Our second of two MMASucka staff picks this weekend sees UFC Fight Night 148, taking place later tonight from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The main card action is set to begin at 8:00pm ET (5:00pm PT) live on ESPN+. To check out our staff picks from last night’s Bellator card, click here.
THE FIGHTS
In the main event, former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will make the move to 170 pounds to battle top welterweight contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. After many struggles trying to make the cut to 155, Pettis hopes to find comfort fighting at a more natural weight. He has earned three straight post-fight bonuses including two thrilling fights against Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier (losing both), and a second-round submission victory over Michael Chiesa. His opponent, Thompson, sits at 1-2-1 in his last four fights. However, his two loses to Darren Till and Tyron Woodley, along with his draw with Woodley in their first fight, were seen by many fans and media members in favor of Thompson each time. This will be his first fight since May of 2018, searching for his first win in nearly two years.
In the co-main event, top heavyweights Curtis Blaydes and Justin Willis will look to solidify their placements in the heavyweight division. Blaydes only has suffered two losses in his professional MMA career, both coming to Francis Ngannou in his first UFC fight and his most recent bout in November of 2018. Between those two fights, he earned five victories including two impressive performances over Mark Hunt and Alistair Overeem. Willis currently rides an eight-fight win streak, now sitting at 4-0 in his UFC run including a decision win over Hunt.
Also on the main card includes a potential flyweight title eliminator belt between Jussier Formiga and Deiveson Figueiredo. All six of the main card fights are listed further below.
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 Fight Night 148: Thompson vs. Pettis below.
Staff Records after UFC Fight Night 147:
1. Michael DeSantis: 61-22
2. Ed Gallo: 59-24
3. Brian Gerson: 56-27
4. Connor Deitrich: 55-28
5. Wesley Riddle: 54-29
6T. Ryan Wagner: 53-22
6T. Mitchell Banuelos: 53-25
8T. Mike Skytte: 51-32
8T. Omar Villagrana: 51-32
8T. Matt Bricker: 51-32
11. Justin Pierrot: 50-32
12T. Jeremy Brand: 47-36
12T. Patrick Auger: 47-31
14. Ash Camyab: 43-24
15. Suraj Sukumar: 34-13
16. Sasha Moksyakov: 31-16
17. Idrees Crawley: 12-4
Maycee Barber (6-0) vs. JJ Aldrich (7-2)
Jeremy Brand: Barber via UD
Wesley Riddle: Barber via Round 2 TKO
Mike Skytte: Barber via UD
Justin Pierrot: N/A
Michael DeSantis: Barber via Round 2 SUB
Ryan Wagner: Barber via Round 3 TKO
Mitchell Banuelos: Barber via Round 1 SUB
Ed Gallo: Barber via Round 3 SUB
Omar Villagrana: Barber via UD
Brian Gerson: Barber via Round 1 SUB
Matt Bricker: Barber via Round 1 SUB
Connor Deitrich: Barber Round 1 SUB
Patrick Auger: Barber via UD
Sasha Moksyakov: N/A
Suraj Sukumar: N/A
Ash Camyab: Aldrich via UD
Idrees Crawley: N/A
Staff picking Barber: 12
Staff picking Aldrich: 1
Luis Pena (5-1) vs. Steven Peterson (17-7)
Jeremy Brand: Pena via UD
Wesley Riddle: Pena via UD
Mike Skytte: Pena via UD
Justin Pierrot: N/A
Michael DeSantis: Pena via UD
Ryan Wagner: Pena via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Pena via Round 2 SUB
Ed Gallo: Pena via UD
Omar Villagrana: Pena via Round 2 SUB
Brian Gerson: Peterson via SD
Matt Bricker: Pena via Round 3 TKO
Connor Deitrich: Pena via UD
Patrick Auger: Pena via Round 2 TKO
Sasha Moksyakov: N/A
Suraj Sukumar: N/A
Ash Camyab: Pena via UD
Idrees Crawley: N/A
Staff picking Pena: 12
Staff picking Peterson: 1
Jussier Formiga (22-5) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (15-0)
Jeremy Brand: Formiga via UD
Wesley Riddle: Figueiredo via Round 2 TKO
Mike Skytte: Figueiredo via UD
Justin Pierrot: N/A
Michael DeSantis: Formiga via UD
Ryan Wagner: Formiga via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Figueiredo via Round 2 TKO
Ed Gallo: Formiga via UD
Omar Villagrana: Figueiredo via Round 2 TKO
Brian Gerson: Figueiredo via UD
Matt Bricker: Formiga via UD
Connor Deitrich: Formiga via UD
Patrick Auger: Figueiredo via Round 2 TKO
Sasha Moksyakov: N/A
Suraj Sukumar: N/A
Ash Camyab: Figueiredo via Round 1 TKO
Idrees Crawley: N/A
Staff picking Formiga: 6
Staff picking Figueiredo: 7
John Makdessi (16-6) vs. Jesus Pinedo (16-4-1)
Jeremy Brand: Makdessi via UD
Wesley Riddle: Makdessi via Round 3 TKO
Mike Skytte: Makdessi via Round 3 TKO
Justin Pierrot: N/A
Michael DeSantis: Makdessi via Round 2 TKO
Ryan Wagner: Makdessi via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Makdessi via UD
Ed Gallo: Makdessi via Round 2 TKO
Omar Villagrana: Makdessi via UD
Brian Gerson: Makdessi via UD
Matt Bricker: Makdessi via Round 3 TKO
Connor Deitrich: Makdessi via Round 3 TKO
Patrick Auger: Makdessi via Round 2 TKO
Sasha Moksyakov: N/A
Suraj Sukumar: N/A
Ash Camyab: Makdessi via Round 3 TKO
Idrees Crawley: N/A
Staff picking Makdessi: 13
Staff picking Pinedo: 0
Curtis Blaydes (10-2, 1 NC) vs. Justin Willis (8-1)
Jeremy Brand: Blaydes via Round 1 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Blaydes via Round 2 TKO
Mike Skytte: Blaydes via UD
Justin Pierrot: N/A
Michael DeSantis: Blaydes via Round 2 TKO
Ryan Wagner: Blaydes via Round 2 TKO
Mitchell Banuelos: Blaydes via Round 1 TKO
Ed Gallo: Blaydes via UD
Omar Villagrana: Blaydes via Round 2 TKO
Brian Gerson: Blaydes via Round 1 TKO
Matt Bricker: Blaydes via Round 1 TKO
Connor Deitrich: Blaydes via UD
Patrick Auger: Blaydes via Round 2 TKO
Sasha Moksyakov: N/A
Suraj Sukumar: N/A
Ash Camyab: Blaydes via Round 2 TKO
Idrees Crawley: N/A
Staff picking Blaydes: 13
Staff picking Willis: 0
Stephen Thompson (14-3-1) vs. Anthony Pettis (21-8)
Jeremy Brand: Pettis via UD
Wesley Riddle: Thompson via UD
Mike Skytte: Thompson via SD
Justin Pierrot: N/A
Michael DeSantis: Thompson via UD
Ryan Wagner: Thompson via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Thompson via UD
Ed Gallo: Thompson via Round 3 TKO
Omar Villagrana: Thompson via Round 3 TKO
Brian Gerson: Thompson via Round 2 TKO
Matt Bricker: Pettis via Round 3 SUB
Connor Deitrich: Thompson via UD
Patrick Auger: Thompson via Round 2 TKO
Sasha Moksyakov: N/A
Suraj Sukumar: N/A
Ash Camyab: Thompson via UD
Idrees Crawley: N/A
Staff picking Thompson: 11
Staff picking Pettis: 2
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