MMASucka staff picks are in for the leading promotion’s final “Fight Island” event. UFC on ESPN 14 will go down later this evening, July 25 from the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi. The main card will begin at 8:00pm ET (5:00pm PT) live on both ESPN and ESPN+.
Bellator 242 picks were not posted yesterday due to time constraints. Results from this event will be included in next week’s staff picks section.
The Fights
One of the most highly anticipated main events of the year is just hours away featuring middleweights Robert Whittaker and Darren Till. Former divisional champion Whittaker looks to get back into prime form after suffering a title loss by knockout to Israel Adesanya last year. His streak of wins before the defeat came at nine in a row, including his two decisions over the ever dangerous Yoel Romero. A nod in his favor would put Whittaker right back in line with the title picture. His opponent, Till, is looking for a strong performance in his second UFC 185-pound fight. A split decision over Kelvin Gastelum in November put the Brit back in the win column snapping a two-fight finishing skid. Till will look to find his seventh promotional victory in one of the biggest fights of his career.
A trilogy you would not have expected falls in the co-main event between fan-favorite veterans Mauricio Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Rua took victories in their first two fights, seeing two unanimous decisions over Nogueira in both 2005 and 2015.
Although on the main card, Khamzat Chimaev and Rhys McKee will not be counted towards tonight’s picks. See the remaining UFC on ESPN 14 fights counted for our MMASucka staff picks further below.
Staff Picks
Throughout the year, staff picks will be composed of five different MMA promotions. UFC, Bellator, ONE, and RIZIN all appeared for the 2019 season and will make returns. The newest addition for the 2020 year will see the PFL including their regular season, playoffs, and championship card. A special staff picks bonus will be introduced and discussed regarding PFL’s playoff format as time gets closer.
Main cards will makeup both UFC and Bellator picks, while the biggest fights to make up ONE, RIZIN, and PFL events will be used. The WINNER of staff picks will have a choice between receiving a championship belt from ProAmBelts or a championship chain from Championship Chains. The 2019 winner was awarded to Michael DeSantis, compiling a record of 321-178. Second-place Connor Deitrich collected a close score of 319-180 with third-place Ed Gallo not far behind totaling at 312-183.
Check out our staff picks for UFC on ESPN 14 below.
Staff Records after UFC Fight Night 172:
1. Connor Deitrich: 99-38
2. Michael DeSantis: 96-41
3. Wesley Riddle: 93-44
4. Matt Bricker: 85-52
5. Jeremy Brand: 84-48
6T. Dan Rose: 80-57
6T. Nate Freeman: 80-53
8. Frazer Krohn: 79-58
9. Jack Buchanan: 78-36
10. McKenzie Guardiero: 77-60
11. Ash Camyab: 75-62
12. Mike Lynch: 74-48
13T. Ryan Hobbs: 72-56
13T. Andrew Benjamin: 72-65
15. Mike Skytte: 67-45
16. Ashwin Viswanathan: 66-41
17. Mitchell Banuelos: 64-39
18. Ed Gallo: 54-27
19. Joshua Yule: 34-17
20. Jeremy Cook: 14-6
*Note: not all staff has picked for every event*
**Note: Results from Bellator 242 will be added next week**
Alex Oliveira (20-8-1, 2 NC) vs. Peter Sobotta (17-5-1)
Jeremy Brand: Oliveira via Round 2 SUB
Wesley Riddle: Oliveira via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Oliveira via UD
Matt Bricker: Oliveira via UD
Connor Deitrich: Oliveira via SD
Ash Camyab: Oliveira via Round 3 SUB
Ryan Hobbs: Oliveira via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Oliveira via Round 2 TKO
McKenzie Guardiero: Oliveira via Round 1 TKO
Dan Rose: Oliveira via Round 1 SUB
Mike Lynch: Oliveira via Round 1 TKO
Ashwin Viswanathan: Oliveira via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Oliveira via Round 2 TKO
Jack Buchanan: Oliveira via Round 3 TKO
Joshua Yule: Oliveira via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Oliveira: 15
Staff picking Sobotta: 0
Paul Craig (12-4-1) vs. Gadzhimurad Antigulov (20-6)
Jeremy Brand: Craig via UD
Wesley Riddle: Antigulov via Round 1 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Craig via Round 2 SUB
Matt Bricker: Antigulov via Round 3 SUB
Connor Deitrich: Antigulov via Round 2 TKO
Ash Camyab: Craig via Round 3 SUB
Ryan Hobbs: Craig via UD
Frazer Krohn: Craig via Round 2 SUB
McKenzie Guardiero: Craig via Round 3 SUB
Dan Rose: Craig via UD
Mike Lynch: Craig via Round 1 SUB
Ashwin Viswanathan: Craig via Round 2 SUB
Nate Freeman: Antigulov via UD
Jack Buchanan: Antigulov via UD
Joshua Yule: Craig via UD
Staff picking Craig: 10
Staff picking Antigulov: 5
Carla Esparza (17-6) vs. Marina Rodriguez (12-0-2)
Jeremy Brand: Rodriguez via UD
Wesley Riddle: Rodriguez via SD
Michael DeSantis: Rodriguez via UD
Matt Bricker: Esparza via UD
Connor Deitrich: Rodriguez via UD
Ash Camyab: Esparza via UD
Ryan Hobbs: Esparza via UD
Frazer Krohn: Esparza via UD
McKenzie Guardiero: Esparza via UD
Dan Rose: Rodriguez via UD
Mike Lynch: Esparza via UD
Ashwin Viswanathan: Esparza via UD
Nate Freeman: Rodriguez via SD
Jack Buchanan: Rodriguez via UD
Joshua Yule: Rodriguez via UD
Staff picking Esparza: 7
Staff picking Rodriguez: 8
Fabricio Werdum (23-8-1) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (18-6)
Jeremy Brand: Gustafsson via UD
Wesley Riddle: Gustafsson via UD
Michael DeSantis: Gustafsson via Round 2 TKO
Matt Bricker: Gustafsson via Round 1 TKO
Connor Deitrich: Gustafsson via Round 2 TKO
Ash Camyab: Gustafsson via Round 1 TKO
Ryan Hobbs: Werdum via Round 1 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Gustafsson via UD
McKenzie Guardiero: Gustafsson via UD
Dan Rose: Gustafsson via UD
Mike Lynch: Gustafsson via Round 1 TKO
Ashwin Viswanathan: Gustafsson via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Gustafsson via Round 3 TKO
Jack Buchanan: Gustafsson via UD
Joshua Yule: Gustafsson via UD
Staff picking Werdum: 1
Staff picking Gustafsson: 14
Mauricio Rua (26-11-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (23-9)
Jeremy Brand: Rogerio Nogueira via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Rua via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Rua via Round 2 TKO
Matt Bricker: Rua via Round 2 TKO
Connor Deitrich: Rua via Round 1 TKO
Ash Camyab: Rua via Round 2 TKO
Ryan Hobbs: Rua via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Rua via Round 2 TKO
McKenzie Guardiero: Rua via Round 1 TKO
Dan Rose: Rua via Round 1 TKO
Mike Lynch: Rua via UD
Ashwin Viswanathan: Rua via UD
Nate Freeman: Rua via UD
Jack Buchanan: Rua via UD
Joshua Yule: Rua via UD
Staff picking Rua: 14
Staff picking Rogerio Nogueira: 1
Robert Whittaker (21-5) vs. Darren Till (18-2-1)
Jeremy Brand: Whittaker via Round 3 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Whittaker via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Whittaker via Round 2 TKO
Matt Bricker: Whittaker via Round 3 TKO
Connor Deitrich: Whittaker via Round 3 TKO
Ash Camyab: Whittaker via Round 4 TKO
Ryan Hobbs: Whittaker via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Till via UD
McKenzie Guardiero: Till via Round 1 TKO
Dan Rose: Whittaker via Round 1 TKO
Mike Lynch: Whittaker via Round 1 TKO
Ashwin Viswanathan: Whittaker via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Whittaker via Round 2 TKO
Jack Buchanan: Whittaker via UD
Joshua Yule: Whittaker via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Whittaker: 13
Staff picking Till: 2
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