MMASucka staff picks are locked in for UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski.
One of the most highly-anticipated fights of the year emanates from Perth, Australia tonight, February 11, 2023. Preliminary action will kick off at 6:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. PT) with the main card beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. PT). The early prelims will be available on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass as usual, while the televised prelims can be viewed through ESPN as well as ESPN+. The main card will be available to purchase through ESPN+ for $79.99.
MMASucka is also home to up-to-the-minute results from the show, which can be viewed here.
The Fights
Saturday’s main event pits number one vs. two in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings in a fight that is not extremely rare, but tough to call. UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will defend his title against UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in front of a partisan crowd in the challenger’s home country. Both men are responsible for equally dominating runs that have resulted in them capturing gold in their respective divisions. They will now look to see who the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world is while solidifying their place in MMA lore – win, lose, or draw.
The co-main event should also live up to the billing when Josh Emmett takes on Yair Rodriguez for the interim UFC featherweight champion. The winner of Saturday’s co-main event could end up a number one contender to Volkanovski should the Australian standout come up short against Makhachev. Either way, the fight should produce fireworks with both fighters bringing contrasting stand-up fighting styles to the table as well as durability. The fight will also represent the first shot at UFC gold for both men in another tough fight to predict.
UFC 284 will also see the return of rising prospect Jack Della Maddalena when he takes on Jamaica’s Randy Brown. Brown will be the toughest to test for Maddalena to date, who has steamrolled through the competition while putting his crisp, powerful stand-up stylings on full display.
See the other fights and our picks for the main card of UFC 284 further below.
Staff Picks
MMASucka staff picks are composed of five promotions throughout all of 2023: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator MMA, ONE Championship, the Professional Fighters League (PFL), and Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS). UFC and Bellator events feature picks from only main cards. PFL will feature select fights from the main and preliminary card while DWCS sees all fights counted from the event. ONE Championship returns to picks for the first time since 2020 and will feature only mixed martial arts (MMA) fights selected from cards with a minimum three matchups.
The WINNER of staff picks at the end of 2023 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a chain from Championship Chains. Wesley Riddle won staff picks in 2022 with a record of 264-135.
Find out who the MMASucka staff are picking to win at UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski below.
Staff Records after UFC Vegas 68:
1. Ben Jamieson: 14-7
2. Jeremy Brand: 13-8
3. Nate Freeman: 12-7
4T. Wesley Riddle: 12-9
4T. Roemello Reyes: 12-9
4T. Brandon Joint: 12-9
4T. Jack Goodwillie: 12-9
8T. Tim Wheaton: 11-10
8T. Andrew Benjamin: 11-10
10. Brian Knight: 10-7
11T. Frazer Krohn: 10-11
11T. Michael DeSantis: 10-11
13T. Joshua Yule: 7-6
13T Julio Monteros Jr.: 7-6
15T. Andrew Harbaugh: 6-2
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Jimmy Crute (12-3), -184
vs.
Alonzo Menifield (13-3), +154
Light Heavyweight Division
– 205 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Crute via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Crute via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Crute via Round 2 Submission
Andrew Benjamin: Crute via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Crute via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Crute via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Crute via Round 1 TKO
Julio Monteros Jr.: Crute via Round 2 TKO
Brian Knight: Crute via Split Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Menifield via Round 1 TKO
Roemello Reyes: Crute via Round 2 Submission
Ben Jamieson: Crute via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Harbaugh: Crute via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Crute: 12
Staff picking Menifield: 1
Justin Tafa (5-3), -124
vs.
Parker Porter (13-7), +102
Heavyweight Division
– 265 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Tafa via Round 1 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Tafa via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Tafa via Round 1 KO
Andrew Benjamin: Tafa via Round 1 KO
Frazer Krohn: Tafa via Round 1 KO
Nate Freeman: Tafa via Round 1 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Tafa via Round 1 TKO
Julio Monteros Jr.: Tafa via Round 2 TKO
Brian Knight: Tafa via Round 2 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Porter via Unanimous Decision
Roemello Reyes: Porter via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Tafa via Round 2 KO
Andrew Harbaugh: Tafa via Round 1 TKO
Staff picking Tafa: 11
Staff picking Porter: 2
Jack Della Maddalena (13-2), -340
vs.
Randy Brown (16-4), +260
Welterweight Division
– 170 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Della Maddalena via Round 3 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Della Maddalena via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Della Maddalena via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Della Maddalena via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Della Maddalena via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Della Maddalena via Round 2 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Della Maddalena via Round 3 TKO
Julio Monteros Jr.: Della Maddalena via Round 2 TKO
Brian Knight: Della Maddalena via Round 2 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Della Maddalena via Unanimous Decision
Roemello Reyes: Della Maddalena via Round 2 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Della Maddalena via Round 1 KO
Andrew Harbaugh: Brown via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Della Maddalena: 12
Staff picking Brown: 1
Yair Rodriguez (15-3), -188
vs.
Josh Emmett (18-2), +152
Featherweight Division
– 145 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Rodriguez via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Rodriguez via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Rodriguez via Round 3 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Rodriguez via Split Decision
Frazer Krohn: Rodriguez via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Rodriguez via Split Decision
Tim Wheaton: Rodriguez via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Rodriguez via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Emmett via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Emmett via Split Decision
Roemello Reyes: Rodriguez via Split Decision
Ben Jamieson: Rodriguez via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Harbaugh: Emmett via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Rodriguez: 10
Staff picking Emmett: 3
Islam Makhachev (23-1), -188
vs.
Alexander Volkanovski (25-1), +152
Lightweight Division
– 155 lbs. –
Jeremy Brand: Volkanovski via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Volkanovski via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Makhachev via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Volkanovski via Split Decision
Frazer Krohn: Makhachev via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Makhachev via Split Decision
Tim Wheaton: Makhachev via Round 4 Submisison
Julio Monteros Jr.: Makhachev via Round 4 Submisison
Brian Knight: Volkanovski via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Volkanovski via Round 4 TKO
Roemello Reyes: Makhachev via Round 4 Submisison
Ben Jamieson: Makhachev via Round 1 Submisison
Andrew Harbaugh: Volkanovski via Split Decision
Staff picking Makhachev: 7
Staff picking Volkanovski: 6
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