UFC Vegas 69 went down last night (Sat., Feb 18, 2023) inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring a women’s Flyweight fight that saw Erin Blanchfield choke out Jessica Andrade in round two (see it here). In the co-main event, Zac Pauga defeated Jordan Wright via unanimous decision.
Biggest Winner: Erin Blanchfield
Coming into the night, Blanchfield was ranked No. 10, but she can expect to make a huge jump into the Top 5 after she choked out former women’s Strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade, with an air-tight, rear-naked choke in the second round. Andrade was lobbying for a shot at the title with win, but that could very well go to Blanchfield because she has been on an absolute tear, winning eight straight since 2019, which includes going undefeated inside the Octagon with five straight wins. Since Taila Santos — the person Blanchfield was supposed to fight on this card — is coming off a loss to division champion, Valentina Shevchenko, Blanchfield has put herself in a great position to face the winner of the 125-pound title fight between “Bullet” and Alexa Grasso at UFC 285 next month.
Runner Up: Philipe Lins
Lins won his second straight, obliterating Ovince Saint Preux in less than one minute after clipping the former 205-pound title challenger early. Once Lins saw “OSP” was rocked, he didn’t waste his opportunity to pounce, ending the fight as quickly as it started. It’s a nice turnaround for Lins, who started off his UFC run with two straight losses at the hands of Andrei Arlovski and Tanner Boser. The Professional Fighters League (PFL) $1 million tournament winner may have a ways to go before he gets close to a Top 15 ranking, but if he keeps putting on performances like he did last night, it could expedite the process.
Biggest Loser (s): Lina Lansberg and Ovince Saint Preux
We are going with two this week because both Lansberg and Saint Preux suffered devastating defeats. “Elbow Queen” was coming into the event on a three-fight skid, but after suffering her fourth straight loss at the hands of Mayra Bueno Silva — who forced her to tap with a kneebar — she could be facing a pink slip sooner rather than later. As for “OSP,” the former Light Heavyweight interim title contender has seen better days. He came into his fight against Lins having lost two of three with his lone win coming against Maurico Rua via split decision, but things went from bad to worse in a hurry after “OSP” was stopped via strikes in the first round by Lins. Lansberg and Saint Preux’s UFC futures could be hanging on by a thread, so if either of them get another chance inside the Octagon, they better come out with a win.
For complete UFC Vegas 69 results and coverage click here.