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LAS VEGAS—Just one week ago, former UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade was relaxing on a beach, while 23-year-old Erin Blanchfield was preparing for a fight with Taila Santos. However, when Santos was forced to withdraw from her planned spot in Saturday's UFC Fight Night 219 headliner, fellow Brazilian Andrade didn't hesitate to accept the promotion's invitation to serve as a replacement despite the incredibly short notice.
"I was on vacation with my mom, and all of a sudden we got the call," Andrade told MMA Underground through an interpreter. "I said, 'Sign me up.'"
Andrade (24-9 MMA, 15-7 UFC) and Blanchfield (10-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) now meet in the main event of this weekend's card, which streams live on ESPN+ from the UFC Apex.
For Blanchfield, the fight marks her first UFC main event, and while taking on a former champion with limited prep time is certainly a tough assignment, "Cold Blooded" said she wanted to remain on the card.
"My manager called me and told me Talia was out but Andrade was willing to take the fight, and I was definitely down right away," Blanchfield said. "I already put in all the work, and I really wanted to fight. ... Everybody's tough, so I didn't really care. I was just happy to get a fight."
Blanchfield enters the contest at No. 10 in the UFC's official women's flyweight rankings, while Andrade sits at No. 3.
Fresh off a razor-thin loss to reigning champion Valentina Shevchenko, Santos is actually the division's current No. 1, but Andrade has been in the UFC for nearly 10 years, and beating her would certainly represent a signature win for Blanchfield. It's the type of result that could escalate the top prospect into title consideration.
The New Jersey native isn't getting ahead of herself just yet but does appreciate the opportunity to compete in a five-round contest in preparation of what could come her way in the very near future.
"I know it's definitely possible, but I'm just really trying to keep Jessica on my mind first because I know if I don't win that, I know everything else won't come," Blanchfield said. "So keeping that first and yeah, I mean having the five rounds is definitely beneficial if that does happen next, but yeah this fight Saturday first."
Andrade is in a bit more unique position because not only is she currently No. 3 at flyweight, but she's also No. 6 in the strawweight division, where she previously served as champion. It's in the lighter weight class where she's currently eyeing a run to the top, even with Saturday's fight taking place at 125 pounds. Already riding a three-fight winning streak, Andrade is hopeful another win will earn the attention of reigning strawweight champion Zhang Weili for a rematch three-and-a-half years in the making.
"I want to remain a strawweight," Andrade said. "I've set my goals, and that's where I want to stay. Coming off four straight victories, I think I'm close to actually facing Weili."
Andrade is currently the betting favorite at SI Sportsbook at -143, indicating an implied win probability of approximately 59 percent. Blanchfield stands as the underdog at +120.
