A new month kicks off with another day of combat action. UFC Vegas 25, also referred to as UFC on ESPN 23, will take place tonight, May 1 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card will begin at 10:00pm ET (7:00pm PT) live on ESPN and ESPN+.
Take a look back at our staff picks from Thursday night’s PFL 2 2021 event.
The Fights
Don’t blink in tonight’s main event as top-ranked light heavyweights Dominick Reyes and Jiri Prochazka faceoff for a potential 25 minutes. Reyes looks to get back in the win column following back-to-back championship bouts against former divisional king Jon Jones and current champion Jan Blachowicz. A win would be his first since October of 2019, having won all of his eleven professional fights in-a-row. Reyes’ opponent, Prochazka, comes in riding an eleven-fight win streak dating back to early 2016. The former RIZIN king will target his second promotional win after his July finish last year over Volkan Oezdemir. An impressive win for either Reyes and Prochazka could set up a title fight with the aforementioned Blachowicz.
In the co-main event, Cub Swanson will take on Giga Chikadze in the featherweight division. 19-fight UFC veteran Swanson looks for a third straight victory, lastly finishing Daniel Pineda with a vicious knockout in December. Georgian kickboxer Chikadze hopes to extend upon his seven consecutive wins, lastly finishing off promotional newcomer Jamey Simmons inside the first round.
See the remainder of our UFC Vegas 25 staff picks further below.
Staff Picks
Throughout the calendar year, staff picks will be composed of main card fights from UFC and Bellator events and a variety of fights from PFL MMA. Dana White’s Contender Series will make its debut in the summer months.
The WINNER of staff picks in 2021 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or chain from Championship Chains. For the third straight year, Michael DeSantis captured the 2020 victory compiling a record of 201-88.
See our UFC Vegas 25: Reyes vs. Prochazka staff picks below.
Staff Records after UFC 261:
1. Wesley Riddle: 52-33
2. Nate Freeman: 51-34
3T. Ash Camyab: 49-36
3T. Frazer Krohn: 49-36
5. Michael DeSantis: 48-37
6T. Mitchell Banuelos: 47-38
6T. Joshua Yule: 47-38
8T. Jeremy Brand: 45-41
8T. Kenny Lee: 45-35
10. Mike Lynch: 40-40
11. Matt Bricker: 36-35
12. Andrew Benjamin: 34-37
13. Tim Wheaton: 33-23
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
*Note – PFL 2 2021 picks will be added to the above records NEXT weekend*
Poliana Botelho (8-3) vs. Luana Carolina (6-2)
Jeremy Brand: Carolina via UD
Wesley Riddle: Botelho via Round 1 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Botelho via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Botelho via UD
Ash Camyab: Botelho via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Botelho via UD
Frazer Krohn: Botelho via UD
Mike Lynch: Botelho via UD
Nate Freeman: Botelho via UD
Joshua Yule: Botelho via UD
Tim Wheaton: Botelho via UD
Staff picking Botelho: 10
Staff picking Carolina: 1
Merab Dvalishvili (12-4) vs. Cody Stamann (19-3-1)
Jeremy Brand: Stamann via UD
Wesley Riddle: Dvalishvili via SD
Michael DeSantis: Stamann via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Dvalishvili via UD
Ash Camyab: Dvalishvili via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Stamann via UD
Frazer Krohn: Dvalishvili via UD
Mike Lynch: Dvalishvili via UD
Nate Freeman: Dvalishvili via SD
Joshua Yule: Dvalishvili via UD
Tim Wheaton: Dvalishvili via UD
Staff picking Dvalishvili: 8
Staff picking Stamann: 3
Sean Strickland (22-3-1) vs. Krzysztof Jotko (22-4)
Jeremy Brand: Strickland via UD
Wesley Riddle: Strickland via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Strickland via Round 2 TKO
Mitchell Banuelos: Strickland via Round 2 TKO
Ash Camyab: Jotko via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Jotko via UD
Frazer Krohn: Strickland via Round 2 TKO
Mike Lynch: Strickland via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Strickland via Round 2 TKO
Joshua Yule: Strickland via Round 1 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Strickland via UD
Staff picking Strickland: 9
Staff picking Jotko: 2
Ion Cutelaba (15-6, 1 NC) vs. Dustin Jacoby (14-5)
Jeremy Brand: Jacoby via UD
Wesley Riddle: Jacoby via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Jacoby via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Jacoby via UD
Ash Camyab: Cutelaba via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Cutelaba via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Cutelaba via Round 1 TKO
Mike Lynch: Jacoby via UD
Nate Freeman: Jacoby via Round 1 TKO
Joshua Yule: Cutelaba via Round 1 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Cutelaba via Round 1 TKO
Staff picking Cutelaba: 5
Staff picking Jacoby: 6
Giga Chikadze (12-2) vs. Cub Swanson (27-11)
Jeremy Brand: Swanson via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Swanson via UD
Michael DeSantis: Chikadze via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Swanson via UD
Ash Camyab: Chikadze via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Swanson via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Swanson via UD
Mike Lynch: Chikadze via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Swanson via SD
Joshua Yule: Chikadze via UD
Tim Wheaton: Swanson via UD
Staff picking Chikadze: 4
Staff picking Swanson: 7
Dominick Reyes (12-2) vs. Jiri Prochazka (27-3-1)
Jeremy Brand: Prochazka via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Prochazka via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Prochazka via Round 3 TKO
Mitchell Banuelos: Prochazka via UD
Ash Camyab: Prochazka via Round 5 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Prochazka via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Reyes via SD
Mike Lynch: Prochazka via UD
Nate Freeman: Prochazka via Round 2 TKO
Joshua Yule: Reyes via Round 1 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Prochazka via Round 3 TKO
Staff picking Reyes: 2
Staff picking Prochazka: 9
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