MMASucka’s UFC on ESPN 9 Staff Picks

MMASucka staff picks are locked in for tonight’s UFC on ESPN 9. The event will take place at the UFC APEX Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, a new facility located beside the UFC’s Performance Institute. Main card action will begin at 9:00pm ET (6:00pm PT) live on ESPN.

The Fights

In the main event, former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley will take on the dominant five-fight win streak of Gilbert Burns at 170 pounds. Woodley’s near three-year reign as king came to a halt in March of 2019, dropping a unanimous decision to Kamaru Usman. The defeat came as his first since June of 2014 having six victories in-between with a draw in his first meeting with Stephen Thompson. With a near 15 month layoff, Woodley looks to fight his way back towards the peak of the division. His opponent, Burns, has been victorious four times alone in just over the past 13 months. Among those have included handing Alexey Kunchenko his first career loss in 21 fights and finishing long-time, fan-favorite veteran Demian Maia by knockout. The BJJ black belt of Burns will look for the biggest win of his career in hopes to crack the divisional rankings’ top five.

Heavyweights Blagoy Ivanov and Augusto Sakai will meet for the first time in the co-main event. Former WSOF heavyweight champion Ivanov will look to rebound after a back-and-forth split decision loss to Derrick Lewis in November. His opponent, Sakai, looks for a sixth straight win and his fourth with the promotion.

See the remaining MMASucka staff picks for UFC on ESPN 9 further below.

Staff Picks

Throughout the year, staff picks will be composed of five different MMA promotions. UFC, Bellator, ONE, and RIZIN all appeared for the 2019 season and will make returns. The newest addition for the 2020 year will see the PFL including their regular season, playoffs, and championship card. A special staff picks bonus will be introduced and discussed regarding PFL’s playoff format as time gets closer.

Main cards will makeup both UFC and Bellator picks, while the biggest fights to make up ONE, RIZIN, and PFL 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 2019 winner was awarded to Michael DeSantis, compiling a record of 321-178. Second-place Connor Deitrich collected a close score of 319-180 with third-place Ed Gallo not far behind totaling at 312-183.

Check out our staff picks for UFC on ESPN 9 below.

Staff Records after UFC on ESPN 9:

1. Connor Deitrich: 71-27
2T. Wesley Riddle: 67-31
2T. Michael DeSantis: 67-31
4. Jeremy Brand: 61-37
5T. Mike Skytte: 60-38
5T. Matt Bricker: 60-38
5T. Frazer Krohn: 60-38
5T. Dan Rose: 60-38
9. Nate Freeman: 59-35
10. McKenzie Guardiero: 58-40
11. Ashwin Viswanathan: 55-33
12T. Ryan Hobbs: 54-44
12T. Ed Gallo: 54-27
14T. Ash Camyab: 53-45
14T. Andrew Benjamin: 53-45
16. Jack Buchanan: 50-25
17. Mike Lynch: 49-34
18. Mitchell Banuelos: 42-27
19. Jeremy Cook: 14-6
20. Joshua Yule: 10-7

*Note: not all staff has picked for every event*

Mackenzie Dern (7-1) vs. Hannah Cifers (10-4)

Jeremy Brand: Dern via Round 1 SUB
Wesley Riddle: Dern via Round 1 SUB
Mike Skytte: Dern via Round 2 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Dern via Round 1 SUB
Mitchell Banuelos: Dern via Round 1 SUB
Matt Bricker: Dern via Round 1 SUB
Connor Deitrich: Dern via Round 1 SUB
Ash Camyab: Dern via Round 2 SUB
Ryan Hobbs: Dern via Round 1 SUB
Andrew Benjamin: Dern via Round 1 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Dern via Round 2 SUB
McKenzie Guardiero: Dern via Round 2 SUB
Dan Rose: Dern via Round 3 SUB
Mike Lynch: Dern via Round 3 SUB
Ashwin Viswanathan: N/A
Nate Freeman: Dern via Round 1 SUB
Jack Buchanan: Dern via Round 2 SUB
Joshua Yule: Dern via Round 1 SUB

Staff picking Dern: 17
Staff picking Cifers: 0

Roosevelt Roberts (9-1) vs. Brok Weaver (15-4)

Jeremy Brand: Roberts via UD
Wesley Riddle: Roberts via Round 2 TKO
Mike Skytte: Roberts via Round 3 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Roberts via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Roberts via Round 1 TKO
Matt Bricker: Weaver via SD
Connor Deitrich: Roberts via UD
Ash Camyab: Roberts via UD
Ryan Hobbs: Roberts via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Roberts via Round 1 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Roberts via UD
McKenzie Guardiero: Weaver via Round 2 TKO
Dan Rose: Roberts via Round 2 TKO
Mike Lynch: Roberts via UD
Ashwin Viswanathan: N/A
Nate Freeman: Roberts via UD
Jack Buchanan: Roberts via UD
Joshua Yule: Roberts via UD

Staff picking Roberts: 15
Staff picking Weaver: 2

Billy Quarantillo (13-2) vs. Spike Carlyle (9-1)

Jeremy Brand: Quarantillo via UD
Wesley Riddle: Quarantillo via Round 2 SUB
Mike Skytte: Carlyle via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Quarantillo via SD
Mitchell Banuelos: Carlyle via UD
Matt Bricker: Carlyle via UD
Connor Deitrich: Quarantillo via SD
Ash Camyab: Carlyle via UD
Ryan Hobbs: Carlyle via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Carlyle via UD
Frazer Krohn: Carlyle via UD
McKenzie Guardiero: Carlyle via UD
Dan Rose: Carlyle via UD
Mike Lynch: Quarantillo via Round 1 TKO
Ashwin Viswanathan: N/A
Nate Freeman: Carlyle via UD
Jack Buchanan: Carlyle via Round 2 TKO
Joshua Yule: N/A

Staff picking Quarantillo: 5
Staff picking Carlyle: 11

Blagoy Ivanov (18-3, 1 NC) vs. Augusto Sakai (14-1-1)

Jeremy Brand: Ivanov via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Ivanov via SD
Mike Skytte: Ivanov via SD
Michael DeSantis: Sakai via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Ivanov via UD
Matt Bricker: Ivanov via Round 3 TKO
Connor Deitrich: Ivanov via Round 1 TKO
Ash Camyab: Sakai via UD
Ryan Hobbs: Ivanov via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Ivanov via UD
Frazer Krohn: Ivanov via UD
McKenzie Guardiero: Ivanov via Round 1 TKO
Dan Rose: Sakai via UD
Mike Lynch: Sakai via Round 2 TKO
Ashwin Viswanathan: N/A
Nate Freeman: Ivanov via SD
Jack Buchanan: Sakai via SD
Joshua Yule: N/A

Staff picking Ivanov: 11
Staff picking Sakai: 5

Tyron Woodley (19-4-1) vs. Gilbert Burns (18-3)

Jeremy Brand: Burns via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Woodley via UD
Mike Skytte: Burns via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Burns via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Burns via Round 3 TKO
Matt Bricker: Woodley via Round 4 TKO
Connor Deitrich: Woodley via UD
Ash Camyab: Woodley via Round 3 TKO
Ryan Hobbs: N/A
Andrew Benjamin: Burns via Round 2 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Woodley via Round 2 TKO
McKenzie Guardiero: Burns via Round 1 TKO
Dan Rose: Woodley via Round 1 TKO
Mike Lynch: Woodley via UD
Ashwin Viswanathan: N/A
Nate Freeman: Woodley via UD
Jack Buchanan: Burns via Round 4 TKO
Joshua Yule: Burns via Round 1 TKO