MMASucka staff picks are back following a weekend break.
Fight action returns this evening, October 15th as UFC Vegas 62, also titled UFC Fight Night 212, takes place from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card will begin at 7:00pm ET (4:00pm PT) live for subscribers on ESPN+.
Live results from the entire UFC Vegas 62: Grasso vs. Araujo card will be available here at MMASucka.
The Fights
In the night’s featured main event, Alexa Grasso and Viviane Araujo will meet for five possible rounds in the women’s flyweight division (125 pounds). The two look to make the most of their first featured headliner with the UFC.
Grasso made the move up in weight in 2020 and has looked dominant ever since with three-straight wins including a first-round submission in March over Joanne Wood. Tonight’s fight will be the 29-year-old’s tenth with the promotion as she looks to earn a possible title shot with an impressive performance. Grasso’s opponent, Araujo, is a former Pancrase strawweight champion only making her eighth walk to the octagon since May of 2019. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt targets her second win of the year after securing a unanimous decision against Andrea Lee in May.
Fan-favorite veteran Cub Swanson makes the move to bantamweight (135 pounds) in the co-main event taking on rising contender Jonathan Martinez in the co-main event. Palm Springs, California native Swanson looks for two in-a-row after his thrilling first round, wheel-kick knockout of Darren Elkins late last year. Factory X’s Martinez aims for his fourth octagon win in the last non-calendar year having two wins in 2022 alone over Alejandro Perez and Vince Morales.
Askar Askarov was removed Friday from his flyweight fight with Brandon Royval resulting from weight cut issues. In turn, this fight was scrapped entirely and sees our MMASucka staff picks with only four total fights for UFC Vegas 62. Find those 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 included for PFL MMA. Dana White’s Contender Series are 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 UFC Vegas 62: Grasso vs. Araujo?
Staff Records after Bellator 286:
1. Wesley Riddle: 220-111
2. Frazer Krohn: 218-113
3. Michael DeSantis: 215-116
4. Nate Freeman: 209-107
5. Jeremy Brand: 201-124
6. Andrew Benjamin: 180-134
7. William Dong: 173-106
8. Chris Presnell: 170-120
9. Julio Monteros Jr.: 169-96
10. Tim Wheaton: 162-94
11. Brian Knight: 131-92
12. Mike Lynch: 123-74
13. Jack Goodwillie: 118-58
14. Brandon Joint: 115-74
15. Ash Camyab: 105-77
16. Coby Weinsier: 87-47
17. Chinyere Okafor: 72-38
18. Jacek Okninski: 70-58
19. Roemello Reyes: 62-31
20. Ben Jamieson: 34-21
21. Matt Bricker: 24-22
22. Joe Porter: 11-5
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Miesha Cirkunov (15-8), +165
vs.
Alonzo Menifield (12-3), -195
Light Heavyweight Division
– 205 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Menifield via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Menifield via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Menifield via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Menifield via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Menifield via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Menifield via Round 2 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Menifield via Round 1 TKO
Brian Knight: Menifield via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Menifield via Round 1 TKO
Roemello Reyes: Cirkunov via Round 1 SUB
Staff picking Cirkunov: 1
Staff picking Menifield: 9
Jordan Wright (12-3, 1 NC), +180
vs.
Dusko Todorovic (11-3), -210
Middleweight Division
– 185 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Todorovic via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Todorovic via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Todorovic via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Todorovic via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Todorovic via Round 3 TKO
Nate Freeman: Todorovic via Round 2 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Todorovic via Round 3 TKO
Brian Knight: Todorovic via Round 2 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Todorovic via Round 1 TKO
Roemello Reyes: Wright via Round 1 TKO
Staff picking Wright: 1
Staff picking Todorovic: 9
Cub Swanson (28-12), +175
vs.
Jonathan Martinez (16-4), -205
Bantamweight Co-Main Event
– 135 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Martinez via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Swanson via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Martinez via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Swanson via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Swanson via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Martinez via Round 2 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Martinez via Round 3 TKO
Brian Knight: Swanson via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Swanson via Split Decision
Roemello Reyes: Martinez via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Swanson: 5
Staff picking Martinez: 5
Alexa Grasso (14-3), -215
vs.
Viviane Araujo (11-3), +185
Women’s Flyweight Main Event
– 125 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Grasso via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Grasso via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Grasso via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Grasso via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Grasso via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Grasso via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Grasso via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Grasso via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Grasso via Unanimous Decision
Roemello Reyes: Grasso via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Grasso: 10
Staff picking Araujo: 0
