Jasudavicius Outgrappled Blanchfield — Now She Wants Natalia Silva Again
GOATIFYJasmine Jasudavicius entered UFC Edmonton as the underdog against Erin Blanchfield, a contender whose reputation was built on making elite opponents uncomfortable on the mat. Fifteen minutes later, the Canadian had won the most important grappling exchanges of the fight and collected a unanimous decision in front of a home crowd. All three judges scored the October 17 co-main event 29–28, but the narrow arithmetic barely captures how decisively Jasudavicius shaped the first two rounds.
She did not win by avoiding Blanchfield's strength. She attacked it. Takedowns, back control, body-triangle pressure and constant submission threats left the American defending for long stretches instead of building her own offense. Blanchfield rallied on the feet late, yet the early deficit was too large to erase without a finish.
The result creates a genuine shake-up at women's flyweight. Jasudavicius immediately pointed toward a rematch with new champion Natalia Silva, while Blanchfield must reassess a title route that had looked more direct before the weekend. A championship booking is not confirmed, but Edmonton changed which contender has the stronger argument.
How Jasudavicius turned Blanchfield's strength against her
Blanchfield came into the contest with a reputation for forward pressure, chain wrestling and opportunistic submissions. That made the opening round especially revealing. She tried to establish her jab and close distance, but Jasudavicius interrupted the exchanges with counters before changing levels for the first meaningful takedown. When Blanchfield scrambled toward her feet, the Canadian followed the movement and took her back. What could have been a short wrestling exchange became an extended stretch of defensive work for the favorite.
The body triangle mattered because it limited Blanchfield's options. A fighter who is carrying an opponent on the back has to address hooks, hand fighting and potential chokes before thinking about building offense. Jasudavicius kept threatening enough to make each escape attempt expensive, even without securing a submission. She banked control while preventing Blanchfield from settling into the positions where her own grappling is most dangerous.
Round two confirmed that the opening sequence was not an accident. Blanchfield increased her urgency and looked for a takedown, but Jasudavicius resisted, found a single leg and worked back into another series of transitions. Blanchfield briefly avoided being locked down, only for the Canadian to recover dominant position. An arm-triangle threat, a move to mount and punches from the top left the American spending another crucial period reacting rather than initiating.
That performance fits a wider pattern of growth for Jasudavicius. She had rebuilt momentum with a win over Karine Silva in Winnipeg earlier in 2026 after losing to Manon Fiorot. The Edmonton performance was a more demanding test because Blanchfield was expected to be the superior grappler. Winning the positional battle against that kind of opponent demonstrates more than toughness: it shows an ability to dictate where the fight takes place and to turn defensive scrambles into scoring opportunities.
The distinction is important when judging her title credentials. Jasudavicius did not simply survive an elite opponent and steal a close decision with sporadic strikes. For ten minutes, she repeatedly put Blanchfield into the kind of tactical problems Blanchfield normally imposes on other contenders. That is the clearest reason the upset deserves to influence the championship conversation.
Why three 29–28 scorecards understate the early control
The official scorecards agree on the broad shape of the contest. Sal D'Amato, Thomas Collins and Junichiro Kamijo each awarded the first two rounds to Jasudavicius and the third to Blanchfield, producing identical 29–28 totals. There were no point deductions. A one-point final margin can suggest a fight balanced on a knife edge, but the round-by-round story was less symmetrical: the Canadian established an advantage through sustained control, and Blanchfield's strongest five minutes arrived only after she needed a finish.
Blanchfield did show the adjustment that had been missing earlier. In the final round she pressed forward, found more success with right hands and kept the action standing for longer spells. Her punches carried greater authority, and she looked more like the aggressive contender who had beaten high-level opposition. Yet Jasudavicius kept responding, then returned to the clinch and a late takedown to reduce the chance of a dramatic turnaround. Even when Blanchfield improved, she could not create the decisive moment required to reverse the score.
The defeat is significant precisely because Blanchfield had earned such a strong position in the division. She entered Edmonton on the back of wins that included a quick victory over Tracy Cortez in November 2025, and she was widely viewed as one of the leading challengers at 125 pounds. She is still a young, accomplished contender, but her next step now looks different. A victory over another ranked opponent may be necessary before she can demand a championship opportunity.
It would be excessive to treat this result as proof that Blanchfield's grappling has suddenly become ineffective. A single matchup can expose a particular tactical vulnerability without rewriting a fighter's entire skill set. Here, the problems were concrete: the first takedown turned into back control, defensive hand fighting consumed time, and the follow-up scrambles repeatedly favored Jasudavicius. Blanchfield's coaches can study those sequences, but they cannot undo the standings consequence.
For Jasudavicius, the same scorecards tell a more positive story. She secured two rounds on every judge's card against a highly rated opponent and protected the lead when the final frame became uncomfortable. That combination of early authority and late composure is exactly what a prospective title challenger needs to show. The judges recorded a decision; the technical performance supplied the stronger argument.
Natalia Silva is the rematch she wants — not yet a booked title fight
Jasudavicius wasted little time naming the fight she wants. After beating Blanchfield, she asked to meet Natalia Silva again, turning the post-fight conversation toward a rematch with the newly crowned champion. The request has a personal and sporting foundation. Silva defeated Jasudavicius by unanimous decision in June 2022, with scores of 30–27, 30–27 and 30–26. Four years later, their careers have taken different paths, and the belt now gives that old result much greater meaning.
Silva won the vacant UFC women's flyweight championship at UFC 332 on October 3, defeating Wang Cong by unanimous decision in Salt Lake City. The Brazilian entered that fight on a long winning streak and extended her unbeaten UFC run to nine victories. Her speed, footwork and varied striking made the difference against Wang, who improved late but could not overturn Silva's early lead. Those strengths would create a very different assignment for Jasudavicius than the one she faced in Edmonton.
Against Blanchfield, the Canadian's most effective work came after initiating wrestling and establishing back control. Silva is a mobile striker who uses movement to deny predictable entries and punish opponents trying to close the distance. Jasudavicius would need to make her takedown attempts harder to read, protect herself during transitions and avoid chasing a faster opponent across open space. Her victory over Blanchfield strengthens the case that she can threaten top-level grapplers, but it does not automatically solve the tactical puzzle Silva presents.
The wider title picture also complicates an immediate booking. Valentina Shevchenko relinquished the championship because of injury, and the former champion has indicated she wants it back when healthy. Silva has signaled she intends to defend rather than wait indefinitely, while other contenders remain active. Those moving pieces give the UFC several plausible choices. Jasudavicius has made herself difficult to overlook, but a request made in the Octagon is not the same as an agreed fight contract.
Still, the rematch carries a cleaner narrative than a generic contender callout. In 2022, Silva beat Jasudavicius before either woman held the title. In 2026, Silva is champion and Jasudavicius has just outgrappled one of the division's most respected contenders. A second meeting would test whether the Canadian's improved control game can close the gap against a champion who has also developed dramatically. The next rankings update and the promotion's scheduling decisions will matter more than speculation about an announcement that has not happened.
UFC Edmonton did not crown a new challenger, but it supplied evidence that the women's flyweight title race has changed. Jasudavicius won the exchanges that mattered most, Blanchfield's late surge came too late, and the judges were unanimous about the winner. The Canadian now has a signature result and a clear target.
The sensible next question is not whether a Silva rematch has been signed — it has not — but whether the UFC believes this victory is enough to put Jasudavicius next in line. If she gets that opportunity, the challenge will be translating her Edmonton wrestling success against a champion with very different movement and striking habits.
