Day two of the weekend is underway for MMASucka staff picks.
UFC Vegas 71, also titled as UFC Fight Night 222, will take place later tonight, April 22nd from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The preliminary card will kick off at 4:00pm ET (1:00pm PT) followed by the main card at 7:00pm ET (4:00pm PT). All fights will be available to watch for subscribers on ESPN+.
Live results from UFC Vegas 71: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes will be available here at MMASucka.
Make sure to recap our staff picks from Friday’s ONE Fight Night 9 event in Bangkok and Bellator 294: Carmouche vs. Bennett 2 in Honolulu. Stay tuned today for the second Bellator card of the weekend from Honolulu with Bellator 295: Stots vs. Mix.
The Fights
A potential title eliminator for the heavyweight division awaits as Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes square off in the featured main event.
Pavlovich currently rides an impressive five-fight, first-round knockout streak with three wins including three throughout 2022 alone. The run began after his octagon debut loss to Alistair Overeem in late-2018 which stands as the former FNG Heavyweight Champion’s only career loss through 18 professional fights. Pavlovich’s opponent, Blaydes, has come close throughout his 16 fight-run with the UFC to a shot at the championship, but has fallen short after knockout defeats including to Francis Ngannou in 2018 and Derrick Lewis in 2021. Despite bumps in the road, the former collegiate wrestler remains one of the most dangerous threats among the division as he targets his fourth straight victory en route to a hopeful shot at champion Jon Jones.
Middleweight veterans will clash in the co-main event between Brad Tavares and Bruno Silva. Seasoned talent Tavares will make his 22nd octagon walk looking to bounce back in the win column after dropping a decision to Dricus du Plessis last July. Former M-1 Middleweight Champion Silva also targets a rebound after two losses in 2022 to Alex Pereira and Gerald Meerschaert.
The original co-main event, a bantamweight pair of Song Yadong and Ricky Simon, will take place next weekend in the featured main event of UFC Vegas 72.
Exciting fan-favorites Bobby Green and Jared Gordon look to steal the show in the lightweight division. Two additional fights add to the main card ahead as 21-year-old Iasmin Lucindo meets The Ultimate Fighter Season 30 runner-up Brogan Walker at strawweight and former CES MMA and Cage Fury FC Welterweight Champion Jeremiah Wells fights Maryland finisher Matthew Semelsberger.
Find out further below our picks for UFC Vegas 71.
What a fight this will be 👀@SPavlovich13 meets @RazorBlaydes265 in the Octagon tomorrow night!!!💥
[ #UFCVegas71 | Main Card 7pmET | LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/EqgK23OCkK
— UFC (@ufc) April 21, 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 our UFC Vegas 71: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes picks below.
Staff Records after UFC on ESPN 44:
1. Ben Jamieson: 73-39
2T. Nate Freeman: 72-40
2T. Tim Wheaton: 72-40
4. Michael DeSantis: 70-42
5T. Wesley Riddle: 68-44
5T. Frazer Krohn: 68-44
7. Jeremy Brand: 66-46
8. Roemello Reyes: 62-34
9. Julio Monteros Jr.: 61-43
10. Jack Goodwillie: 57-38
11. Brian Knight: 54-34
12. Andrew Benjamin: 53-54
13. Jonathan Andrade: 16-14
14. Brandon Joint: 12-9
15. Andrew Harbaugh: 10-7
16. Joshua Yule: 7-6
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
*Note – ONE Fight Night 9 & Bellator 294 picks will be added to the above records NEXT weekend*
Jeremiah Wells (11-2), -105
vs.
Matthew Semelsberger (11-4), -115
Welterweight Division
– 170 LBS. ~ 77.1 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Wells via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Wells via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Semelsberger via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Wells via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Semelsberger via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Semelsberger via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Wells via Round 2 SUB
Julio Monteros Jr.: Wells via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Wells via Round 2 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Wells via Round 2 SUB
Ben Jamieson: Wells via Round 2 SUB
Jonathan Andrade: Wells via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Wells: 9
Staff picking Semelsberger: 3
Iasmin Lucindo (13-5), -360
vs.
Brogan Walker (8-3), +295
Women’s Flyweight Division
– 125 LBS. ~ 56.7 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Lucindo via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Lucindo via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Lucindo via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Lucindo via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Lucindo via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Lucindo via Round 2 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Lucindo via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Lucindo via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Lucindo via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Lucindo via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Lucindo via Unanimous Decision
Jonathan Andrade: Lucindo via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Lucindo: 12
Staff picking Walker: 0
Bobby Green (29-14-1), -265
vs.
Jared Gordon (19-6), +225
Lightweight Division
– 155 LBS. ~ 70.3 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Gordon via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Green via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Green via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Green via Split Decision
Frazer Krohn: Gordon via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Green via Split Decision
Tim Wheaton: Green via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Green via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Green via Split Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Gordon via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Green via Unanimous Decision
Jonathan Andrade: Gordon via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Green: 8
Staff picking Gordon: 4
Brad Tavares (19-8), -155
vs.
Bruno Silva (22-8), +135
Middleweight Division
– Co-Main Event –
– 170 LBS. ~ 77.1 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Tavares via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Tavares via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Tavares via Split Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Silva via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Silva via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Tavares via Split Decision
Tim Wheaton: Silva via Round 3 TKO
Julio Monteros Jr.: Tavares via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Silva via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Tavares via Split Decision
Ben Jamieson: Tavares via Unanimous Decision
Jonathan Andrade: Silva via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Tavares: 7
Staff picking Silva: 5
Sergei Pavlovich (17-1), +135
vs.
Curtis Blaydes (17-3), -155
Heavyweight Division
– Main Event –
– 265 LBS. ~ 120.2 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Pavlovich via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Pavlovich via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Blaydes via Round 4 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Blaydes via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Blaydes via Round 4 TKO
Nate Freeman: Blaydes via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Blaydes via Round 1 TKO
Julio Monteros Jr.: Pavlovich via Round 2 TKO
Brian Knight: Pavlovich via Round 2 KO
Jack Goodwillie: Blaydes via Round 3 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Blaydes via Round 2 TKO
Jonathan Andrade: Pavlovich via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Pavlovich: 5
Staff picking Blaydes: 7
