5 best finishes from UFC Fight Night: Jessica Andrade vs. Erin Blanchfield
Outside of real hardcore fans, few were paying attention to UFC Fight Night: Jessica Andrade vs. Erin Blanchfield due to its lack of name value.
In the end, though, last night’s UFC Fight Night produced some solid entertainment, with some violent and thrilling finishes up and down the card.
Sure, some of the main card bouts were a real slog, but in the end, there was enough here to stop this from being one of the worst shows in recent memory.
Here are the five best finishes from UFC Fight Night: Jessica Andrade vs. Erin Blanchfield.
#5. UFC lightweight bout: Nazim Sadykhov defeated Evan Elder via doctor’s stoppage
The lightweight fight between UFC newcomer Nazim Sadykhov and Evan Elder produced the best action on last night’s event, and quite rightfully won both men a $50k bonus.
It also had quite a violent finish, even though it would officially go down as a doctor’s stoppage, something that usually feels anti-climactic.
In this case, though, the ringside physician had little choice. After a frenetic brawl that saw both men suffer plenty of damage, the third round saw Sadykhov land a knee to the face of Elder and follow it with some more strikes.
Spotting a bad cut, referee Mark Smith called time, and it took the doctor literally seconds to call the fight off. A better view of Elder’s face explained why.
This banger is over! The doctor calls this one off due to a cut above Evan Elder's eye.
@Naz_MMA is leaving #UFCVegas69 with the victory in his Octagon debut 👏 https://t.co/5cgS2KaCuX
With a huge gash from one end of his right eyebrow to the other, the Nick Diaz pupil looked like he’d been slashed in the face by a machete.
Did this ending take away from a fantastic fight? Some would argue yes, but the truth is that Elder couldn’t have continued and so it was as valid a stoppage as any. The gory nature of it alone makes it one of last night’s best finishes.
#4. UFC flyweight bout: Clayton Carpenter defeated Juancamilo Ronderos via submission
Last night’s opening bout saw flyweight prospect Clayton Carpenter – a graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series – make his UFC debut against Colombia’s Juancamilo Ronderos.
Unsurprisingly, few fans were paying attention to this one, but they may have to keep an eye on Carpenter going forward. That’s because he produced an excellent performance capped off with a slick submission finish.
Despite being taken down, Carpenter would not stop hunting for submissions, forcing the Colombian to defend everything from an armbar to a kimura and a triangle choke.
Eventually, Ronderos made the error of attempting to scramble out from underneath Carpenter following a sweep, and ended up giving his back.
That was all the invitation that Carpenter needed, as he quickly slapped a body triangle on and used it to submit his foe.
With an unbeaten record of 7-0 – with just two of those wins going the distance – it’s clear that Carpenter is a prospect to watch, and after this, it’s safe to say that nobody will ignore his presence on a card again.
#3. UFC bantamweight bout: Mayra Bueno Silva defeated Lina Lansberg via submission
Arguably the best finish last night from a technical perspective came from bantamweight contender Mayra Bueno Silva.
The Brazilian reeled off her third UFC win in a row by submitting veteran Lina Lansberg with a beautiful kneebar, which could be enough to move her into title contention.
The bout was largely dominated by Silva, particularly on the ground, and the second round in particular saw her take the fight to ‘The Elbow Queen’ from top position.
With just moments of the round to go, though, Lansberg was able to escape and stand up, only to make a fatal error. She attempted to take top position, and so in response, Silva spun around, locked up a kneebar and quickly extended the limb to force a tapout.
Not only was this Silva’s third win in a row, but it was also her second submission finish in as many fights, too – and it was enough to net her a $50k bonus. She’s definitely going to be a fighter to watch in the future.
#2. UFC light-heavyweight bout: Philipe Lins defeated Ovince St. Preux via KO
Ignoring the doctor’s stoppage, there was only one “proper” knockout on offer at last night’s UFC event, but it was definitely a good one.
The knockout was produced by Brazil’s Philipe Lins, who needed just 49 seconds of the first round to dispatch former title challenger Ovince St. Preux.
The finish certainly wasn’t perfect from a technical point of view. Lins essentially threw a combination of nothing but haymakers, with his chin straight up in the air and many of the shots missing.
Enough of them got through to hurt ‘OSP’, though, forcing him to backpedal all around the cage. Lins wasted no time in basically chasing him down with more strikes, and sure enough, he eventually knocked St. Preux off his feet for the stoppage.
Lins is now 2-0 since moving to 205lbs in 2022, and while it seems unlikely he’ll develop into a genuine contender, while he can produce finishes like this, he’ll definitely have a spot on the UFC’s roster for some time.
#1. UFC flyweight bout: Erin Blanchfield defeated Jessica Andrade via submission
The best finish of last night’s show definitely came from headliner Erin Blanchfield. She submitted Jessica Andrade in the second round of their clash with a slick rear naked choke, taking her UFC record to 5-0.
This was a hugely impressive showing from her for a number of reasons, but the biggest is probably the fact that Andrade had not been submitted since a 2015 loss to Raquel Pennington at 135lbs.
The fact that Blanchfield made it look so easy – gaining a dominant position just moments after taking ‘Bate Estaca’ down – was truly stunning.
‘Cold Blooded’ simply slapped one hook in as Andrade attempted to spin, then locked the choke up before she’d even got her second hook sunk in. From there, the tapout was academic.
Could Blanchfield do the same to current strawweight champion Valentina Shevchenko? It’s likely that ‘The Bullet’ would test her much more than Andrade did here, but she’s almost certainly earned the opportunity for that fight now.
More importantly, though, she passed her most difficult test to date with flying colors, and quite rightfully earned a $50k bonus for it.