UFC Vegas 69 goes down this weekend at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. In the main event, Jessica Andrade steps in on short notice to face rising contender, Erin Blanchfield.
Andrade is currently riding a three-fight winning streak, with her most recent win coming against Lauren Murphy at UFC 283, whereas Blanchfield is 4-0 in this UFC, with her most recent win coming against Molly McCann by submission.
UFC Vegas 69: Analysis And Prediction
A fierce striker with vicious once-punch knockout power, Andrade is one of the best fighters in the UFC strawweight and flyweight divisions and has only lost to the best fighters in the business like Rose Namajunas, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and Valentina Shevchenko. She’s also a solid grappler with superhuman strength. Blanchfield is a grappling specialist, who has been practicing BJJ from an early age. The American prodigy is on an impressive winning run, but she hasn’t faced someone like Andrade in the past, and even on short notice, ‘Bate Estaca’ will be a tough cookie to crack.
Andrade will be looking to keep the fight standing because she has a significant advantage in striking, but as relentless as Blanchfield is, she’ll try to take the fight to the mat as early as possible. Andrade has faced grappling specialists in the past, but she held her own against them, except for Shevchenko, who is levels above everyone else in the division in terms of skill set and achievements. Blanchfield will have to pull off a Shevchenko-esque performance to dispatch Andrade, and it’s going to be a tough ask, even for a fighter as talented as ‘Cold Blooded’ Erin.
Statistically, Andrade has the edge in striking. She is a high-volume striker who lands more than seven significant strikes per minute on average, whereas Blanchfield lands close to six. Blanchfield is a lot better defensively as she absorbs two-and-a-half significant strikes per minute, whereas Andrade absorbs more than five. Blanchfield has the edge in the grappling department, averaging four takedowns compared to Andrade’s three per 15 minutes. Blanchfield also has better takedown accuracy, defence, and submission average, but the Brazilian’s takedown defence is very good, and if she manages to keep the fight on the feet, she’ll finish it sooner or later.
The only worry for Andrade is that she hasn’t trained much for the fight, so Blanchfield will have her in some sort of trouble. That being said, expect Andrade to keep the fight standing, and earn a stoppage win.
Prediction: Jessica Andrade by TKO
Betting Odds:
Jessica Andrade (-135)
Erin Blanchfield (+115)
Who do you think will win the flyweight main event between Jessican Andrade and Erin Blanchfield at UFC Vegas 69?
