An incredibly-stacked night is in store for MMASucka staff picks.
UFC on ESPN 44 will take place later today, April 15th from the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. This marks only the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s second visit to the midwestern state with the last visit coming at UFC on Fox 24 in April of 2017. Today’s card will begin with preliminary fights at 5:30pm ET (2:30pm PT) followed by the main card at 8:30pm ET (5:30pm PT). All fights are available to watch on either ESPN for cable viewers or ESPN+ for subscribers.
Follow along here at MMASucka for live results from UFC on ESPN 44: Holloway vs. Allen.
Also, be sure to recap our staff picks and predictions from Friday’s PFL 3 2023 event in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Fights
Four exciting featherweights await in the featured main and co-main event. Headlining the night ahead sees Max Holloway and Arnold Allen ready to clash in a pivotal matchup for the 145-pound division.
Former three-time defending championship of the weight class, Holloway, looks to return in the win column suffering a decision loss to current king Alexander Volkanovski in July of 2022. Despite three losses to the man who took and kept the belt, the Hawaiian remains one of the best active and featherweight greats in his eleven-year, 26-fight UFC run. Holloway’s opponent, Allen, gets only his second promotional main event after finding his hand raised in October last year over Calvin Kattar. A win would likely be the ticket to a title shot as the 29-year-old has won twelve in-a-row dating back to his only professional defeat in 20 fights.
Additional featherweights of Edson Barboza and Billy Quarantillo look to steal the show in the co-main event. Fan-favorite striking talent of Barboza aims to snap a two-fight skid after a knockout loss to Giga Chikadze in August of 2021 and then-undefeated Bryce Mitchell in March of last year. Former King of the Cage lightweight champion and 2019 Contender Series contract winner Quarantillo targets two straight victories after his “Performance of the Night” knockout over Alexander Hernandez in December.
Other fighters making up the ESPN card sees the undefeated Azamat Murzakanov, Moldova’s Ion Cutelaba, former RFA bantamweight champion Pedro Munhoz, and seasoned UFC and combat veteran Clay Guida ready for war against their opponents of former Glory kickboxing standout Dustin Jacoby, former Unified MMA heavyweight title holder Tanner Boser, the seven-fight run of Chris Gutierrez, and former Combate Americas lightweight champion Rafa Garcia, respectively.
Who are the MMASucka staff picking to win at UFC on ESPN 44? Find out further below.
Two of the world’s top 5 featherweights collide! 💥🌎 @BlessedMMA vs @ArnoldBFA tomorrow at #UFCKansasCity!
[ Watch it live on ESPN and @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/MfxDeDpAme
— UFC (@ufc) April 14, 2023
2023 Staff Picks
MMASucka staff picks are composed of five promotions: 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, who picked the most victorious fighters, will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a chain from Championship Chains. Staff picks in 2022 was won by Wesley Riddle with a record of 264-135.
See below for our UFC on ESPN 44: Holloway vs. Allen picks and predictions.
Staff Records after UFC 287:
1. Ben Jamieson: 62-34
2. Nate Freeman: 60-36
3T. Frazer Krohn: 59-37
3T. Tim Wheaton: 59-37
5T. Jeremy Brand: 58-38
5T. Wesley Riddle: 58-38
7. Michael DeSantis: 57-39
8. Julio Monteros Jr.: 51-37
9. Roemello Reyes: 51-29
10. Jack Goodwillie: 49-30
11. Andrew Benjamin: 43-48
12. Brian Knight: 42-30
13. Brandon Joint: 12-9
14. Jonathan Andrade: 11-13
15. Andrew Harbaugh: 10-7
16. Joshua Yule: 7-6
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
*Note – PFL 3 2023 picks will be added to the above records NEXT weekend*
Clay Guida (38-19), +230
vs.
Rafa Garcia (15-3), -275
Lightweight Division
– 155 LBS. ~ 70.3 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Guida via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Garcia via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Garcia via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Guida via Split Decision
Frazer Krohn: Guida via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Garcia via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Garcia via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Garcia via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Garcia via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Garcia via Unanimous Decision
Roemello Reyes: Garcia via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Garcia via Unanimous Decision
Jonathan Andrade: Garcia via Round 2 SUB
Staff picking Guida: 3
Staff picking Garcia: 10
Pedro Munhoz (19-7), +170
vs.
Chris Gutierrez (19-3-2), -200
Bantamweight Division
– 135 LBS. ~ 61.2 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Munhoz via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Gutierrez via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Gutierrez via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Munhoz via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Gutierrez via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Gutierrez via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Munhoz via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Gutierrez via Round 3 TKO
Brian Knight: Munhoz via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Munhoz via Unanimous Decision
Roemello Reyes: Gutierrez via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Gutierrez via Unanimous Decision
Jonathan Andrade: Gutierrez via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Munhoz: 5
Staff picking Gutierrez: 8
Tanner Boser (20-9-1), +105
vs.
Ion Cutelaba (16-9-1), -125
Light Heavyweight Division
– 205 LBS. ~ 93.0 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Boser via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Boser via Round 3 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Cutelaba via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Boser via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Boser via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Boser via Split Decision
Tim Wheaton: Boser via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Cutelaba via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Cutelaba via Split Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Boser via Unanimous Decision
Roemello Reyes: Boser via Round 2 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Cutelaba via Round 1 TKO
Jonathan Andrade: Cutelaba via Round 1 TKO
Staff picking Boser: 8
Staff picking Cutelaba: 5
Dustin Jacoby (18-6-1), -150
vs.
Azamat Murzakanov (12-0), +130
Light Heavyweight Division
– 205 LBS. ~ 93.0 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Jacoby via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Jacoby via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Jacoby via Round 3 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Jacoby via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Jacoby via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Murzakanov via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Murzakanov via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Jacoby via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Murzakanov via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Murzakanov via Round 3 TKO
Roemello Reyes: Jacoby via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Jacoby via Round 1 TKO
Jonathan Andrade: Murzakanov via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Jacoby: 8
Staff picking Murzakanov: 5
Edson Barboza (22-11), +140
vs.
Billy Quarantillo (17-4), -165
Featherweight Division
– Co-Main Event –
– 145 LBS. ~ 65.8 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Quarantillo via Round 3 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Quarantillo via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Barboza via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Barboza via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Quarantillo via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Quarantillo via Round 3 SUB
Tim Wheaton: Quarantillo via Round 3 SUB
Julio Monteros Jr.: Barboza via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Quarantillo via Split Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Quarantillo via Round 2 TKO
Roemello Reyes: Quarantillo via Round 3 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Quarantillo via Round 3 TKO
Jonathan Andrade: Barboza via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Barboza: 4
Staff picking Quarantillo: 9
Max Holloway (23-7), -165
vs.
Arnold Allen (19-1), +140
Featherweight Division
– Main Event –
– 145 LBS. ~ 65.8 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Allen via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Allen via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Holloway via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Holloway via Split Decision
Frazer Krohn: Holloway via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Holloway via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Holloway via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Holloway via Majority Decision
Brian Knight: Holloway via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Holloway via Unanimous Decision
Roemello Reyes: Holloway via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Holloway via Round 4 TKO
Jonathan Andrade: Holloway via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Holloway: 11
Staff picking Allen: 2
