Taila Santos vs. Erin Blanchfield now set as five-round UFC Vegas 69 main event
An important women’s flyweight bout pitting Taila Santos vs. Erin Blanchfield is now set as the five-round UFC Vegas 69 main event.
Santos vs. Blanchfield was originally set as a three-round fight, but after the original main event of Cory Sandhagen vs. Marlon Vera was shifted to UFC San Antonio in March, UFC Vegas 69 needed a new main event. The UFC then decided to elevate Santos vs. Blanchfield to a five-round fight that headlines the card, which is set to take place on February 18 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Flyweights takes the top spot on the marquee!💥
Taila Santos vs @Blanchfield_MMA happens Saturday, Feb 18! #UFCVegas69 pic.twitter.com/TcmhPSrV7i
— UFC (@ufc) February 3, 2023
Flyweights takes the top spot on the marquee! Taila Santos vs @Blanchfield_MMA happens Saturday, Feb 18! #UFCVegas69
Santos (19-2) was last seen in the Octagon in June 2022, when she lost a close split decision to UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 275. In fact, many fans felt that Santos deserved to get her hand raised in that fight and were surprised when the judges went the other way. Still, it was a breakthrough performance by Santos and proved that she is elite in the 125lbs women’s weight class. Overall, Santos has a 4-2 record in the UFC since joining the promotion in 2020.
Blanchfield (10-1) is coming off of a huge submission win over Molly McCann at UFC 281 this past November. Overall, the 23-year-old talent is 4-0 so far in the Octagon and appears to be an emerging title contender in a weight class that is looking for fresh contenders for Shevchenko. Of course, she will have to get past Santos first, and it won’t be easy. But if she wins, a title shot could very well be next.
There are no betting odds available for this fight yet, but when they come out, fans can expect competitive odds considering this appears to be a very tight contest between two top contenders.
Who do you think wins this five-round women’s flyweight headliner between Taila Santos and Erin Blanchfield?
