One month in for MMASucka staff picks, and only eleven more to go.
Fight action returns for our guessing nature with UFC Vegas 47, also titled as UFC Fight Night 200. The event will take place in just a few hours tonight, February 5 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Six fights make up the main card beginning at 7:00pm ET (4:00pm PT) live for subscribers on ESPN+.
Live results from all of UFC Vegas 47 can be found here at MMASucka.
Stay tuned to MMASucka next weekend for the continuation of staff picks featuring an incredible pay-per-view lineup of UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker II.
The Fights
Middleweight sees two top talents of Jack Hermansson and Sean Strickland set to faceoff in the main event of the night.
Hermansson is set for his fourteenth UFC fight and his fourth promotional main event since 2016 currently sitting one spot shy from the division’s top five. The Swede and former Cage Warriors champion looks for his second straight win following a May decision over Edmen Shahbazyan. Hermansson’s opponent, Strickland, has quickly climbed his way up the ranks with five straight wins; four in the last 16 months alone. His 2021 calendar year ended with two decisive decisions over Krzysztof Jotko and Uriah Hall as he now is set for his second-straight five rounder.
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Youthful stars will meet in the featured co-main event between Xtreme Couture’s Punahele Soriano and Nick Diaz Academy’s Nick Maximov. Dangerous striker Soriano will look to end things quick in hopes to rebound after his first professional loss to Brendan Allen in July. 24-year-old grappler Maximov looks for another victory after a successful UFC debut with a September decision over fellow newcomer Cody Brundage.
Tresean Gore and Bryan Battle will meet on the main card at 185 pounds. The fight was originally scheduled in August of last year as The Ultimate Fighter 29’s finale, but Gore was pulled from the fight after suffering a knee injury while Battle would go on to win the tournament.
Who are the MMASucka staff picking to win later tonight at UFC Vegas 47? Find out further below.
Staff Picks
Staff picks in 2022 will follow the same set of rules from the 2021 season. 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 entire fight card.
Dates for the return of both PFL MMA and Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022 are soon-to-be announced.
The WINNER of staff picks in 2022 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a chain from Championship Chains. A winner is determined simply by the individual correctly picking the most victorious fighters at the year’s end. Nate Freeman secured his first victory with MMASucka in 2021 with a compiled record 243-136.
See below for our UFC Vegas 47: Hermansson vs. Strickland staff picks.
Staff Records after Bellator 273:
1T. Ash Camyab: 9-4
1T. Andrew Benjamin: 9-4
1T. Brandon Joint: 9-4
4. Coby Weinsier: 8-5
5T. Frazer Krohn: 7-6
5T. Julio Monteros Jr.: 7-6
7T. Jeremy Brand: 6-7
7T. Mike Lynch: 6-7
7T. Jacek Okninski: 6-7
10. William Dong: 5-8
11T. Wesley Riddle: 4-9
11T. Michael DeSantis: 4-9
11T. Nate Freeman: 4-9
11T. Chinyere Okafor: 4-5
15. Chris Presnell: 3-10
16. Tim Wheaton: 2-6
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Julian Erosa (26-10), -305
vs.
Steven Peterson (19-9), +240
Catchweight of 149 lbs.
Jeremy Brand: Erosa via Round 2 SUB
Wesley Riddle: Erosa via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Erosa via Unanimous Decision
Ash Camyab: Erosa via Round 1 SUB
Andrew Benjamin: Erosa via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Erosa via Round 2 SUB
Mike Lynch: Erosa via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Erosa via Round 2 SUB
Tim Wheaton: Erosa via Round 1 SUB
Chris Presnell: Erosa via Round 2 SUB
Coby Weinsier: Erosa via Unanimous Decision
Brandon Joint: Erosa via Unanimous Decision
Jacek Okninski: Erosa via Split Decision
William Dong: Erosa via Round 2 SUB
Chinyere Okafor: Erosa via Round 2 SUB
Julio Monteros Jr.: Erosa via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Erosa: 16
Staff picking Peterson: 0
Tresean Gore (4-0), -140
vs.
Bryan Battle (7-1), +120
Middleweight Division, 185 lbs.
Jeremy Brand: Gore via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Gore via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Battle via Round 3 SUB
Ash Camyab: Gore via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Gore via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Battle via Unanimous Decision
Mike Lynch: Battle via Round 2 SUB
Nate Freeman: Gore via Round 2 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Battle via Unanimous Decision
Chris Presnell: Gore via Round 1 TKO
Coby Weinsier: Gore via Round 2 TKO
Brandon Joint: Gore via Split Decision
Jacek Okninski: Gore via Round 2 TKO
William Dong: Gore via Unanimous Decision
Chinyere Okafor: Battle via Round 2 SUB
Julio Monteros Jr.: Gore via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Gore: 11
Staff picking Battle: 5
Sam Alvey (33-16-1, 1 NC), +330
vs.
Brendan Allen (17-4), -435
Light Heavyweight Division, 205 lbs.
Jeremy Brand: Alvey via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Allen via Round 1 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Allen via Unanimous Decision
Ash Camyab: Allen via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Alvey via Split Decision
Frazer Krohn: Allen via Unanimous Decision
Mike Lynch: Alvey via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Allen via Round 2 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Allen via Round 1 TKO
Chris Presnell: Allen via Round 1 SUB
Coby Weinsier: Allen via Round 1 SUB
Brandon Joint: Allen via Round 2 TKO
Jacek Okninski: Alvey via Unanimous Decision
William Dong: Allen via Unanimous Decision
Chinyere Okafor: Allen via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Allen via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Alvey: 4
Staff picking Allen: 12
Shavkat Rakhmonov (14-0), -250
vs.
Carlston Harris (17-4), +200
Welterweight Division, 170 lbs.
Jeremy Brand: Rakhmonov via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Rakhmonov via Round 2 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Rakhmonov via Unanimous Decision
Ash Camyab: Rakhmonov via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Rakhmonov via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Rakhmonov via Round 1 SUB
Mike Lynch: Rakhmonov via Round 3 SUB
Nate Freeman: Rakhmonov via Split Decision
Tim Wheaton: Rakhmonov via Round 1 TKO
Chris Presnell: Rakhmonov via Split Decision
Coby Weinsier: Rakhmonov via Round 2 TKO
Brandon Joint: Rakhmonov via Round 2 TKO
Jacek Okninski: Rakhmonov via Round 3 TKO
William Dong: Rakhmonov via Round 3 TKO
Chinyere Okafor: Rakhmonov via Round 3 TKO
Julio Monteros Jr.: Rakhmonov via Round 3 TKO
Staff picking Rakhmonov: 16
Staff picking Harris: 0
Punahele Soriano (8-1), -190
vs.
Nick Maximov (7-0), +160
Middleweight Co-Main Event, 185 lbs.
Jeremy Brand: Maximov via Round 2 SUB
Wesley Riddle: Maximov via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Soriano via Round 1 TKO
Ash Camyab: Soriano via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Soriano via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Maximov via Round 3 TKO
Mike Lynch: Maximov via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Maximov via Split Decision
Tim Wheaton: Maximov via Unanimous Decision
Chris Presnell: Soriano via Round 2 TKO
Coby Weinsier: Soriano via Unanimous Decision
Brandon Joint: Maximov via Unanimous Decision
Jacek Okninski: Maximov via Round 1 TKO
William Dong: Soriano via Round 1 TKO
Chinyere Okafor: Soriano via Round 2 TKO
Julio Monteros Jr.: Soriano via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Soriano: 8
Staff picking Maximov: 8
Jack Hermansson (22-6), +180
vs.
Sean Strickland (24-3), -220
Middleweight Main Event, 185 lbs.
Jeremy Brand: Strickland via Round 3 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Strickland via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Strickland via Unanimous Decision
Ash Camyab: Hermansson via Round 3 SUB
Andrew Benjamin: Hermansson via Round 2 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Strickland via Unanimous Decision
Mike Lynch: Strickland via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Hermansson via Split Decision
Tim Wheaton: Hermansson via Unanimous Decision
Chris Presnell: Strickland via Unanimous Decision
Coby Weinsier: Strickland via Unanimous Decision
Brandon Joint: Strickland via Split Decision
Jacek Okninski: Strickland via Unanimous Decision
William Dong: Strickland via Round 5 TKO
Chinyere Okafor: Strickland via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Strickland via Split Decision
Staff picking Hermansson: 4
Staff picking Strickland: 12
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