Three exciting fight cards are in store this mid-September week as our MMASucka staff picks continue further into the year. The first sees Dana White’s Contender Series 39 set to take place in just a short hours tonight, September 14 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Six fights will kick off beginning at 8:00pm ET (5:00pm PT) live on ESPN+.
Find live results to Dana White’s Contender Series 39 here at MMASucka.
Stay tuned to MMASucka this upcoming Saturday for our UFC Vegas 37: Smith vs. Spann picks from Las Vegas and our Bellator 266: Davis vs. Romero picks from San Jose.
Dana White’s Contender Series 39 Fights
Light heavyweights Jailton Almeida and Nasrudin Nasrudinov will meet in the main event of the night. With the UFC’s 205-pound weight class being labeled as weaker among other divisions, the two men hope to earn a promotional contract to get a shot in the mix.
Almeida has won eight straight professional fights in a row, including two recent first-round submissions over notables Ildemar Alcantara and Edvaldo de Oliveira. The Brazilian grappler aims to become his country’s third fighter to sign with the UFC from the Contender Series this year. Having won a title in his outing with de Oliveira, the stakes tonight are high for Almeida as he also sits a small underdog. His opponent, Nasrudinov, comes in having trained with the best located in Dagestan. He remains undefeated thus far, having five stoppages and four decisions with his Sambo-based skillset. Nasrudinov will look to back up his recent win over Evgeny Egemberdiev under the ACA banner.
In the co-main event, 29-year-old Mo Miller will take on 24-year-old Brandon Lewis in the bantamweight division. Each men took two of their own victories in their last MMA appearances with LFA, now set for the biggest opportunity of their growing careers.
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A pairing between Lukasz Brzeski and Dylan Potter will take place tonight after being pulled from the opening-week card due to COVID-19 protocols. Find out further below who the MMASucka staff are picking for this fight and the remaining matchups at Dana White’s Contender Series 39.
Staff Picks
Throughout the calendar year, staff picks will be composed of main card fights from both UFC and Bellator events. Main card fights and selected preliminary fights will be selected for PFL MMA. Dana White’s Contender Series will be composed of the full fight card.
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 Dana White’s Contender Series 39 staff picks below.
Staff Records after Dana White’s Contender Series 38:
1. Nate Freeman: 154-90
2. Wesley Riddle: 153-91
3. Michael DeSantis: 149-95
4. Frazer Krohn: 141-103
5. Ash Camyab: 134-96
6. Jeremy Brand: 132-113
7. Mike Lynch: 129-105
8. Mitchell Banuelos: 107-89
9. Andrew Benjamin: 105-112
10. Tim Wheaton: 94-74
11. Brandon Joint: 71-36
12. Matt Bricker: 57-57
13. Chris Presnell: 34-19
14. Amanda Grace: 13-8
15. Steven Irvine: 9-7
16. Al Mac: 9-2
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Jasmine Jasudavicius (5-1) vs. Julia Polastri (8-2)
Jeremy Brand: Jasudavicius via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Jasudavicius via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Jasudavicius via UD
Ash Camyab: Jasudavicius via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Jasudavicius via UD
Frazer Krohn: Jasudavicius via UD
Mike Lynch: Jasudavicius via Round 3 TKO
Nate Freeman: Jasudavicius via Round 1 TKO
Chris Presnell: Jasudavicius via SD
Staff picking Jasudavicius: 9
Staff picking Polastri: 0
Jack Della Maddalena (9-2) vs. Ange Loosa (7-1)
Jeremy Brand: Loosa via UD
Wesley Riddle: Loosa via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Della Maddalena via Round 2 TKO
Ash Camyab: Loosa via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Loosa via UD
Frazer Krohn: Loosa via SD
Mike Lynch: Loosa via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Della Maddalena via Round 2 TKO
Chris Presnell: Della Maddalena via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Della Maddalena: 3
Staff picking Loosa: 6
Lukasz Brzeski (8-1-1) vs. Dylan Potter (10-5)
Jeremy Brand: Potter via UD
Wesley Riddle: Potter via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Brzeski via Round 1 TKO
Ash Camyab: Potter via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Potter via UD
Frazer Krohn: Potter via Round 2 TKO
Mike Lynch: Brzeski via Round 2 SUB
Nate Freeman: Brzeski via Round 1 TKO
Chris Presnell: Brzeski via Round 1 TKO
Staff picking Brzeski: 4
Staff picking Potter: 5
Albert Duraev (13-3) vs. Caio Bittencourt (14-6)
Jeremy Brand: Duraev via Round 1 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Duraev via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Duraev via Round 1 TKO
Ash Camyab: Duraev via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Duraev via UD
Frazer Krohn: Duraev via Round 3 TKO
Mike Lynch: Duraev via Round 3 TKO
Nate Freeman: Duraev via Round 1 TKO
Chris Presnell: Duraev via Round 1 TKO
Staff picking Duraev: 9
Staff picking Bittencourt: 0
Mo Miller (5-0) vs. Brandon Lewis (5-0)
Jeremy Brand: Miller via UD
Wesley Riddle: Miller via UD
Michael DeSantis: Miller via Round 2 TKO
Ash Camyab: Miller via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Miller via UD
Frazer Krohn: Lewis via UD
Mike Lynch: Miller via UD
Nate Freeman: Miller via UD
Chris Presnell: Miller via UD
Staff picking Miller: 8
Staff picking Lewis: 1
Jailton Almeida (13-2) vs. Nasrudin Nasrudinov (9-0)
Jeremy Brand: Nasrudinov via Round 2 SUB
Wesley Riddle: Nasrudinov via UD
Michael DeSantis: Nasrudinov via UD
Ash Camyab: Nasrudinov via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Nasrudinov via UD
Frazer Krohn: Nasrudinov via UD
Mike Lynch: Junior via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Nasrudinov via UD
Chris Presnell: Nasrudinov via UD
Staff picking Almeida:
Staff picking Nasrudinov:
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