Youth must be served, and on Nov. 16, Invicta FC 32 will do just that, as it features 19-year-old blue-chip prospect Erin Blanchfield in her third professional MMA bout.
Blanchfield surprised the grappling world and drew the attention of fans last summer by winning the Eddie Bravo Invitational 12 as an 18 year-old purple belt. [http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Erin-Blanchfield-IlimaLei-MacFarlane-Crowned-Champions-at-Eddie-Bravo-Invitational-12-125633] The event, which saw Bellator MMA 125-pound champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane win a title at flyweight, was full of talented grapplers, and Blanchfield was an afterthought for most analysts of the sport. Her surprising run to the title made some in the MMA media ponder an eventual crossover.