Jasmine Jasudavicius thinks the women’s flyweight title picture is wide open, and she plans to walk through the gap on Saturday. Speaking at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 291 media day, the Canadian said a strong win over Erin Blanchfield in the co-main event at Rogers Place in Edmonton should earn her a shot at newly crowned champion Natalia Silva.
“I definitely think so,” Jasudavicius said, as reported by MMA Junkie. “I think the division is super shaken up right now, and anyone having a good performance, they’re kind of up next. I believe that everyone else is kind of in the rankings. They’ve had their shot at the title. I’m next. Come on, I should get the shot after this one.”
The shake-up is real. Valentina Shevchenko, who has owned the 125-pound belt for most of the division’s existence, vacated it with an injury that could sideline her for up to a year. Earlier this month Silva beat Wang Cong by unanimous decision in the UFC 332 main event to claim the vacant title. Jasudavicius said that fight went about how she expected, though she added there were other deserving contenders who could have been in that slot.
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She has a personal stake in Silva’s reign. Silva beat Jasudavicius by unanimous decision in 2022 in the Brazilian’s UFC debut, and Jasudavicius admitted she was rooting for her at UFC 332. “I definitely wanted her to win because I could see our paths crossing again,” she said.
First comes Blanchfield, and that’s a big first. Jasudavicius (15-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) faces a top contender at 14-2 overall and 8-1 in the UFC. The bout was originally booked for UFC 330 in August before a Blanchfield injury pushed it back. Jasudavicius told Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com she found out about two weeks out and was furious after a full camp, then came around once the fight landed in Canada. She also told the UFC, “My intention is to be champion of the world.”
Her game plan, as she described it to BJPENN.com, is to win the striking exchanges and force Blanchfield into a wrestling match. “But I do think once she feels these hands, she will be shooting a little bit more. My hand will be raised at the end of the night,” she said. She was also realistic about the bar she has to clear: “I show well, say I finish Blanchfield, it would be me in the talks to get a title shot.”
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Mike Malott and Joaquin Buckley headline the card, which streams on Paramount+.
My take: FanDuel has Blanchfield at -350 and Jasudavicius at +255, which works out to roughly a 78% to 28% split once you strip out the vig in your head. That’s a lot of respect for Blanchfield, and it’s earned, because one loss in nine UFC fights is a serious résumé. But the book is pricing this like a mismatch, and I don’t see a mismatch. I see a home-country fighter with 12 UFC fights of experience against a favorite who just came back from the injury that scrapped the August date. I wouldn’t call Jasudavicius the pick. At +255 she’s the live dog on this card, and if she wins, her 10th UFC victory comes with a rematch against the woman who handed her that 2022 loss.
