BREAKING: Taila Santos forced out of UFC Vegas 69 headliner, former champion steps in on short notice

Taila Santos has been forced out of her flyweight headliner clash against Erin Blanchfield, scheduled for February 18 at UFC Vegas 69.

Former UFC women's strawweight champ Jessica Andrade will now replace Santos to take on a surging Blanchfield on a week's notice.

This will be a quick turnaround for Andrade, who put a one-sided beating on Lauren Murphy at UFC 283 a few weeks ago. 'Bate Estaca' has mounted a three-fight win streak, switching between flyweight and strawweight since a title loss to Shevchenko in 2021.

Meanwhile, Erin Blanchfield is currently riding a seven-fight win streak topped off by four UFC victories. Despite being unranked on the flyweight ladder, 'Cold Blooded' might be on the cusp of a title shot with a win over the number 3 ranked Andrade.

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Why did Taila Santos pull out of UFC Vegas 69?

As per the UFC, the last-minute change that was announced during the UFC 284 broadcast was due to 'personal issues' Santos had.

Meanwhile, Santos' manager Tiago Okamura said that the Brazilian opted out of the fight as her cornermen, including her husband Pedro Barbosa, were denied visas multiple times.

Coming off a failed title bid against Valentina Shevchenko, Taila Santos waited for a final denial on Friday before deciding to pull out of the fight.