Five months down with only seven remaining for MMASucka staff picks in 2023.
UFC on ESPN 46 kicks off June later tonight, the 3rd, with action from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Prelims will begin at 6:00pm ET (3:00pm PT) followed by the main card at 9:00pm ET (6:00pm PT) with all fights available on either ESPN for cable viewers or ESPN+ for subscribers.
Live results from UFC on ESPN 46: Kara-France vs. Albazi will be available here at MMASucka.
The Fights
Flyweights Kai Kara-France and Amir Albazi will meet across five possible five-minute rounds as the two make their first headlining appearances with the UFC.
Kara-France returns after a near-year layoff in the octagon where he last faced defeat for the interim divisional title against current champion Brandon Moreno. A win tonight for The Ultimate Fighter 24 alum and City Kickboxing talent would be his 25th professionally through 36 matchups in a career dating back to late-2010. Kara-France’s opponent, Albazi, gets his biggest test to date in only his fifth promotional bout. One loss in April of 2019 to Jose Torres stands as the 29-year-old’s only loss through 17 fights as he currently rides a streak of five in-a-row.
Did you miss us last week? 👀
A full slate of fights coming your way on @ESPN tonight at 9pmET! #UFCVegas74 pic.twitter.com/VZ4OGErJ82
— UFC (@ufc) June 3, 2023
In the co-main event, veterans Alex Caceres and Daniel Pineda will clash in the featherweight division. The Ultimate Fighter 12 notable Caceres is set for his 28th walk to the octagon in hopes of backing up his “Performance of the Night” knockout in the first round over Julian Erosa last December. Former Legacy FC featherweight champion Pineda also looks for a second-straight performance-winning bonus after submitting Tucker Lutz by guillotine in March.
All-time UFC winner and fighter Jim Miller will take on short-notice replacement Jesse Butler on the main card after his first two scheduled opponents, L’udovit Klein and Jared Gordon, were forced out. Due to the late change, the fight between Miller and Butler will not be counted towards our picks.
Three additional bouts from the main card will be included in our picks. Former UFC flyweight title challenger and Titan FC champion Tim Elliott battles 2021 Contender Series contract winner Victor Altamirano; another Contender Series contract winner from 2021, Karine Silva, squares off against UFC newcomer and recent Invicta FC flyweight champion Ketlen Souza; and, opening the main card, a meeting between Sambo specialist Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Capoeira specialist Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos.
See further below for our UFC on ESPN 46 picks.
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.
Who are the MMASucka staff picking to win from the main card of UFC on ESPN 46: Kara-France vs. Albazi? Find out below.
Staff Records after UFC Vegas 73:
1. Ben Jamieson: 105-55
2. Michael DeSantis: 104-56
3. Tim Wheaton: 102-58
4T. Jeremy Brand: 101-59
4T. Frazer Krohn: 101-59
6. Nate Freeman: 100-60
7. Wesley Riddle: 97-63
8. Julio Monteros Jr.: 83-61
9T. Andrew Benjamin: 79-70
9T. Brian Knight: 79-47
11. Jack Goodwillie: 74-49
12. Roemello Reyes: 62-34
13. Jonathan Andrade: 29-21
14. Brandon Joint: 12-9
15. Andrew Harbaugh: 10-7
16. Joshua Yule: 7-6
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Abubakar Nurmagomedov (17-3-1), -115
vs.
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (23-7), -105
Welterweight Division
– 170 LBS. ~ 77.1 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Nurmagomedov UD
Wesley Riddle: Nurmagomedov UD
Michael DeSantis: Nurmagomedov UD
Frazer Krohn: Nurmagomedov UD
Nate Freeman: dos Santos SD
Julio Monteros Jr.: Nurmagomedov UD
Jack Goodwillie: dos Santos UD
Ben Jamieson: Nurmagomedov UD
Staff picking Nurmagomedov: 6
Staff picking Zaleski dos Santos: 2
Karine Silva (15-4), -215
vs.
Ketlen Souza (13-3), +185
Women’s Flyweight Division
– 125 LBS. ~ 56.7 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Silva UD
Wesley Riddle: Silva SUB2
Michael DeSantis: Silva SUB1
Frazer Krohn: Silva UD
Nate Freeman: Silva SUB3
Tim Wheaton: Silva UD
Julio Monteros Jr.: Silva UD
Jack Goodwillie: Souza UD
Ben Jamieson: Silva UD
Staff picking Silva: 8
Staff picking Souza: 1
Tim Elliott (19-12-1), -180
vs.
Victor Altamirano (12-2), +155
Flyweight Division
– 125 LBS. ~ 56.7 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Altamirano UD
Wesley Riddle: Elliott SD
Michael DeSantis: Elliott UD
Frazer Krohn: Elliott SUB2
Nate Freeman: Altamirano UD
Tim Wheaton: Elliott SUB3
Julio Monteros Jr.: Elliott UD
Jack Goodwillie: Elliott UD
Ben Jamieson: Elliott UD
Staff picking Elliott: 7
Staff picking Altamirano: 2
Alex Caceres (20-13), -180
vs.
Daniel Pineda (28-14), +155
Featherweight Division
– Co-Main Event –
– 145 LBS. ~ 65.8 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Caceres UD
Wesley Riddle: Caceres UD
Michael DeSantis: Caceres SD
Frazer Krohn: Caceres TKO1
Nate Freeman: Caceres UD
Tim Wheaton: Caceres KO3
Julio Monteros Jr.: Caceres TKO2
Jack Goodwillie: Caceres SUB2
Ben Jamieson: Caceres KO3
Staff picking Caceres: 9
Staff picking Pineda: 0
Kai Kara-France (24-10), -110
vs.
Amir Albazi (16-1), -110
Flyweight Division
– Main Event –
– 125 LBS. ~ 56.7 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Caceres UD
Wesley Riddle: Kara-France UD
Michael DeSantis: Kara-France UD
Frazer Krohn: Albazi SUB4
Nate Freeman: Albazi UD
Tim Wheaton: Kara-France TKO3
Julio Monteros Jr.: Kara-France TKO2
Jack Goodwillie: Kara-France UD
Ben Jamieson: Kara-France UD
Staff picking Kara-France: 7
Staff picking Albazi: 2
