UFC 235 will take place later this evening from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. All of the main card action, including two thrilling title fights, will begin at 10:00pm ET (7:00pm PT) on pay-per-view. With this main card action comes our MMASucka staff picks.
THE FIGHTS
In the night’s main event, Jon Jones looks to defend his UFC light heavyweight championship for the first time after previously being stripped of the belt twice against 44-fight veteran Anthony Smith. This will be a quick turnaround match for Jones as he rematched defeated Alexander Gustafsson in the latter days of December. His opponent, Smith, has finished all three of his last opponents (Evans, Shogun, and Oezdemir) since making the official move to 205 pounds for the first time in his career.
Our second title fight is set for action in the co-main slot where Tyron Woodley will look for a fourth title defense against TUF 21 winner Kamaru Usman. Woodley earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus along with his BJJ black belt in his last outing when he submitted then-undefeated Darren Till. Usman has won 13 fights in a row including two five-round unanimous decision victories over notables Rafael dos Anjos and Demian Maia.
Also on the main card includes the long-awaited of debut of Ben Askren going up against former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler; a strawweight fight between Tecia Torres and Weili Zhang; and a critically important bantamweight bout between two of the division’s best Cody Garbrandt and Pedro Munhoz.
STAFF PICKS
Throughout the year, staff picks will be composed of four different MMA promotions: UFC, Bellator, ONE, and RIZIN. Main cards will make up both UFC and Bellator picks, while the biggest fights to make up ONE and RIZIN events will be used. The WINNER of staff picks will have a choice between receiving a championship belt from ProAmBelts or a championship chain from Championship Chains. The 2018 winner was awarded to Michael DeSantis, compiling a record of 202-101.
Check out our MMASucka staff picks for UFC 235: Jones vs. Smith below.
Staff Records after Bellator 217:
1. Michael DeSantis: 47-15
2. Ed Gallo: 44-18
3T. Wesley Riddle: 42-20
3T. Connor Deitrich: 42-20
5. Brian Gerson: 41-21
6T. Mike Skytte: 39-23
6T. Ryan Wagner: 39-15
6T. Mitchell Banuelos: 39-18
9T. Jeremy Brand: 38-24
9T. Omar Villagrana: 38-24
9T. Matt Bricker: 38-24
12. Justin Pierrot: 37-24
13. Ash Camyab: 34-12
14. Patrick Auger: 32-25
15. Sasha Moksyakov: 27-14
16. Suraj Sukumar: 23-12
Cody Garbrandt (11-2) vs. Pedro Munhoz (17-3, 1 NC)
Jeremy Brand: Garbrandt via Round 3 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Garbrandt via Round 2 TKO
Mike Skytte: Munhoz via UD
Justin Pierrot: Munhoz via UD
Michael DeSantis: Garbrandt via Round 2 TKO
Ryan Wagner: Garbrandt via Round 1 TKO
Mitchell Banuelos: Garbrandt via Round 2 TKO
Ed Gallo: Munhoz via SD
Omar Villagrana: Garbrandt via UD
Brian Gerson: Garbrandt via Round 2 TKO
Matt Bricker: Munhoz via UD
Connor Deitrich: Garbrandt via UD
Patrick Auger: Garbrandt via Round 2 TKO
Ash Camyab: Garbrandt via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Garbrandt: 10
Staff picking Munhoz: 4
Tecia Torres (10-3) vs. Weili Zhang (18-1)
Jeremy Brand: Torres via UD
Wesley Riddle: Zhang via Round 2 TKO
Mike Skytte: Zhang via Round 3 TKO
Justin Pierrot: Zhang via UD
Michael DeSantis: Torres via UD
Ryan Wagner: Zhang via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Zhang via UD
Ed Gallo: Torres via UD
Omar Villagrana: Zhang via UD
Brian Gerson: Torres via UD
Matt Bricker: Torres via UD
Connor Deitrich: Zhang via UD
Patrick Auger: Zhang via UD
Ash Camyab: Zhang via UD
Staff picking Torres: 5
Staff picking Zhang: 9
Robbie Lawler (28-12) vs. Ben Askren (18-0, 1 NC)
Jeremy Brand: Lawler via Round 1 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Lawler via Round 2 TKO
Mike Skytte: Lawler via UD
Justin Pierrot: Lawler via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Askren via UD
Ryan Wagner: Lawler via Round 1 TKO
Mitchell Banuelos: Lawler via Round 2 TKO
Ed Gallo: Lawler via Round 2 TKO
Omar Villagrana: Lawler via UD
Brian Gerson: Askren via UD
Matt Bricker: Lawler via Round 1 TKO
Connor Deitrich: Lawler via Round 2 TKO
Patrick Auger: Askren via UD
Ash Camyab: Lawler via Round 3 TKO
Staff picking Lawler: 11
Staff picking Askren: 3
Tyron Woodley (19-3-1) vs. Kamaru Usman (14-1)
Jeremy Brand: Woodley via UD
Wesley Riddle: Woodley via Round 2 TKO
Mike Skytte: Woodley via UD
Justin Pierrot: Usman via UD
Michael DeSantis: Woodley via Round 2 TKO
Ryan Wagner: Usman via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Usman via UD
Ed Gallo: Usman via UD
Omar Villagrana: Woodley via UD
Brian Gerson: Woodley via UD
Matt Bricker: Woodley via UD
Connor Deitrich: Usman via UD
Patrick Auger: Woodley via Round 3 TKO
Ash Camyab: Woodley via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Woodley: 9
Staff picking Usman: 5
Jon Jones (23-1) vs. Anthony Smith (31-13)
Jeremy Brand: Jones via Round 3 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Jones via Round 2 TKO
Mike Skytte: Jones via Round 3 TKO
Justin Pierrot: Jones via Round 4 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Jones via Round 2 SUB
Ryan Wagner: Jones via Round 2 TKO
Mitchell Banuelos: Jones via Round 3 TKO
Ed Gallo: Jones via Round 2 TKO
Omar Villagrana: Jones via Round UD
Brian Gerson: Jones via Round 1 TKO
Matt Bricker: Jones via Round 1 TKO
Connor Deitrich: Jones via Round 2 TKO
Patrick Auger: Jones via Round 1 TKO
Ash Camyab: Smith via Round 4 TKO
Staff picking Jones: 13
Staff picking Smith: 1
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