Fellas, I can’t lie to you – UFC Vegas 69 is in a pretty bad shape. It’s not even the main event that hurts. Sure, it sucks to lose out on Marlon Vera vs Cory Sandhagen. But a late-notice replacement in Jessica Andrade ensures a meaningful Women’s Flyweight contender fight against Erin Blanchfield. No, the issues lie in the other ten ‘regional at best’ fights taking place within the soulless UFC Apex.
The matchmakers are doing a huge disservice to their veteran entertainer, Jim Miller, whose firefight with Alexander Hernandez finds itself deep down the pecking order of the Main Card. Fans are instead expected to eat up a Co-Main Event between Jordan Wright (2-4 in UFC) and Zac Pauga (0-1 in UFC).
The UFC Vegas 69 Preliminary Card stretches from average to downright insulting in terms of quality. Rather than labour the point, attention should instead be drawn to Pintsized’s pick – a scrappy stand-up battle between Lina Lansberg and Mayra Bueno Silva.
Where is UFC Vegas 69 taking place?
This Saturday’s UFC event will take place at the UFC Apex in Nevada, United States, on February 18, 2023.
What time does UFC Vegas 69 start?
The UFC Vegas 69 Main Event is scheduled to start at 9PM ET in the US and 12AM GMT in the UK. The UFC Vegas 69 Prelims are scheduled to start at 6PM ET in the US and 9PM GMT in the UK.
Where can I watch UFC Vegas 69?
The UFC Vegas 69 event can be streamed on ESPN+ in the US and BT Sport in the UK. You are advised to use official streams for UFC Vegas 69 and avoid buffstreams, crackstreams or Reddit streams.
UFC Vegas 69 Bitesize Predictions
| UFC Vegas 69 Odds | UFC Vegas 69 Predictions |
|---|---|
| Jessica Andrade vs Erin Blanchfield Odds: (-130) / (+110) | Jessica Andrade vs Erin Blanchfield Prediction: Andrade Decision |
| Zac Pauga vs Jordan Wright Odds: (-265) / (+225) | Zac Pauga vs Jordan Wright Prediction: Pauga TKO Round 2 |
| Josh Parisian vs Jamal Pogues Odds: (+210) / (-250) | Josh Parisian vs Jamal Pogues Prediction: Pogues Decision |
| William Knight vs Marcin Prachnio Odds: (-125) / (+105) | William Knight vs Marcin Prachnio Prediction: Knight Decision |
| Jim Miller vs Alexander Hernandez Odds: (+185) / (-215) | Jim Miller vs Alexander Hernandez Prediction: Hernandez Decision |
| Nazim Sadykhov vs Evan Elder Odds: (-195) / (+165) | Nazim Sadykhov vs Evan Elder Prediction: Sadykhov Decision |
| Lina Lansberg vs Mayra Bueno Silva Odds: (+380) / (-475) | Lina Lansberg vs Mayra Bueno Silva Prediction: Silva Submission Round 2 |
| Jamall Emmers vs Khusein Askhabov Odds: (+135) / (-155) | Jamall Emmers vs Khusein Askhabov Prediction: Askhabov TKO Round 1 |
| Ovince St. Preux vs Philipe Lins Odds: (+185) / (-215) | Ovince St. Preux vs Philipe Lins Prediction: Lins Decision |
| AJ Fletcher vs Themba Gorimbo Odds: (-285) / (+240) | AJ Fletcher vs Themba Gorimbo Prediction: Fletcher Submission Round 1 |
| Juancamilo Ronderos vs Clayton Carpenter Odds: (+250) / (-300) | Juancamilo Ronderos vs Clayton Carpenter Prediction: Carpenter Submission Round 2 |
UFC Vegas 69: Main Event Prediction
Jessica Andrade vs Erin Blanchfield
With Taila Santos out of the picture, the winner of Jessica Andrade (24-9) and Erin Blanchfield (10-1) effectively earns the next crack at the Women’s Flyweight title. Naysayers will point at Andrade’s limp two-round implosion or Blanchfield’s slim four-fight tape in the UFC, but the truth is, the division is crying out for anything that constitutes a crumb of interest.
To be fair to Andrade, she has picked up the pieces from her failed bid for the belt with a 3-0 streak over a delectable selection of Flyweight faces. It was only a month ago that the Brazilian knocked decades worth of CTE into Lauren Murphy over just fifteen minutes. The 31-year-old remains sorely lacking in the defensive department but at least nowadays shows an intent to avoid the most punishing of incoming damage.
Whether Andrade can handle the stellar wrestling of Erin Blanchfield is another question, however. The UFC made it clear that the 23-year-old American is their preferred future title-holder when they offered her the flawed yet popular Molly McCann. Andrade is not such a stylistic dream match-up – only Shevchenko has enjoyed considerable success on the mat against the Brazilian in recent years. More importantly, it is worth questioning how Blanchfield will cope with Andrade’s abnormal power in a traditionally feather-fisted division.
Andrade vs Blanchfield Prediction: Andrade Decision
UFC Vegas 69: Co-Main Event Prediction
Zac Pauga vs Jordan Wright
The Beverly Hills Ninja (12-4) either finds the kill switch early or he mentally breaks. There isn’t much nuance that can be added. Wright looks slick when allowed to set his own pace on the front foot. Under any sort of meaningful pressure, however, and the 31-year-old contorts himself into a defensive mess. Zac Pauga (5-1) was undersized at Heavyweight but impressed on the DWCS on the back of his impressive jab (for anyone around 265lbs). Light Heavyweight isn’t a steep technical gap to climb but should keep The Ripper away from the heavier hitters.
Pauga vs Wright Prediction: Pauga TKO Round 2
UFC Vegas 69: Main Card Predictions
Josh Parisian vs Jamal Pogues
Josh Parisian (15-5) has two wins in the UFC. TWO. The first was a split decision over the heavily overweight Roque Martinez and the most recent came in a back-and-forth slobber knocker with blown-up LHW Alan Baudot. Terrible game-planning plagues the American’s game – it’s still baffling as to why Parisian took so long getting Baudot to the mat. Jamal Pogues (9-3) earns his call-up off a second DWCS decision victory over Paulo Renato Jr. Pogues is a solid wrestler but he will eventually hit an athletic wall at Heavyweight.
Parisian vs Pogues Prediction: Pogues Decision
William Knight vs Marcin Prachnio
A return to Light Heavyweight for William Knight (11-4) sees him face off against the division’s meme-iest glass cannon, Marcin Prachnio (15-6). Knight is a rippling Adonis but his power often misses the mark due to his decrepit hand speed. Prachnio is a ferocious body kicker but lacks the defensive footwork required to deal with the slew of heavy-handed pressure sluggers at 205lbs and above. If Prachnio cannot earn respect for his power early then Knight will be more than capable of grinding the Pole down against the cage.
Knight vs Prachnio Prediction: Knight Decision
Jim Miller vs Alexander Hernandez
A three-fight winning streak for Jim Miller (35-16) in 2023? Lest, a three-fight finishing streak? The veteran holds the most bouts and wins in UFC history – yet the 39-year-old doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon. Anthony Hernandez (13-6) can be a lethal early-round dual-threat on the feet and mat but his shoddy gas tank and questionable mental fortitude have seen him reduced to a gatekeeper role. Hernandez is a fresher, deadlier early-round threat than a twilight Miller but both fighters will be fighting on fumes by the mid-point.
Miller vs Hernandez Prediction: Hernandez Decision
Nazim Sadykhov vs Evan Elder
Nazim Sadykhov (7-1) enters his UFC debut off the back of a third-round KO on the DWCS. Black Wolf is a herky-jerky striker that lacks a bit of pop but remains an entertaining watch. Sadykhov can unravel over extended combinations, however, and is primed to be countered hard by better strikers. Meanwhile, Evan Elder (7-1) is looking for his first victory in the organisation after dropping a decision to Preston Parsons in his UFC debut. Regular gym changes are a red flag for a fighter with glaring technical holes on the feet.
Sadykhov vs Elder Prediction: Sadykhov Decision
UFC Vegas 69: Preliminary Card Predictions
Lina Lansberg vs Mayra Bueno Silva
Lina Lansberg’s (10-7) return to the octagon yielded two losses and a lot of brain trauma. The Swede dropped a debatable major decision to Karol Rosa last time out, but the 40-year-old cannot maintain the same pace that drove her success in the 2010s. Mayra Bueno Silva (9-2-1) once again tapped into her submission chops against Stephanie Eggar with a first-round armbar. The Brazilian hampered her early progression in the UFC rankings after opting to stand and bang with superior strikers in Manon Fiorot and Maryna Moroz. The physical edge alone should prove too great a hurdle for the gutsy Swede.
Lansberg vs Silva Prediction: Silva Submission Round 2
Jamall Emmers vs Khusein Askhabov
After a year and a half on the sidelines, Jamall Emmers (18-6) returns to the octagon. Pretty Boy had almost knocked Pat Sabatini into the shadow realm with an uppercut before losing out in a 50-50 submission attempt. He hasn’t received much leeway from the match-makers as he faces the debuting Khuseun Askhabov (23-0). Askhabov has fought around the Eastern European regional scenes but he has accrued a ton of experience against a varying quality of opposition. A slick outside striker, Askhabov also owns the tools to handle himself on the mat if Emmers opts to panic wrestle.
Emmers vs Askhabov Prediction: Askhabov TKO Round 1
Ovince St. Preux vs Philipe Lins
Another UFC Fight Night, another time to wheel out OSP (26-16). Coming off the back of a split decision victory over Shogun Rua, OSP’s style has remained the same throughout his twilight. The monkey denotes that the 39-year-old’s ferocious power and Von Flue Choke stay the same, but so does his tepid pace and ability to gas before the third round. Philipe Lins (15-5) has been treading water in the UFC since his decision loss to Andrei Arlovski. In his own career twilight at 37 years old, the Brazilian fell back on his wrestling against Marcin Prachnio and was richly rewarded.
OSP vs Lins Prediction: Lins Decision
AJ Fletcher vs Themba Gorimbo
AJ Fletcher (9-2) returns in pursuit of his first victory within the octagon since debuting last March. The 25-year-old is exceptionally explosive but his short stature forces him to eat damage in order to close the distance. Debutant, Themba Gorimbo (10-3), will enjoy a 9″ reach advantage against his late-notice opponent. The Zimbabwe fighter is surprisingly heavy-handed, despite having recorded just one KO victory, but he is unlikely to handle Fletcher’s energetic wrestling.
Fletcher vs Gorimbo Prediction: Fletcher Submission Round 1
Juancamilo Ronderos vs Clayton Carpenter
Colombian Flyweight, Juancamilo Ronderos (4-1), fell to an early submission loss against the vastly experienced David Dvorak. That was two years ago, however, and on short notice. The 28-year-old is an unknown entity after his time on the sidelines but he will find himself at a physical disadvantage against Clayton Carpenter (6-0). The undefeated debutant earned his call-up off the back of a comprehensive decision victory on the DWCS. His rounded grappling will likely see him take the fight to the ground early and stay there with comfort.
Ronderos vs Carpenter Prediction: Carpenter Submission Round 2
TIPPING JAR
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