MMA Preview – Jessica Andrade vs Erin Blanchfield at UFC Vegas 69
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JESSICA ANDRADE VS ERIN BLANCHFIELD FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 219? Saturday 18th February, 2023 - 22:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 219? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 219? Click here to buy tickets for UFC Fight Night
What channel is UFC Fight Night 219 on? BT Sport 2
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 219? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
JESSICA ANDRADE VS ERIN BLANCHFIELD LOWDOWN
Jessica Andrade (24-9) steps in for Taila Santos on one week’s notice. The veteran is fresh off her dismantling of Lauren Murphy a month ago and is still riding high off the dominant win. That came after a successful return to strawweight where she made light work of one of the best fighters in the division. She tied Amanda Lemos (2022) up in a standing arm-triangle choke in the first round extending her streak to three which included an easy TKO of Cynthia Calvillo (2021).
Erin Blanchfield (10-1) could be the future of the flyweight division and the UFC clearly agree, pairing her up with former title challengers. Her only loss is a dubious split decision to Tracy Cortez (2019) when she was 19 years old. Since, then she has strung seven wins together including Miranda Maverick (2021), JJ Aldrich (2022) and most recently Molly McCann (2022) who she brought back down to earth with the third submission of her career.
JESSICA ANDRADE VS ERIN BLANCHFIELD PREDICTION
This is a giant step-up in competition for Blanchfield. Andrade is a former champion, one of the hardest hitters in the division, has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and most importantly, is one of the most experienced women on the roster.
That said, if you want to fight her, you want to do it when she only has a week to prepare. Blanchfield will hope the Brazilian underestimates her and does not take the fight seriously.
She is not as powerful, but she is the bigger girl boasting a four-inch reach and three-inch height advantage. This is not anything Andrade has not seen before, but if they enter Blanchfield’s wheelhouse and tangle on the ground, the extra reach will help find a submission.
Despite Andrade being a black belt herself, she has to respect her skills and keep the fight on the feet. Here, the former strawweight champion will not respect oncoming fire and simply walk Blanchfield down to get into range and offload in the pocket.
The young grappler will strike from range but once the distance closes, she will happily tie up and try and drag Andrade to the deck. We expect Blanchfield to fight for the title one day, but this is a jump too far especially for five rounds. Andrade has championship experience and the power to put her away.
Blanchfield is too hittable for someone like Andrade so unless she can find top position, she is going to take a lot of damage.
Prediction: Andrade via KO/TKO - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value bet: Blanchfield via Submission
