Erin Blanchfield (8-1, three finishes), the Elmwood Park, N.J., native who won her first two UFC bouts last year, fights for the first time as a 23-year-old flyweight on Saturday, June 4 against veteran JJ Aldrich (11-4, two finishes) on the preliminary portion of the next UFC Fight Night from UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The Post’s Scott Fontana chatted with Blanchfield on Tuesday via Zoom for this week’s Post Fight Interview.
Q: You had been attending Montclair State but recently put school on hold to focus on fighting. How was it balancing those two at the same time?
A: School for me was very much so just a job. I just went, did what I had to do, and leave. So it was definitely harder balancing it. I kind of made a deal with my parents: Once I got into the UFC, I wanted to put school aside because you can always go back to school. You don’t always get the opportunity of being a professional athlete at one of the highest levels. That was our deal.
Q: You only turned pro four years ago and this is your third UFC fight. What’s the experience been like getting to this level so fast?
A: Since I’ve been around the gyms for pretty much my whole life, I’ve seen other fighters progress, and I’ve seen what they went through. So I saw the blueprint before I even did it myself and knew the steps I wanted to take like going into amateurs and then going into the regional pros, and then trying to build up wins there and then going into Invicta. Especially as a female, going into Invicta was a big thing for me to gain experience against high-level girls before the UFC.
Q: Are you interested in a rematch one day with Tracy Cortez, who also hasn’t lost in the UFC?
A: It’s still my only loss, and she’s been on a 10-fight win streak. And we’re both right on that breaking into the rankings situation, so I feel like that fight will definitely happen again. And I’m excited for that.
Q: You’ve got Aldrich yet who is one of the more veteran flyweights on the roster. Do you view this as a step up in competition?
A: I definitely do. She’s definitely the most experienced girl ever fought.
Q: How do you assess Aldrich as an opponent?
A: I’ve watched all her tapes, and my coaches have watched over it. I feel like she’s had a similar style a lot of her career. She has sharp hands. She’s a lefty; she’s actually my fourth lefty in a row, which is pretty rare.
Q: You had received a public warning recently from USADA for failure to get a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for a prescription medication. Can you take me through what happened?
A: That was a little misunderstanding on my part. I went to a dermatologist because I was having some acne problems, and she prescribed me a cream. And I know that I’m supposed to, as a UFC fighter, you’re tested by USADA, and you’re supposed to look up everything or ask them anything you ingest or put on your skin, but I didn’t think anything of it because it’s just an acne cream. I’ve used others, ones that you can buy at the drugstore. So I’ve used acne creams in the past, but this was a prescription one [spironolactone]. And the substance in it is technically an illegal diuretic, but I had a prescription from the doctor and I was just using it, like, topical for acne. So once I explained to them that I got everything from the doctor and all the information, I got a TUE from USADA and the athletic commission. But since I didn’t do it prior to telling them, they gave me a public warning. But I’m good to fight, and there’s no suspension or anything.
Q: Was that a good lesson for you this early in your career?
A: Definitely. You should definitely look up anything you’re ingesting or putting on your skin, like every single thing. Let them know. Get any TUEs you need if it’s something you really need. It’s definitely a good lesson. I’m thankful that [there are] no suspensions or anything. It was a pretty easy case and, yeah, settled.
Q: Do you recall your first experience watching MMA?
A: My dad was a big MMA fan. He’s been watching UFC since, like, UFC 1 in the ‘90s, so he always had it on. I didn’t really start watching it until Strikeforce came on and there [were] women fighting in it like Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate. … So I can’t really recall, necessarily, the first time because I feel like it’s always been on in our house. But I remember the first impactful one for me was watching Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey fight for the Strikeforce title. That’s the first fight [for which] I really paid attention and watched the whole fight.
Q: Tate is now in your division. What do you think of a potential fight with her down the road?
A: I hope I get to fight Miesha Tate. That’d be so cool. I feel like in men’s MMA, you see more people fighting their idols. They’d be like, “I’ve been watching this person since I was a kid, and I get to fight them.” I feel like in women’s fighting, you haven’t seen that as much because it just hasn’t been around as long. But I feel like that would definitely be my moment. You helped me get into this, but now it’s like, I want to fight. It kind of goes full circle.
Q: You can fight any person who has ever lived. Who do you pick?
A: I know you’re saying anybody, but I really want to find Valentina [Shevchenko] one day, I know she plans on fighting for a long time. I know it takes a little while to get up to that title shot, but she’s someone I definitely want to fight before I’m done.
Q: Typical walkaround weight between fights?
A: Around like 140ish [pounds].
Q: Typical weight on fight night?
A: I usually get back to, like, 135.
Q: What fight from your regional scene days should fans watch?
A: If you’re a striking fan, you should definitely go back and watch my fight against Victoria Leonardo because that was a nice head kick finish I got.
Q: Is there a great MMA movie?
A: I don’t believe so. I feel like the MMA movies that have come out are a little cartoonish in a sense. They’re not, maybe, super real. If I had to make a movie, I’d definitely make it a lot more authentic.
Q: Favorite movie?
A: The “Insidious” movies.
Q: Favorite outdoor activity?
A: Go to the beach and hang out at the beach and do stuff there. When I went to Florida, we did the jet skis. I want to try surfing too. I’ve never tried surfing. I like getting out, especially during the summer. I’m definitely much more of a summer activity person.
Q: Favorite video game?
A: I’m not really a video game person.
Q: What’s a perfect day for you that doesn’t involve fighting?
A: I get up and have a slow morning; have a nice breakfast with friends. And then we go out to the beach and have a whole beach day, and we do some beach activities, come back, shower up, and then go out for a nice dinner. And then, just relax the rest of the night.