MMASucka staff picks are locked in for the night ahead.
UFC Vegas 69, also titled as UFC Fight Night 219, will take place this evening, February 18th, from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Preliminary fights will begin at 4:00pm ET (1:00pm PT) with the main card kicking off at 7:00pm ET (4:00pm PT) all available to watch for ESPN+ subscribers.
Stay tuned to MMASucka for live results from the entire UFC Vegas 69: Andrade vs. Blanchfield event.
The Fights
Top-ranked women’s flyweights (125 pounds) Jessica Andrade and Erin Blanchfield will meet for a potential 25 minutes in the night’s featured main event. The fight comes as short notice for Andrade stepping in for Taila Santos who was forced to withdrawal from the pairing last week after her cornermen suffered visa issues.
Former divisional title challenger and former UFC Strawweight Champion Andrade looks to make the most of her opportunity returning to the octagon after securing a unanimous decision over Lauren Murphy just four weeks ago at UFC 283. An additional win to her current streak of three in-a-row would tie her longest active stretch of victories in the UFC as the Brazilian targets another challenge for the belt. Standing in her way sees opponent Erin Blanchfield who rides a longer stretch of wins at seven dating back to her only career loss to Tracy Cortez under the Invicta FC banner. The 23-year-old will fight in her first-scheduled, five-round fight after four dominant octagon performances including finishes of JJ Aldrich and Molly McCann.
In the co-main event, Jordan Wright will faceoff against Zac Pauga in the light heavyweight (205 pounds) division. Former Contender Series fighter Wright targets a much-needed victory after three straight losses since December of 2021. Elevation Fight Team’s Pauga also looks to rebound after his technical knockout defeat last August to Mohammed Usman for The Ultimate Fighter 30 Heavyweight Tournament Championship.
Three additional fights compose the main card including a thrilling scheduled opener between 52-fight veteran Jim Miller and well-versed Alexander Hernandez at lightweight (155 pounds). See our picks for the five fights at UFC Vegas 69 further below.
An unexpected banger of a main event goes down TOMORROW 💥
Don’t miss @JessicaMMAPro vs @Blanchfield_MMA live on @ESPNPlus! #UFCVegas69 pic.twitter.com/540BW1qRHb
— UFC (@ufc) February 17, 2023
2023 Staff Picks
MMASucka staff picks are composed of five promotions: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator MMA, ONE Championship, the Professional Fighters League (PFL), and Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS). UFC and Bellator events feature picks from only main cards. PFL will feature select fights from the main and preliminary card while DWCS sees all fights counted from the event. ONE Championship returns to picks for the first time since 2020 and will feature only mixed martial arts (MMA) fights selected from cards with a minimum three matchups.
The WINNER of staff picks at the end of 2023, who picked the most victorious fighters, will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a chain from Championship Chains. Staff picks in 2022 was won by Wesley Riddle with a record of 264-135.
Check out our UFC Vegas 69: Andrade vs. Blanchfield picks below.
Staff Records after UFC 284:
1T. Nate Freeman: 18-7
1T. Ben Jamieson: 18-7
3. Jeremy Brand: 16-9
4T. Wesley Riddle: 15-10
4T. Roemello Reyes: 15-10
4T. Tim Wheaton: 15-10
7T. Michael DeSantis: 14-11
7T. Andrew Benjamin: 14-11
7T. Frazer Krohn: 14-11
10. Jack Goodwillie: 13-12
11T. Brandon Joint: 12-9
11T. Brian Knight: 12-9
13. Julio Monteros Jr.: 11-6
14T. Andrew Harbaugh: 7-5
14T. Joshua Yule: 7-6
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Jim Miller (35-16), +185
vs.
Alexander Hernandez (13-6), -215
Lightweight Division
– 155 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Hernandez via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Hernandez via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Miller via Round 2 SUB
Andrew Benjamin: Miller via Round 2 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Hernandez via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Hernandez via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Hernandez via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Hernandez via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Hernandez via Round 2 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Miller via Round 1 SUB
Roemello Reyes: Miller via Round 2 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Hernandez via Round 1 SUB
Staff picking Miller: 4
Staff picking Hernandez: 8
William Knight (11-4), -125
vs.
Marcin Prachnio (15-6), +105
Light Heavyweight Division
– 205 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Knight via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Knight via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Knight via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Knight via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Knight via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Knight via Round 1 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Knight via Round 1 TKO
Julio Monteros Jr.: Knight via Round 2 TKO
Brian Knight: Knight via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Prachnio via Round 2 TKO
Roemello Reyes: Knight via Round 3 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Knight via Round 1 SUB
Staff picking Knight: 11
Staff picking Prachnio: 1
Josh Parisian (15-5), +215
vs.
Jamal Pogues (9-3), -255
Heavyweight Division
– 265 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Pogues via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Pogues via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Pogues via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Parisian via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Pogues via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Pogues via Round 2 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Pogues via Round 2 TKO
Julio Monteros Jr.: Pogues via Round 1 TKO
Brian Knight: Pogues via Round 2 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Pogues via Round 1 TKO
Roemello Reyes: Pogues via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Pogues via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Parisian: 1
Staff picking Pogues: 11
Jordan Wright (12-4), +225
vs.
Zac Pauga (6-1), -265
Light Heavyweight Division
Co-Main Event
– 205 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Pauga via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Pauga via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Pauga via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Wright via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Wright via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Pauga via Round 2 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Pauga via Round 2 TKO
Julio Monteros Jr.: Pauga via Round 2 TKO
Brian Knight: Wright via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Pauga via Round 1 TKO
Roemello Reyes: Pauga via Round 2 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Pauga via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Wright: 3
Staff picking Pauga: 9
Jessica Andrade (24-9), -120
vs.
Erin Blanchfield (10-1), +100
Women’s Flyweight Division
Main Event
– 125 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Andrade via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Andrade via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Blanchfield via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Andrade via Round 2 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Blanchfield via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Andrade via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Blanchfield via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Andrade via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Andrade via Round 3 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Blanchfield via Unanimous Decision
Roemello Reyes: Blanchfield via Round 3 SUB
Ben Jamieson: Andrade via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Andrade: 7
Staff picking Blanchfield: 5
