Only three fight cards remain this calendar year for our MMASucka staff picks. The first of those will see Bellator 254 take place tonight, December 10 from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The card will be the promotion’s final event of 2020 and our fifteenth total Bellator event this year. To see the main card live, tune in at 10:00pm ET (7:00pm PT) on CBS Sports Network.
Be on the lookout for our UFC 256 picks this coming Saturday afternoon.
The Fights
Champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane and challenger Juliana Velasquez put their undefeated streaks on the line for the Bellator flyweight championship. Hawaii’s Macfarlane captured the belt in November of 2017 after her submission of Emily Ducote. She has since defended her strap four times in a row with three by way of stoppage. Macfarlane will look to continue her legacy as the greatest flyweight in promotional history. Her opponent, Velasquez, looks for her eleventh professional win in her sixth promotional fight. Defeating notables Kristina Williams and Bruna Ellen last year have propelled the Brazilian to her biggest test yet. The Brazilian judoka will aim to knock off the queen who has dominated most all of the 125-pound roster.
Also on the main card sees the promotional debut of former ACA bantamweight (previously known as ACB) champion Magomed Magomedov, former light heavyweight title challenger Linton Vassell, and rising Jackson Wink MMA Academy star Davion Franklin. See our remaining picks for Bellator 254 further below.
Staff Picks
Throughout the remainder of the year, staff picks will be composed of two different MMA promotions: UFC and Bellator. As of September 25th, the events of ONE and RIZIN will no longer be counted for our picks (including a recent deduction of the last two RIZIN cards from our records). With the cancellation of PFL for 2020, this promotion will be excluded as well.
Main cards will makeup both UFC and Bellator picks. 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 Bellator 254: Macfarlane vs. Velasquez below.
Staff Records after UFC on ESPN 19:
1. Michael DeSantis: 195-82
2. Connor Deitrich: 189-88
3. Wesley Riddle: 179-93
4T. Dan Rose: 169-109
4T. Nate Freeman: 169-105
6T. Frazer Krohn: 167-111
6T. Jack Buchanan: 167-81
8. Jeremy Brand: 165-104
9T. Ash Camyab: 163-115
9T. Mike Lynch: 163-100
11. Andrew Benjamin: 148-120
12. Matt Bricker: 141-95
13. McKenzie Guardiero: 134-105
14. Ryan Hobbs: 95-64
15. Ashwin Viswanathan: 83-51
16. Mike Skytte: 67-45
17. Mitchell Banuelos: 64-39
18. Joshua Yule: 55-28
19. Ed Gallo: 54-27
20. Jeremy Cook: 14-6
*Note: not all staff pick for every event*
Davion Franklin (2-0) vs. Anthony Garrett (4-2)
Jeremy Brand: Franklin via UD
Wesley Riddle: Franklin via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Franklin via Round 1 TKO
Connor Deitrich: Franklin via Round 1 TKO
Ash Camyab: Franklin via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Franklin via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Franklin via UD
Dan Rose: Franklin via Round 3 TKO
Mike Lynch: Franklin via UD
Nate Freeman: Franklin via Round 1 TKO
Staff picking Franklin: 10
Staff picking Garrett: 0
Linton Vassell (19-8) vs. Ronny Markes (19-7)
Jeremy Brand: Vassell via UD
Wesley Riddle: Markes via Round 2 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Vassell via UD
Connor Deitrich: Vassell via UD
Ash Camyab: Markes via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Vassell via UD
Frazer Krohn: Vassell via Round 2 SUB
Dan Rose: Vassell via UD
Mike Lynch: Vassell via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Vassell via SD
Staff picking Vassell: 8
Staff picking Markes: 2
Magomed Magomedov (16-1) vs. Matheus Mattos (12-1-1)
Jeremy Brand: Magomedov via UD
Wesley Riddle: Mattos via UD
Michael DeSantis: Magomedov via UD
Connor Deitrich: Magomedov via UD
Ash Camyab: Magomedov via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Magomedov via UD
Frazer Krohn: Magomedov via UD
Dan Rose: Magomedov via Round 2 TKO
Mike Lynch: Magomedov via UD
Nate Freeman: Magomedov via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Magomedov: 9
Staff picking Mattos: 1
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-0) vs. Juliana Velasquez (10-0)
Jeremy Brand: Macfarlane via Round 3 SUB
Wesley Riddle: Macfarlane via Round 4 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Macfarlane via UD
Connor Deitrich: Velasquez via SD
Ash Camyab: Macfarlane via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Macfarlane via Round 3 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Macfarlane via Round 2 TKO
Dan Rose: Macfarlane via UD
Mike Lynch: Macfarlane via Round 5 TKO
Nate Freeman: Macfarlane via Round 3 SUB
Staff picking Macfarlane: 9
Staff picking Velasquez: 1
FEATURED IMAGE:
Linton Vassell (left) and Ronny Markes (right) with Bellator president Scott Coker ahead of their main card fight taking place at Bellator 254 on December 10th from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville (photo credits to Bellator MMA).
