Erin Blanchfield extended her pro-MMA record to 13-2-0 after winning a closely contested flyweight fight against Rose Namajunas. ‘Cold Blooded’ won the bout by close call, with the judges scoring the fight 48-47, and it seems like the UFC universe is on the fence about who the true winner of the fight really is.

The bout began with both fighters being ultra-cautious with their exchanges; however, the veteran Namajunas connected early strikes to draw first blood. Blanchfield replied in the following rounds by becoming much more aggressive as the bout went on. The 13-2-0 delivered precise punches and knocked Namajunas down in the fourth round, then continued to dominate her opponent on the ground.

Then came the fifth and final round, where Blanchfield came out much more proactive and again managed to knock down Namajungas and position herself above her. She managed to control the scramble very well to seek to reach the crucifix position. And the scuffle between the two continued to mark the end of the fight.

It truly was a tight match that, unfortunately for the two fighters, is receiving major hate online due to Blanchfield almost avoiding all combat by keeping her opponent on the ground. As per fans, there’s a difference between pure wrestling and scrambling, and it was a scramble that kept taking place throughout the matchup. And things truly turned sour when Blanchfield was announced as the winner, with the crowd erupting into boos against the American fighter.

As a result, fans and other fighters alike were quick to share their opinions on it online as the social media world went abuzz after the controversial decision that took place at Rogers Place, Edmonton, Canada. With several people rallying against the fighting style of Blanchfield, who called out Valentina Shevchenko as her next opponent.

Fans speak out against the winner, Erin Blanchfield

As soon as the match ended, fans were quick to call out Blanchfield for constantly avoiding pure combat inside the octagon. Many fans were quick to state that the fighter simply kept Namajunas on the ground or under wraps to avoid getting hit by punches throughout the fight. As a result, many were quick to call this out. Twitter was soon hit with tweets like,

“Can we please stop rewarding control just to control like I get it its MMA but I don’t ever feel like you won a fight because you held on for dear life to not get beat up have it be an actual advantage do something with it”

“Congrats on winning by never trying to finish your opponent. No submission attempts, never tried to posture up land big shots. Stop calling that garbage ground and pound and call it what it is. LAY AND PRAY,” and

“UD is crazy! Just laying on someone shouldn’t get you a wi.”

Some fans were simply against the decision, as they believed it was Namajunas who won the fight. Fans were quick to voice out their support for the Latin fighter as they flooded Twitter with tweets such as, “ABSOLUTE DISGUSTING ROBBERY,” and “1,2,4 went to rose. UFC is always rigged every week”

Blanchfield’s victory cemented her place as a top contender, demonstrating her skill, and potential in the flyweight division. However, against a veteran such as Valentina Shevchenko, Blanchfield would have to adopt a very different fighting style compared to what was on display tonight. With ‘Bullet’ being one of the fiercest strikers in the division, it won’t be easy to control her as Blanchfield did against Namajunas, with close body shots being the biggest threat. What do you think? Will Blanchfield be able to defeat Shevchenko? Let us know in the comments.