Ultimate Fighting Championship picks are locked in for the MMASucka crew.
Taking place later this evening, August 12th sees UFC on ESPN 51, also titled as UFC Vegas 78, set for action from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Preliminary bouts kick off the event at 4:00pm ET (1:00pm PT) followed by the main card at 7:00pm ET (4:00pm PT) available to watch on either ESPN for cable viewers or ESPN+ for subscribers.
UFC on ESPN 51: Luque vs. dos Anjos results will be available here at MMASucka.
Recap our MMASucka staff picks and predictions from Friday’s Bellator 298 event from Sioux Falls. Also, stay tuned this Tuesday for our Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 7, Week 1 picks from Las Vegas.
The Fights
Meeting in the night’s main event sees octagon veterans Vicente Luque and Rafael dos Anjos set for five possible rounds in the welterweight division.
Looking for a change in momentum sees Luque on a two-fight skid after losses to Belal Muhammad by decision and Geoff Neal by knockout in 2022. The Ultimate Fighter 21 competitor has finished 13 of his 14 promotional wins which ranks second in divisional history as he looks for success in only his second main event with the UFC. Luque’s opponent, dos Anjos, will make his 34th appearance inside the octagon and his second fight at 170 pounds since returning to welterweight last December. The bout last year was a success for the former Lightweight Champion and interim Welterweight Title Challenger securing a second-round submission over Bryan Barberena.
Technical strikers Cub Swanson and Hakeem Dawodu will fight at featherweight in the co-main event. Longtime featherweight contender Swanson targets his first victory since December of 2021 after suffering a defeat to leg kicks versus Jonathan Martinez in October of last year. Muay Thai specialist Dawodu looks for similar footing after his last outing in September of 2022 fight went in the hands of Erosa by unanimous decision.
The Ultimate Fighter 23: Light Heavyweight finalist, Khalil Rountree Jr., aims for his fourth straight win in-a-row as he battles former Cage Fury FC Heavyweight title challenger Chris Daukaus on the main card.
Two middleweights, Tafon Nchukwi and Josh Fremd, both missed the divisional limit in their respected fights against A.J. Dobson and Jamie Pickett. Despite this, their fights will go on as planned. Find our picks for these UFC on ESPN 51 fights further below.
All eyes on these two welterweights tomorrow night 👀@VicenteLuqueMMA vs @RDosAnjosMMA#UFCVegas78 | TOMORROW | Live on ESPN+ 📺 pic.twitter.com/51OqxN9ncj
— UFC (@ufc) August 11, 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.
Who wins at UFC on ESPN 51: Luque vs. dos Anjos?
Staff Records after Dana White’s Contender Series – Season 7, Week 1:
Ben Jamieson: 182-94
Michael DeSantis: 178-98
Jeremy Brand: 174-102
Nate Freeman: 171-105
Wesley Riddle: 169-107
Frazer Krohn: 169-107
Julio Monteros Jr.: 155-94
Andrew Benjamin: 134-111
Jack Goodwillie: 132-79
Brian Knight: 126-79
Tim Wheaton: 105-60
Roemello Reyes: 62-34
Jonathan Andrade: 31-24
Brandon Joint: 12-9
Andrew Harbaugh: 10-7
Joshua Yule: 7-6
Chris De Santiago: 6-6
Antwyn Jackson: 5-6
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
*Note – Bellator 298 picks will be added to the above records NEXT weekend*
Josh Fremd (10-4), -325
vs.
Jamie Pickett (13-9), +260
Catchweight Fight
– 189 LBS. ~ 85.7 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Fremd via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Fremd via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Fremd via Round 1 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Fremd via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Fremd via Round 2 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Fremd via Round 1 SUB
Ben Jamieson: Fremd via Round 1 TKO
Staff picking Fremd: 7
Staff picking Pickett: 0
A.J. Dobson (6-2, 1 NC), +120
vs.
Tafon Nchukwi (6-3), -142
Catchweight Fight
– 189.5 LBS. ~ 86.0 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Nchukwi via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Dobson via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Dobson via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Nchukwi via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Dobson via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Dobson via Round 1 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Nchukwi via Round 3 TKO
Staff picking Dobson: 4
Staff picking Nchukwi: 3
Polyana Viana (13-5), +164
vs.
Iasmin Lucindo (14-5), -198
Women’s Strawweight Division
– 115 LBS. ~ 52.2 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Lucindo via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Lucindo via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Viana via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Viana via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Lucindo via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Lucindo via Round 2 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Lucindo via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Viana: 2
Staff picking Lucindo: 5
Khalil Rountree Jr. (12-5, 1 NC), -175
vs.
Chris Daukaus (12-6), +145
Light Heavyweight Division
– 205 LBS. ~ 93.0 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Rountree Jr. via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Rountree Jr. via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Rountree Jr. via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Rountree Jr. via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Rountree Jr. via Round 2 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Daukaus via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Rountree Jr. via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Rountree Jr.: 6
Staff picking Daukaus: 1
Cub Swanson (28-13), +200
vs.
Hakeem Dawodu (13-3-1), -245
Featherweight Division
– Co-Main Event –
– 145 LBS. ~ 65.8 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Swanson via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Dawodu via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Dawodu via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Dawodu via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Dawodu via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Dawodu via Round 2 TKO
Ben Jamieson: Dawodu via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Swanson: 1
Staff picking Dawodu: 6
Vicente Luque (21-9-1), -102
vs.
Rafael dos Anjos (32-14), -118
Welterweight Division
– Main Event –
– 170 LBS. ~ 77.1 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: dos Anjos via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: dos Anjos via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: dos Anjos via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Luque via Round 3 TKO
Nate Freeman: Luque via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Luque via Round 4 TKO
Ben Jamieson: dos Anjos via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Luque: 3
Staff picking dos Anjos: 4
