UFC Fight Night's Main Event will finally be upon us when these two powerful women take center stage in the Flyweight (125lb) Division. No. 3 ranked Jessica Andrade will make the quick turnaround and step in on short notice to face talented young prospect No. 10 ranked Erin Blanchfield. The UFC matchmakers got lucky with this matchup, you won't want to miss a second of this main event! Check out our UFC odds series for our Andrade-Blanchfield prediction and pick.
Jessica Andrade is 24-9 in her professional career and has cemented herself as one of the Women's MMA GOATs. She's just a month removed from her last bout against Lauren Murphy where she secured the TKO finish and will be stepping into this fight on just a week's notice. Andrade has faced the best fighters in women's MMA and will have another test in Erin Blanchfield as she tries to derail the hype train. Andrade stands 5'1″ and has a 62-inch reach.
Erin Blanchfield is 10-1 as a pro and has yet to lose a fight with a major promotion. She quickly rose to the top of the flyweight rankings after her dominant wins over Miranda Maverick, JJ Aldrich, and most recently a dismantling of Molly McCann. “Cold Blooded” has shown that she is the next big thing in women's MMA and will certainly be making a huge statement if she can once again be dominant against one of the best of all time. Blanchfield stands 5'4″ with a 68-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC Odds: Jessica Andrade-Erin Blanchfield Odds
Jessica Andrade: -122
Erin Blanchfield: +104
Over (3.5) rounds: +120
Under (3.5) rounds: -152
How to Watch Jessica Andrade vs. Erin Blanchfield
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET/ 4:00 p.m. PT (Main Card)
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Jessica Andrade Will Win
Jessica Andrade will be coming into this fight after having won her bout against Lauren Murphy just a month ago. She sustained little to no damage in that fight and was dominant with her striking the whole way through. Erin Blanchfield was just 14 years old when Andrade made her UFC debut, so the Brazilian will have a world of experience over her opponent in this one. With a win here, Andrade will look to call for a title shot against Weili Zhang.
Jessica Andrade is one of the few females in MMA with one-punch knockout ability. She devastates her opponents with a flurry of punches and is super aggressive when she begins to land. She loves to engage in the clinch and land with her dirty boxing. From there, Andrade is always eager to welcome a fight to the ground as she has a seasoned and dangerous jiu-jitsu game. She can finish the fight from just about anywhere and has the cardio to go all five rounds. This will be Blanchfield's first five-round fight, so look for Andrade to try and drag this one into deep waters. I expect her to be in great shape as she always is. With a 74% rate in her takedown defense, look for Andrade to be aggressive in the wrestling exchanges and try to throw the bigger Blanchfield off her balance.
Why Erin Blanchfield Will Win
Erin Blanchfield was set to take on title-challenger Talia Santos in this main event, but Santos had troubles with her VISA and had to pull out due to the conflict. The UFC was hard-pressed to save the event, but got lucky when Andrade agreed to step in on a week's notice. Erin Blanchfield will certainly have to adjust her game to the difference in fighting styles, but will still be looking to be the dominant force she has been. Blanchfield is a jiu-jitsu wizard and has been tossing New Jersey boys around on the wrestling mats since she was seven years old. She has a suffocating top game and is extremely creative when searching for submission attempts. She's also very strong and can muscle her way into good positions when she has her opponent pinned down.
Blanchfield will still need to work on her striking game as she faces tougher competition, but she more than makes up for it with her strength in the clinch and Judo skills. She'll be the slightly bigger fighter in this one, so look for Blanchfield to tie up with Andrade and force her into a judo-toss. From there, Blanchfield will have to be diligent in her transitions as Andrade is especially difficult to keep down. If she can keep her poise in this big spot, she'll be able to get an impressive win.
Final Jessica Andrade-Erin Blanchfield Prediction & Pick
When this fight opened up, Jessica Andrade was a -220 favorite. It's now been bet down to a pick, indicating that there's been a ton of money coming in on Blanchfield. With her viral win over Molly McCann, many UFC supporters flocked to sing her praises and feel as though she deserving of top competition. However, I think that this is a massive step-up in opponents for Blanchfield. Andrade just got done dominating a fighter with a similar style, so she'll be able to stick to a similar gameplan. While Blanchfield is my pick to one day be a future champion, I think this step-up will be too big for her this soon. I like Jessica Andrade by a razor-thin margin. If Blanchfield can get this win, the sky's the limit for her.
Final Jessica Andrade-Erin Blanchfield Prediction & Pick: Jessica Andrade (-122)
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