Andrade vs. Blanchfield Picks

The last week has brought two major changes to the main event for UFC Vegas 69. Initially, this card was supposed to be headlined by a bantamweight fight between Cory Sandhagen and Marlon Vera, but that pairing was moved back to March to headline an event in San Antonio. The UFC scrambled to find a new main event and settled on a fight between Taila Santos and Erin Blanchfield, but Santos bowed out due to personal reasons and she was replaced by Jessica Andrade. With the fight scheduled for this weekend, there are unlikely to be any other changes made to the main event.

UFC Vegas 69: Andrade vs. Blanchfield will be held on Saturday, February 18, 2023 from the UFC Apex Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The prelims will start at 4 p.m. ET, while the main event is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. ET. All of the action will be available on ESPN Plus.

UFC Vegas 69: Andrade vs. Blanchfield Betting Odds at BetRivers Sportsbook

Jessica Andrade -130

Erin Blanchfield +106

Former UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship title holder Jessica Andrade isn’t as much of a favorite by the UFC betting odds as you might think she would be as a former champion. Some of that is due to rest and fatigue as Andrade just beat Lauren Murphy at UFC 283 last month, but she was also a very late replacement for Taila Santos.

Andrade has won three straight fights since losing a title shot against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 261, and her other two recent losses came against former champions in Rose Namajunas and Zhang Weili. She is battle tested and will likely see a sizeable amount of action as just a short favorite by the MMA betting line.

Erin Blanchfield has yet to take on anyone of note, but there is a lot of buzz surrounding the young 23-year-old from New Jersey. She has won seven straight fights following a split decision loss to Tracy Cortez, and Blanchfield is 4-0 in the UFC. Blanchfield has a major reach advantage with a 68-inch reach compared to a 62-inch reach for Andrade, and that will be the key to the upstart pulling off the upset.

Lina Lansberg +340

Mayra Bueno Silva -455

It’s no surprise that Lina Lansberg is a big underdog by the MMA betting odds against Mayra Bueno Silva this Saturday night. Lansberg has lost three straight fights, and she has not been able to show progression in the UFC. She was 6-1 before joining the UFC, but she is 4-6 in the promotion and every one of her wins in the UFC has come by decision. That lack of finishing power is very telling, and it bodes very well for Bueno Silva

Bueno Silva has won her last two fights, and she won a Fight of the Night bonus for her performance in a unanimous decision victory over Wu Yanan back in April. Additionally, she earned a submission win over Stephanie Egger in the first round back in August to rise up the rankings. At this price, you may want to consider putting Bueno Silva in some parlays.

Ovince St. Preux +170

Philipe Lins -215

One of the most intriguing fighters in the sport today continues to be Ovince St. Preux. He is a unique fighter that has long been a gatekeeper for the light heavyweights over his long career. St. Preux was an elite athlete in high school, standing out in wrestling, track and field, and football, and that skillset has helped make him the unique fighters he is today.

St. Preux has a 14-11 record since joining the UFC. Most of his fights are over in the first two rounds, as he has a lot of power and can submit opponents through the rarely seen Von Flue choke.

Philipe Lins is nearing the end of his career too. St. Preux will be 40 in April, and Lins will be 38 in August. Lins has lost two of his three fights since joining the UFC, but Dana White seems to see something in him. He will have to get inside of St. Preux though, as his opponent has a one-inch reach edge.