MMASucka staff picks have an exciting Saturday afternoon in store.
UFC on ABC 5 will kick off in just a few short hours today, June 24th from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida; its return to the city for the first time since UFC 273 in April of last year. An earlier start time sees the early preliminary card set to begin at 11:30am ET (8:30am PT) on ESPN followed by the main card at 3:00pm ET (12:00pm PT) on ABC. All fights are available to watch for subscribers to ESPN+.
Stay tuned to MMASucka for live results from UFC on ABC 5: Emmett vs. Topuria.
Also, be sure to recap our staff picks from Friday’s PFL 6 2023 Regular Season event from Atlanta, Georgia.
The Fights
Two fighters looking to break out as a top contender, Josh Emmett and and Ilia Topuria will clash in the featured main event at featherweight.
Team Alpha Male’s Emmett looks for a rebound after his five-fight win streak was snapped in February this year for the interim 145-pound championship to Yair Rodriguez by triangle choke in the second round. The matchup comes as his third main event in what will be his 13th fight with the UFC, and the 38-year-old will target his 19th career win since October of 2011. Emmett’s opponent, Topuria, brings youth at just 26 year of age in preparation for his first headlining appearance since his mid-2018 capturing of the vacant Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship. Defeat has yet to face the well-rounded talent with 13 wins of own including a 92% finishing rate and two stoppage victories last year over Bryce Mitchell and Jai Herbert.
Top-ranked flyweight contenders Amanda Ribas and Maycee Barber will clash in the night’s co-main event. Ribas looks for two in-a-row after defeating Viviane Araujo in March by unanimous decision as Barber aims for her fifth straight win dating back to July of 2021.
Three additional fights make up the main card ahead. Contender Series contract winner Austen Lane, Uganda’s dynamic talent David Onama, and former two-time LFA Middleweight Champion Brendan Allen take on their respected opponents of knockout artist Justin Tafa, January’s LFA featherweight tournament winner Gabriel Santos, and former M-1 Middleweight Champion Bruno Silva.
See our UFC on ABC 5: Emmett vs. Topuria picks and predictions further below.
Expect nothing but a banger here 🔥
@JoshEmmettUFC vs @TopuriaIlia in our #UFCJacksonville main event TOMORROW![ 3pmET / 12pmPT LIVE and FREE on @ABCNetwork ] pic.twitter.com/26tQFyhMEY
— UFC (@ufc) June 23, 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.
With our picks locked in for the night ahead, who takes the many cakes at UFC on ABC 5: Emmett vs. Topuria?
Staff Records after UFC on ESPN 47:
1T. Michael DeSantis: 137-66
1T. Ben Jamieson: 137-66
3. Jeremy Brand: 134-69
4. Nate Freeman: 132-71
5. Wesley Riddle: 129-74
6. Frazer Krohn: 129-74
7. Julio Monteros Jr.: 116-71
8. Tim Wheaton: 105-60
9. Jack Goodwillie: 104-58
10. Andrew Benjamin: 100-82
11. Brian Knight: 97-57
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*
*Note – PFL 6 2023 picks will be added to the above records NEXT weekend*
Brendan Allen (21-5), -215
vs.
Bruno Silva (23-8), +185
Middleweight Division
– 185 LBS. ~ 83.9 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Allen via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Allen via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Allen via Round 2 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Allen via Round 2 SUB
Nate Freeman: Allen via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Allen via Round 2 TKO
Brian Knight: Allen via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Allen via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Allen via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Allen: 9
Staff picking Silva: 0
David Onama (10-2), +185
vs.
Gabriel Santos (10-1), -215
Featherweight Division
– 145 LBS. ~ 65.8 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Santos via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Santos via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Onama via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Onama via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Onama via Round 2 TKO
Julio Monteros Jr.: Onama via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Onama via Round 2 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Onama via Round 2 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Santos via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Onama: 6
Staff picking Santos: 3
Austen Lane (12-3), +165
vs.
Justin Tafa (6-3), -195
Heavyweight Division
– 265 LBS. ~ 120.2 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Tafa via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Tafa via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Tafa via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Tafa via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Tafa via Round 1 TKO
Julio Monteros Jr.: Tafa via Round 2 TKO
Brian Knight: Lane via Round 2 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Tafa via Round 1 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Tafa via Round 1 TKO
Staff picking Lane: 2
Staff picking Tafa: 7
Amanda Ribas (12-3), -200
vs.
Maycee Barber (12-2), +170
Women’s Flyweight Division
– Co-Main Event –
– 125 LBS. ~ 56.7 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Ribas via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Ribas via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Ribas via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Barber via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Barber via Split Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Barber via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Ribas via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Ribas via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Ribas via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Ribas: 6
Staff picking Barber: 3
Josh Emmett (18-3), +275
vs.
Ilia Topuria (13-0), -330
Featherweight Division
– Main Event –
– 145 LBS. ~ 65.8 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Emmett via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Topuria via Round 4 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Topuria via Round 3 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Topuria via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Topuria via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Topuria via Round 2 TKO
Brian Knight: Topuria via Round 3 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Topuria via Round 3 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Topuria via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Emmett: 1
Staff picking Topuria: 8
UFC ON ABC 5 FEATURED IMAGE:
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – JUNE 23: (L-R) Opponents Austen Lane and Justin Tafa of New Zealand face off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on June 23, 2023 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
