MMASucka staff picks are locked in for the first of three fight cards over the next five days.
Kicking things off will see Bellator 283 take place tonight, July 22 from the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington. The event comes as the promotion’s inaugural debut in the north-western state. Five fights will lead the main card beginning at 10:00pm ET (7:00pm PT) live on Showtime.
Results from all of Bellator 283: Lima vs. Jackson will be available here at MMASucka.
Stay tuned Saturday afternoon for our UFC Fight Night 208 staff picks from London, as well as the first Dana White’s Contender Series card of 2022 returning this upcoming Tuesday, July 26.
The Fights
A possible 25 minutes are in store for Douglas Lima and Jason Jackson as the two meet in the night’s featured five-round main event.
Former three-time divisional champion Lima sits in desperate need for a victory having lost three in-a-row including a middleweight title shot against Gegard Mousasi and a loss of the belt to Yaroslav Amosov in June last year. His walk tonight will be his 21st since his promotional beginnings in 2011 as he fights in his 43rd professional mixed martial arts fight. Lima’s opponent, Jackson, fights for the first time of the year riding a five-fight win streak of unanimous decisions. A successful performance tonight for the Sanford MMA talent would be just the ticket needed for a title shot later this year against the aforementioned Amosov.
Two important lightweight implications for the 155-pound division will take place on the main card. Sidney Outlaw looks for his 13th win in his last 14 fights as he takes on promotional newcomer and RIZIN star Tofiq Musayev in the co-main event. The undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov hopes to further his dominance as he takes on Team Alpha Male’s fast-rising talent Chris Gonzalez.
See further below our main card picks for Bellator 283.
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 included for PFL MMA. Dana White’s Contender Series will be composed of the entire fight card.
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.
Who are the MMASucka staff picking to win at Bellator 283: Lima vs. Jackson?
Staff Records after UFC on ABC 3:
1T. Wesley Riddle: 135-68
1T. Nate Freeman: 135-68
3. Michael DeSantis: 132-71
4. Frazer Krohn: 131-72
5. William Dong: 128-75
6. Julio Monteros Jr.: 127-65
7. Jeremy Brand: 125-72
8. Mike Lynch: 123-74
9. Chris Presnell: 120-77
10. Andrew Benjamin: 118-85
11. Tim Wheaton: 117-60
12. Brandon Joint: 103-65
13. Ash Camyab: 95-67
14. Coby Weinsier: 87-47
15. Jack Goodwillie: 86-37
16. Brian Knight: 82-57
17. Chinyere Okafor: 72-38
18. Jacek Okninski: 69-54
19. Mat Bricker: 24-22
20. Joe Porter: 11-5
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Davion Franklin (5-0), -240
vs.
Marcelo Golm (9-3), +200
Heavyweight Division
~ 265 lbs. ~
Jeremy Brand: Franklin via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Franklin via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Franklin via Round 1 TKO
Ash Camyab: Franklin via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Franklin via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Franklin via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Franklin via Round 2 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Franklin via Round 1 TKO
Chris Presnell: Franklin via Round 1 TKO
William Dong: Franklin via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Franklin via Round 2 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Franklin via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Franklin: 12
Staff picking Golm: 0
Lorenz Larkin (24-7, 1 NC), +145
vs.
Mukhamed Berkhamov (15-1), -170
Welterweight Division
~ 170 lbs. ~
Jeremy Brand: Larkin via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Larkin via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Berkhamov via Split Decision
Ash Camyab: Larkin via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Larkin via Round 3 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Larkin via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Larkin via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Larkin via Unanimous Decision
Chris Presnell: Berkhamov via Split Decision
William Dong: Berkhamov via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Larkin via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Berkhamov via Split Decision
Staff picking Larkin: 8
Staff picking Berkhamov: 4
Usman Nurmagomedov (14-0), -800
vs.
Chris Gonzalez (7-1), +575
Lightweight Division
~ 155 lbs. ~
Jeremy Brand: Nurmagomedov via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Nurmagomedov via Round 2 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Nurmagomedov via Unanimous Decision
Ash Camyab: Nurmagomedov via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Nurmagomedov via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Nurmagomedov via Round 3 SUB
Nate Freeman: Nurmagomedov via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Nurmagomedov via Unanimous Decision
Chris Presnell: Nurmagomedov via Round 2 SUB
William Dong: Nurmagomedov via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Nurmagomedov via Round 3 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Nurmagomedov via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Nurmagomedov: 12
Staff picking Gonzalez: 0
Sidney Outlaw (16-4), +120
vs.
Tofiq Musayev (19-4), -140
Lightweight Co-Main Event
~ 155 lbs. ~
Jeremy Brand: Musayev via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Musayev via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Musayev via Unanimous Decision
Ash Camyab: Outlaw via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Musayev via Round 2 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Musayev via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Musayev via Split Decision
Tim Wheaton: Musayev via Unanimous Decision
Chris Presnell: Musayev via Unanimous Decision
William Dong: Musayev via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Musayev via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Musayev via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Outlaw: 1
Staff picking Musayev: 11
Douglas Lima (32-10), +160
vs.
Jason Jackson (15-4), -190
Welterweight Main Event
~ 170 lbs. ~
Jeremy Brand: Lima via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Jackson via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Jackson via Unanimous Decision
Ash Camyab: Lima via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Jackson via Split Decision
Frazer Krohn: Lima via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Jackson via Split Decision
Tim Wheaton: Lima via Unanimous Decision
Chris Presnell: Jackson via Unanimous Decision
William Dong: Jackson via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Lima via Split Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Jackson via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Lima: 5
Staff picking Jackson: 7
*Fight odds from DraftKings*
BELLATOR 283 FEATURED IMAGE:
Lorenz Larkin (left) and Mukhamed Berkhamov (right) ahead of their Bellator 283 welterweight fight taking place Friday, July 22nd from the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington (photo credits to Bellator MMA).
