The Fight Analyst came back down to earth with a 1-2 night at UFC 284. He will be looking to rebound this weekend at UFC Vegas 69.
The UFC headed to the land down under in Perth, Australia for a stacked PPV event. We saw the number one and number two pound-for-pound fighters in Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski battle it out in one of the best fights in the history of the UFC.
Next, we are back at the UFC Apex with two of the flyweight divisions best headlining this event as #3 Jessica Andrade steps in on short notice to take on #10 Erin Blanchfield. With that said, let’s take a look at the Best Bets for UFC Vegas 69.
Erin Blanchfield vs. Jessica Andrade
In the main event, we have a fight in the women’s flyweight division between two of the divisions best in #3 Jessica Andrade and #10 Erin Blanchfield.
Blanchfield has been making waves since coming into the UFC with a perfect 4-0 record. She was getting ready to face another former title challenger in Taila Santos who had to withdraw due to injury, so now she is set to take on another former title challenger, the dangerous Jessica Andrade. Of her 10 wins, five have come inside the distance which are split with two ko/tko and three submissions.
Andrade is coming off of one of the most lopsided beatdowns you will ever see against former title challenger Lauren Murphy. She steps in on just a week’s notice to take on the surging Blanchfield. Of her 24 wins, 17 have come inside the distance which is split with nine ko/tko and eight submissions.
This is a tough fight for both competitors as this will be by far the toughest test to date for Blanchfield and Andrade will have to defend relentless takedowns on a week’s notice for 25 minutes. It may bite me in the butt, but the relentless takedowns and grappling of Blanchfield may be too much for Andrade to handle over the course of 25 minutes. Blanchfield utilizes her grappling heavy in the matchup and eventually sinks in the submission to get the biggest of her career.
| The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
|---|
| Erin Blanchfield To Win +109 |
Nazim Sadykhov vs. Evan Elder
In the lightweight division, we have a banger of a fight between Nazim Sadykhov and Evan Elder.
Sadykhov is fresh off of his Dana White’s Contender Series knockout of Ahmad Suhail Hassanzada. Coming from LAW MMA you know what you’re getting from Sadykhov, which is stout wrestling and knockout power. He is riding a seven-fight unbeaten streak with five of those wins coming by way of knockout.
Elder attempted to get his first win inside the octagon, but the move up in weight on short notice against Preston Parsons seemed too much to overcome. He is now back in his weight class and will look to get that win back. He has an identical record as his counterpart at 7-1 with four of those seven wins by knockout.
Sadykhov showed me a lot against Hassanzada, he has the defensive grappling to avoid getting stuck on the mat and he has the power to knock out anyone in front of him. I also believe he strings together combinations a lot better than Elder does and Elder also leaves himself open for counters. Ultimately the fight is close early on but Sadykhov puts the pace and pressure on him late to get the knockout victory.
| The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
|---|
| Nazim Sadykhov To Win -190 |
AJ Fletcher vs. Themba Gorimbo
In the welterweight division, we have a scrap between two heavy finishers in A.J. Fletcher and Themba Gorimbo.
Fletcher is still searching for his first win inside the octagon, failing to do so in his first two attempts. He is short and stocky for the division with exceptional wrestling and power to make up for his size. Of his nine wins, eight have come inside the distance which are evenly split between knockout and submissions.
Promotional newcomer Gorimbo, will be looking to be the first fighter in UFC history from Zimbabwe to get a win inside the octagon. He was the EFC welterweight champion, which is the largest MMA promotion in Africa. Of his 10 wins, seven have come inside the distance which is split with 1 ko/tko and six submissions.
Fletcher will be at disadvantage at distance when he’s up against a 10″ reach discrepancy against Gorimbo. Luckily for him, if he is able to navigate through that reach disadvantage he should have his way with Gorimbo in the grappling. Gorimbo may have a good amount of submissions on his record but most of that has been done defensively after giving up takedowns or in transitions of getting taken down. As long as Fletcher doesn’t get caught coming in or getting his neck snatched up he should take Gorimbo on a ride, ground-and-pound, and submit him.
| The Fight Analyst’s Pick |
|---|
| AJ Fletcher To Win -265 |
