MMASucka staff picks are in for one of the most highly-anticipated fight cards of the year. Later this evening, September 19 will see UFC Fight Night 178 go down from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card will begin at 8:00pm ET (5:00pm PT) live on ESPN+.
The Fights
A serious rivalry may potentially be settled tonight between top-ranked welterweights Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley in the main event. Covington’s seven-fight win streak was snapped after attempting to grab the title from Kamaru Usman in December last year. The former interim 170-pound champion looks to make an impressive return. His opponent, the former three-time defending divisional king Woodley, looks to rebound after back-to-back losses including his title loss to the aforementioned Usman. His last victory fell in September of 2018 where he dominated Darren Till to a second-round submission.
The co-main event will see another welterweight pairing between Donald Cerrone and Niko Price. Fan-favorite Cerrone looks to snap a four-fight loss streak while Price looks to recover following his rematch defeat to Vicente Luque in May.
Also on the main card includes the defining rise of Khamzat Chimaev, the wild Johnny Walker, and BJJ black belt Mackenzie Dern.
See the rest of our MMASucka staff picks for UFC Fight Night 178 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 UFC Fight Night 178: Covington vs. Woodley staff picks below.
Staff Records after UFC Fight Night 177:
1T. Michael DeSantis: 141-59
1T. Connor Deitrich: 141-59
3. Wesley Riddle: 129-64
4. Matt Bricker: 121-70
5. Dan Rose: 120-81
6T. Frazer Krohn: 119-82
6T. Jack Buchanan: 119-59
8. Jeremy Brand: 118-70
9. Nate Freeman: 116-73
10. Ash Camyab: 115-82
11. McKenzie Guardiero: 114-87
12. Mike Lynch: 109-69
13. Andrew Benjamin: 102-93
14. Ryan Hobbs: 99-64
15. Ashwin Viswanathan: 83-51
16. Mike Skytte: 67-45
17. Mitchell Banuelos: 64-39
18. Ed Gallo: 54-27
19. Joshua Yule: 52-26
20. Jeremy Cook: 14-6
*Note: not all staff has picked for every event*
Kevin Holland (18-5) vs. Darren Stewart (12-5, 1 NC)
Jeremy Brand: Holland via UD
Wesley Riddle: Holland via SD
Michael DeSantis: Holland via UD
Matt Bricker: Holland via Round 3 TKO
Connor Deitrich: Holland via UD
Ash Camyab: Stewart via Round 3 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Holland via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Holland via UD
Dan Rose: Holland via UD
Mike Lynch: Holland via UD
Nate Freeman: Holland via SD
Jack Buchanan: Holland via UD
Staff picking Holland: 11
Staff picking Stewart: 1
Mackenzie Dern (8-1) vs. Randa Markos (10-9-1)
Jeremy Brand: Dern via Round 2 SUB
Wesley Riddle: Dern via Round 1 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Dern via Round 1 SUB
Matt Bricker: Dern via Round 1 SUB
Connor Deitrich: Dern via Round 1 SUB
Ash Camyab: Dern via Round 1 SUB
Andrew Benjamin: Dern via Round 1 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Dern via Round 2 SUB
Dan Rose: Dern via Round 2 SUB
Mike Lynch: Dern via Round 3 SUB
Nate Freeman: Dern via Round 1 SUB
Jack Buchanan: Dern via Round 1 SUB
Staff picking Dern: 12
Staff picking Markos: 0
Johnny Walker (17-5) vs. Ryan Spann (18-5)
Jeremy Brand: Walker via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Walker via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Walker via Round 1 TKO
Matt Bricker: Spann via UD
Connor Deitrich: Walker via Round 1 TKO
Ash Camyab: Walker via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Walker via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Spann via UD
Dan Rose: Walker via Round 1 TKO
Mike Lynch: Spann via Round 1 SUB
Nate Freeman: Spann via UD
Jack Buchanan: Walker via Round 1 TKO
Staff picking Walker: 8
Staff picking Spann: 4
Khamzat Chimaev (8-0) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (31-13)
Jeremy Brand: Chimaev via Round 1 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Chimaev via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Chimaev via Round 2 TKO
Matt Bricker: Chimaev via Round 1 SUB
Connor Deitrich: Meerschaert via Round 3 SUB
Ash Camyab: Meerschaert via Round 1 SUB
Andrew Benjamin: Meerschaert via UD
Frazer Krohn: Chimaev via SD
Dan Rose: Chimaev via Round 1 TKO
Mike Lynch: Chimaev via UD
Nate Freeman: Chimaev via Round 1 SUB
Jack Buchanan: Chimaev via UD
Staff picking Chimaev: 9
Staff picking Meerschaert: 3
Donald Cerrone (36-15, 1 NC) vs. Niko Price (14-4, 1 NC)
Jeremy Brand: Cerrone via UD
Wesley Riddle: Cerrone via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Cerrone via Round 2 SUB
Matt Bricker: Price via SD
Connor Deitrich: Price via Round 1 TKO
Ash Camyab: Price via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Cerrone via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Price via Round 3 TKO
Dan Rose: Cerrone via Round 1 TKO
Mike Lynch: Price via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Cerrone via UD
Jack Buchanan: Price via Round 3 TKO
Staff picking Cerrone: 6
Staff picking Price: 6
Colby Covington (15-2) vs. Tyron Woodley (19-5-1)
Jeremy Brand: Woodley via Round 4 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Covington via UD
Michael DeSantis: Covington via UD
Matt Bricker: Woodley via UD
Connor Deitrich: Covington via UD
Ash Camyab: Woodley via Round 4 SUB
Andrew Benjamin: Covington via SD
Frazer Krohn: Covington via UD
Dan Rose: Woodley via Round 1 TKO
Mike Lynch: Covington via UD
Nate Freeman: Covington via UD
Jack Buchanan: Covington via UD
Staff picking Covington: 8
Staff picking Woodley: 4
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