With the month of August nearing its end, MMASucka staff picks continue on with the first of two counted fight cards this weekend. PFL 9 2021 will take place tonight, August 27 from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The event falls as the final card of the promotion’s playoffs as featherweights and light heavyweights look to earn a spot in the October one-million dollar finale. Tonight’s main card will begin at 10:00pm ET (7:00pm PT) live on both ESPN 2 and ESPN+.
The second part of our double-header staff picks weekend will see UFC Vegas 35 take place tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon. Also, stay tuned to MMASucka for the debut of our Dana White Contender Series staff picks this upcoming Tuesday.
The Fights
Number one-seed Brendan Loughnane and number four-seed Movlid Khaybulaev will meet in the featured main event. Manchester’s Loughnane hopes to secure his eighth straight victory and his fifth under the PFL banner. Khaybulaev looks to remain undefeated for a potential 18th career victory, having only one draw to Andre Harrison and a No Contest versus Daniel Pineda in 2019. The winner between Loughnane and Khaybulaev will take on the victorious fighter between co-main event fighters Chris Wade and Bubba Jenkins. Wade targets his first finals appearance after coming up short in the 2018 and 2019 semi-finals, while Jenkins looks to make the most of his first PFL playoff run.
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Also on the main card sees light heavyweights Emiliano Sordi take on Antonio Carlos Junior, as well as a matchup between Cezar Ferreira and Marthin Hamlet. Sordi comes in as the only fighter of the four to appear in the promotional playoffs having won the 2019 divisional championship.
Find who the staff are picking for the four main card fights at PFL 9 2021 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 August 31st.
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.
Who are the staff picking to win at PFL 9 2021? Find out below.
Staff Records after UFC Vegas 34:
Wesley Riddle: 139-81
Nate Freeman: 139-81
Michael DeSantis: 135-85
Frazer Krohn: 130-90
Ash Camyab: 124-87
Jeremy Brand: 118-103
Mike Lynch: 114-96
Mitchell Banuelos: 107-89
Andrew Benjamin: 93-101
Tim Wheaton: 88-66
Kenny Lee: 77-64
Brandon Joint: 66-31
Matt Bricker: 57-57
Chris Presnell: 27-12
Amanda Grace: 5-6
Al Mac: 5-1
Steven Irvine: 2-3
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Cezar Ferreira (14-9) vs. Marthin Hamlet (7-2)
Jeremy Brand: Ferreira via UD
Wesley Riddle: Hamlet via SD
Michael DeSantis: Ferreira via Round 1 SUB
Ash Camyab: Ferreira via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Ferreira via Round 2 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Ferreira via UD
Mike Lynch: Ferreira via UD
Nate Freeman: Hamlet via UD
Tim Wheaton: Ferreira via UD
Brandon Joint: Hamlet via UD
Staff picking Ferreira: 7
Staff picking Hamlet: 3
Emiliano Sordi (23-8-1) vs. Antonio Carlos Junior (11-5, 2 NC)
Jeremy Brand: Carlos Junior via UD
Wesley Riddle: Sordi via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Sordi via UD
Ash Camyab: Carlos Junior via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Sordi via Round 3 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Carlos Junior via Round 2 TKO
Mike Lynch: Sordi via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Carlos Junior via SD
Tim Wheaton: Sordi via Round 3 TKO
Brandon Joint: Sordi via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Sordi: 6
Staff picking Carlos Junior: 4
Chris Wade (19-6) vs. Bubba Jenkins (16-4)
Jeremy Brand: Jenkins via UD
Wesley Riddle: Jenkins via UD
Michael DeSantis: Wade via UD
Ash Camyab: Jenkins via Round 3 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Jenkins via SD
Frazer Krohn: Jenkins via Round 1 TKO
Mike Lynch: Wade via UD
Nate Freeman: Jenkins via UD
Tim Wheaton: Jenkins via Round 1 TKO
Brandon Joint: Jenkins via UD
Staff picking Wade: 2
Staff picking Jenkins: 8
Brendan Loughnane (21-3) vs. Movlid Khaybulaev (17-0-1, 1 NC)
Jeremy Brand: Loughnane via UD
Wesley Riddle: Khaybulaev via UD
Michael DeSantis: Khaybulaev via UD
Ash Camyab: Loughnane via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Loughnane via UD
Frazer Krohn: Loughnane via SD
Mike Lynch: Khaybulaev via UD
Nate Freeman: Loughnane via SD
Tim Wheaton: Khaybulaev via UD
Brandon Joint: Khaybulaev via UD
Staff picking Loughnane: 5
Staff picking Khaybulaev: 5
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