henry Cejudo-Song Yadong bout

Song Yadong beats Henry Cejudo via method determination successful Fight Night main lawsuit aft Cejudo says helium can't spot retired of his near eye.

How galore wins distant from a title: Four oregon more
Next fight: TBD

The existent landscape: Song has been up and down since losing to Cory Sandhagen successful September 2022, but helium did bounce backmost from a nonaccomplishment to Petr Yan with a unanimous determination triumph implicit Henry Cejudo successful February. The triumph was arguable due to the fact that of oculus pokes, but that shouldn't alteration his lasting successful the part due to the fact that helium dominated that fight.

Song's way to the belt: As ESPN's No. 7-ranked bantamweight who has suffered losses to fighters ranked supra him, determination is nary nonstop way to a rubric combat for Song. However, Umar Nurmagomedov's nonaccomplishment to the champion, Merab Dvalishvili, astatine UFC 311, makes Nurmagomedov an option. Nurmagomedov's grappling and unit would beryllium a situation for Song, but a nonaccomplishment wouldn't acceptable backmost Song overmuch successful this stacked division.

Considering Sandhagen is coming disconnected the champion triumph of his vocation implicit Deiveson Figueiredo and Yan has won back-to-back fights, including against Song astatine UFC 299 past March, Sandhagen and Yan volition apt quadrate disconnected successful a rematch to found a apical contender. That would permission Song looking to combat Nurmagomedov oregon an up-and-comer specified arsenic Marcus McGhee. Fighting -- and beating -- Nurmagomedov would beryllium the fastest way to competing for a championship, but the much apt combat is against McGhee. If Song were to combat McGhee, a ascendant triumph mightiness get him a top-ranked opponent, but helium would inactive beryllium 2 oregon 3 wins distant from a rubric shot.