MMASucka staff picks are locked in for our first double-header fight weekend of 2022.
UFC Vegas 48, also titled as UFC Fight Night 201, will take place later tonight, February 19 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Five fights will take place on the main card beginning at 7:00pm ET (4:00pm PT) live on ESPN+ for subscribers.
Live results from all of UFC Vegas 48: Walker vs. Hill can be found here at MMASucka.
Also, stick around to MMASucka this afternoon as our Bellator 274 staff picks will cap off tonight’s double-header.
The Fights
Heavy leather will be traded in tonight’s featured main event between two growing, hopeful light heavyweights of Johnny Walker and Jamahal Hill. The pairing comes will be contested over five potential five-minute rounds after lightweight Rafael Fiziev was forced out of his headlining contest with Rafael dos Anjos just one week ago.
Dangerous stand-up artist Walker does nothing short of entertain, securing flashy finishes in all but one of his 18 professional wins. The Brazilian character is in need of a strong performance tonight having only one win in his last three UFC fights; that coming by knockout over Ryan Spann in September of 2020. Walker’s opponent, Hill, now gets his first promotional main event in only his eleventh outing. 2021 saw the fast-rising talent in the octagon for under three minutes, suffering a first-round defeat to Paul Craig in June and a blistering stoppage of Jimmy Crute in December.
A catchweight fight of 195 pounds will come in the co-main event between Kyle Daukaus and Jamie Pickett. The two Contender Series graduates both look to make the most of their fifth UFC outings with Daukaus aiming for his first win since Dustin Stoltzfus in nearly two and-a-half years and Pickett on the search for three-straight wins.
Three other matchups will make up tonight’s main card. Find all of the remaining fights and predictions for UFC Vegas 48 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 48: Walker vs. Hill staff picks.
Staff Records after UFC 271:
1. Brandon Joint: 17-7
2T. Frazer Krohn: 15-9
2T. Mike Lynch: 15-9
2T. Coby Weinsier: 15-9
2T. Jacek Okninski: 15-9
6T. Andrew Benjamin: 14-10
6T. Ash Camyab: 14-10
8T. Wesley Riddle: 13-11
8T. William Dong: 13-11
8T. Julio Monteros Jr.: 13-11
8T. Chinyere Okafor: 13-7
12T. Jeremy Brand: 12-12
12T. Michael DeSantis: 12-12
12T. Nate Freeman: 12-12
15T. Chris Presnell: 10-14
15T. Tim Wheaton: 10-9
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Joaquin Buckley (13-4), -160
vs.
Abdul Razak Alhassan (11-4), +140
Middleweight Division, 185 lbs.
Jeremy Brand: Buckley via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Razak Alhassan via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Buckley via Round 2 TKO
Ash Camyab: Razak Alhassan via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Buckley via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Razak Alhassan via Round 2 TKO
Mike Lynch: Buckley via Round 3 TKO
Nate Freeman: Buckley via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Razak Alhassan via Round 1 TKO
Chris Presnell: Buckley via Unanimous Decision
Coby Weinsier: Razak Alhassan via Round 2 TKO
Brandon Joint: Buckley via Unanimous Decision
Jacek Okninski: Razak Alhassan via Unanimous Decision
William Dong: Razak Alhassan via Round 1 TKO
Chinyere Okafor: Buckley via Round 2 TKO
Julio Monteros Jr.: Buckley via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Buckley: 9
Staff picking Razak Alhassan: 7
Jim Miller (33-16, 1 NC), +140
vs.
Nikolas Motta (12-3), -160
Lightweight Division, 155 lbs.
Jeremy Brand: Miller via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Miller via Round 2 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Miller via Round 1 SUB
Ash Camyab: Miller via Round 1 SUB
Andrew Benjamin: Miller via Round 2 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Miller via Unanimous Decision
Mike Lynch: Motta via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Miller via Split Decision
Tim Wheaton: Motta via Unanimous Decision
Chris Presnell: Miller via Unanimous Decision
Coby Weinsier: Miller via Round 1 SUB
Brandon Joint: Miller via Unanimous Decision
Jacek Okninski: Miller via Unanimous Decision
William Dong: Motta via Unanimous Decision
Chinyere Okafor: Miller via Round 2 SUB
Julio Monteros Jr.: Miller via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Miller: 13
Staff picking Motta: 3
Parker Porter (12-6), -280
vs.
Alan Baudot (8-3), +225
Heavyweight Division, 265 lbs.
Jeremy Brand: Porter via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Porter via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Porter via Round 3 TKO
Ash Camyab: Porter via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Porter via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Porter via Unanimous Decision
Mike Lynch: Porter via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Porter via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Porter via Unanimous Decision
Chris Presnell: Porter via Round 2 TKO
Coby Weinsier: Porter via Round 3 TKO
Brandon Joint: Porter via Unanimous Decision
Jacek Okninski: Baudot via Round 3 TKO
William Dong: Baudot via Round 1 TKO
Chinyere Okafor: Porter via Round 2 TKO
Julio Monteros Jr.: Porter via Round 1 TKO
Staff picking Porter: 14
Staff picking Baudot: 2
Kyle Daukaus (10-2, 1 NC), -305
vs.
Jamie Pickett (13-6), +240
Catchweight Co-Main Event, 195 lbs.
Jeremy Brand: Daukaus via Round 1 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Daukaus via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Daukaus via Round 2 SUB
Ash Camyab: Daukaus via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Daukaus via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Daukaus via Round 2 SUB
Mike Lynch: Daukaus via Round 1 SUB
Nate Freeman: Daukaus via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Daukaus via Unanimous Decision
Chris Presnell: Daukaus via Unanimous Decision
Coby Weinsier: Daukaus via Round 2 SUB
Brandon Joint: Daukaus via Round 2 TKO
Jacek Okninski: Pickett via Unanimous Decision
William Dong: Daukaus via Unanimous Decision
Chinyere Okafor: Daukaus via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Daukaus via Round 3 SUB
Staff picking Daukaus: 15
Staff picking Pickett: 1
Johnny Walker (18-6), +190
vs.
Jamahal Hill (8-1, 1 NC), -235
Light Heavyweight Main Event, 205 lbs.
Jeremy Brand: Hill via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Hill via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Hill via Round 1 TKO
Ash Camyab: Walker via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Walker via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Hill via Round 4 TKO
Mike Lynch: Hill via Round 3 TKO
Nate Freeman: Hill via Round 2 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Hill via Round 1 TKO
Chris Presnell: Hill via Round 3 TKO
Coby Weinsier: Hill via Round 2 TKO
Brandon Joint: Hill via Unanimous Decision
Jacek Okninski: Walker via Round 1 TKO
William Dong: Walker via Round 2 TKO
Chinyere Okafor: Hill via Round 4 TKO
Julio Monteros Jr.: Walker via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Walker: 5
Staff picking Hill: 11
*Fight Odds from DraftKings*
FEATURED IMAGE:
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