Erin Blanchfield and Rose Namajunas meet Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 246 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Check out this brief overview of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.

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Erin Blanchfield vs. Rose Namajunas UFC Fight Night 246 preview

Blanchfield (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) returns to action following her first loss in the UFC against Manon Fiorot in a main event in March. The flyweight title hopeful won her first six UFC fights, including stoppages of JJ Aldrich, Molly McCann and former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade. … Blanchfield will stand in the way of another former 115-pound champion, Namajunas (13-6 MMA, 11-5 UFC). “Thug”’s last defeat also came against Fiorot last September in her flyweight debut. Since then, Namajunas bounced back with a pair of unanimous victories over Amanda Ribas and Tracy Cortez, bringing her UFC 125-pound record to 2-1.

Erin Blanchfield vs. Rose Namajunas UFC Fight Night 246 expert pick, prediction

The co-main event in Canada is a major women’s bantamweight bout between Blanchfield and Namajunas.

Despite one fighter getting a win and the other getting a loss, I like the matchmaking here.

Namajunas has looked much healthier at flyweight, so I’m still leaving some room to be surprised about having a statement performance in this division.

Blanchfield, on the other hand, is coming off its first defeat in a long time and will look to stand out in a key rebounding spot.

From a stylistic perspective, I believe Blanchfield needs to follow a clear path in this battle.

As long as Blanchfield doesn’t get stuck outside of Namajunas’ jab, the New Jersey native’s consistent work rate and wrestling pressure should be able to tilt the pace and scorecards in her favor.

Namajunas has the punching and wrestling ability to keep Blanchfield off her, but the former strawweight champion continues to show some focus lapses through five rounds.

The choice is Blanchfield by decision.

Erin Blanchfield vs. Rose Namajunas UFC Fight Night 246 odds

The oddsmakers and public favor the younger fighter, with Blanchfield -138 and Namajunas +112 via FanDuel.

Erin Blanchfield vs. Rose Namajunas UFC Fight Night 246 start time, how to watch

As a co-main event, Blanchfield and Namajunas are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 10:05 PM ET (7:05 PM PT). The fight will be streamed on ESPN+.