Erin Blanchfield is already looking ahead to her next fight.
The flyweight contender suffered the first setback of her UFC career on Saturday, dropping a one-sided decision to Manon Fiorot in the UFC Atlantic City main event. It was a humbling moment for Blanchfield, 24, who has long been touted as a future champion at 125 pounds.
Later in the evening, Blanchfield took to Instagram to issue a brief statement on the loss.
“Rough night, I’ll be back better,” Blanchfield wrote.
Prior to Saturday’s loss, Blanchfield had lived up to the hype, with six wins in the UFC including a decision nod over recent title challenger Taila Santos and a dominant submission win over former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade. Against Fiorot, Blanchfield failed to muster up any sustained offense over the course of their 25-minute contest and went on to lose a decision with 50-45 scores across the board for Fiorot.
With the win, Fiorot kept her UFC mark unblemished at 7-0. The French standout is now poised to challenge for the flyweight title as soon as Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko settle their championship trilogy later this year following their coaching assignments on The Ultimate Fighter 32.
While the result is a disappointing one for Blanchfield, “Cold Blooded” doesn’t turn 25 until May and appears to still have a bright future ahead of her.