UFC 281, New York: Erin Blanchfield defeats British fighter Molly McCann in opening round, read details

By Smith On Nov 13, 2022

Erin Blanchfield ended Molly McCann’s winning streak in New York after ruthlessly submitting her in the opening round at UFC 281. Molly won two matchups with knockouts in Britain earlier in 2022, but the American Erin overpowered her. It only took Erin three and a half minutes and Kimura’s help to win the match. Blanchfield took down the Liverpudlian before she held her in Kimura, and McCann could not escape. However, Blanchfield would not take no for an answer and threw blows are McCann before locking her in another submission. It forced the Brit to tap out and lose the match.

Blanchfield said she was surprised to see the referee not stop the fight. She added how she threw so many elbow blows and punches, but McCann was still moving. However, Blanchfield believes the referee should have stopped the fight earlier.

Tiger feat: Island Muay Thai gym is factory for UFC champions

Attracting fighters

Tiger Muay Thai gym on the southern resort island of Phuket was, before the coronavirus pandemic, attracting fighters from all over the globe lured by world-class training, an idyllic tropical beach lifestyle and a growing reputation.

(In pic: UFC flyweight fighters Antonina Shevchenko (L) and Valentina Shevchenko going through their paces at the Tiger Muay Thai gym in Phuket.)

Producing world champions

It has produced a string of fighters progressing into the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the globe’s biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, with several going on to become world champions. Lightweight contender Rafael Fiziev (in pic), who is from Kyrgyzstan, steps into the cage in Las Vegas this weekend hoping to be the latest fighter to begin a journey to UFC glory.

Inspiration

MMA was one of the first sports to restart after the pandemic shutdown. Though quarantine and travel restrictions have hit international fighters hard, the success of UFC champions who use Tiger Muay Thai for pre-fight camps, such as bantamweight Petr Yan of Russia and Kyrgyzstan’s fearsome flyweight Valentina Shevchenko, is continuing to inspire the next generation.

(In pic: Petr Yan of Russia punches Jose Aldo of Brazil in their UFC bantamweight championship fight.)

Breeding success

George Hickman (in pic), MMA coach at Tiger Muay Thai said, “The fighters we have coming through help to breed success. Seeing them train inspires everyone. You can watch someone like Petr work on his clinch game with the Muay Thai fighters, then you can see that play out in his fights. He’s a sponge, and that’s what the great fighters are. They’re always looking for an edge and everyone learns from that.”

Explosive UFC talents

One of the most explosive UFC talents, middleweight champ Israel Adesanya of New Zealand, has also tapped into the gym as has Australian featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski. And Thailand’s first UFC star, strawweight Loma Lookboonmee, has caused an explosion of interest in MMA in her home country, encouraging fighters to make the move from traditional forms of combat such as kickboxing or Muay Thai.

(In pic: Opponents Loma Lookboonmee (L) of Thailand and Jinh Yu Frey face off during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in on October 02, 2020 in Abu Dhabi.)

The main event saw Alex Pereira produce a massive knockout over Adesanya, the Israeli. It gave Alex the UFC middleweight title in the fifth and final round. The Israeli was leading 39-37 going into the final round, but Pereira threw a flurry of punches, and the referee had to stop the fight. Frankie Edgar, the former lightweight champion of the UFC, earlier lost his final career bout when Chris Gutierrez took him down with a flying knee.

FAQs:

Did Alex Pereira win the title?
Yes! Alex Pereira knocked Adesanya out to win the UFC middleweight title.
Who ended McCann’s winning streak?
Erin Blanchfield

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