UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Blanchfield
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | February 18, 2023 |
| Headquarters | Enterprise, Nevada , United States |
Area served | Global (via broadcast) |
| Parent | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Blanchfield—also identified as UFC Fight Night 219, UFC on ESPN+ 77, and UFC Vegas 69—was a mixed martial arts event organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 18, 2023, hosted at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, United States.
Background
Originally, the event was set to be headlined by a bantamweight clash featuring Marlon Vera against former interim UFC Bantamweight Championship contender Cory Sandhagen. However, this bout was rescheduled to headline UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Sandhagen. As a result, the women's flyweight contest between ex-title challenger Taila Santos and Erin Blanchfield was elevated to main event status. Shortly before the event, Santos withdrew due to visa complications affecting her coaching staff and was substituted by former strawweight titleholder Jéssica Andrade.
A middleweight matchup between Gerald Meerschaert and Abusupiyan Magomedov was canceled owing to Magomedov’s visa difficulties. Meanwhile, a light heavyweight fight featuring William Knight versus Marcin Prachnio, previously canceled for undisclosed reasons, was rescheduled and took place at this event.
This card also included a light heavyweight bout between former interim title contender Ovince Saint Preux and 2018 PFL heavyweight tournament victor Philipe Lins, which was rearranged after Lins had to withdraw from their initial scheduling.
In the welterweight division, Billy Goff was replaced by A.J. Fletcher in his bout against Themba Gorimbo following Goff’s withdrawal. Another welterweight fight planned between Ramiz Brahimaj and Carlston Harris was called off due to Brahimaj sustaining a neck injury; Harris was subsequently booked to face Abubakar Nurmagomedov.
A lightweight contest between Joe Solecki and Benoît Saint-Denis was postponed after Saint-Denis pulled out because of an ankle injury; newcomer Carl Deaton III later stepped in as his replacement at a different event.
At lightweight, Jim Miller competed against last-minute substitute Alexander Hernandez, who replaced original opponent Gabriel Benítez, withdrawn for undisclosed reasons.
Bonus awards
The following competitors were awarded $50,000 bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: Nazim Sadykhov vs. Evan Elder
- Performance of the Night: Erin Blanchfield and Mayra Bueno Silva