The month of March will kick off in thrilling fashion for our MMASucka staff picks with UFC 259. The event will take place tonight, March 6 from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. Main card action will begin at approximately 10:00pm ET (7:00pm PT) live on pay-per-view.
The Fights
Three stacked title fights will close off the PPV card, the first being in the main event between light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz and challenger Israel Adesanya. Blachowicz will look for his first title defense at 205 pounds after his September 2020 win fgof Dominick Reyes. The Polish man has finished five of his last eight opponents inside the octagon, only suffering a single defeat to Thiago Santos through his last nine UFC outings. His opponent, Adesanya, will hope to become the fifth double-champion in promotional history tonight. This will be his first professional fight outside of middleweight as he aims to stay undefeated at 20-0 in his mixed martial arts career.
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The second fight for the belt falls in the co-main event slot at 145 pounds between Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson. Nunes has continued her incredible dominance over the past six years in which she simultaneously remains the bantamweight and featherweight queen. Former Invicta FC featherweight champion Anderson will look for the massive upset in her first UFC title shot after two back-to-back first-round finishes.
Lastly, Petr Yan will battle Aljamain Sterling on the main card for bantamweight gold. Russia’s Yan made a dominant statement last July with his fifth round finish of Jose Aldo, taking the vacant 135-pound belt. Serra-Longo’s Sterling has racked up an impressive five-fight win streak including his title eliminator finish of Cory Sandhagen to earn what will be the biggest fight of his career.
See our staff picks for UFC 259 further below.
Staff Picks
Throughout the calendar year, staff picks will be composed of main card fights from UFC and Bellator events. PFL will make its debut beginning in April, along with Dana White’s Contender Series in the summer.
The WINNER of staff picks in 2021 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or chain from Championship Chains. For the third straight year, Michael DeSantis captured the 2020 victory compiling a record of 201-88.
See our staff picks for UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya below.
Staff Records after UFC Fight Night 186:
1. Wesley Riddle: 22-12
2T. Michael DeSantis: 19-15
2T. Nate Freeman: 19-15
4T. Mitchell Banuelos: 18-16
4T. Ash Camyab: 18-16
4T. Dan Rose: 18-16
7T. Jeremy Brand: 16-18
7T. Matt Bricker: 16-18
7T. Joshua Yule: 16-18
7T. Kenny Lee: 16-18
11. Frazer Krohn: 15-19
12. Andrew Benjamin: 14-20
13. Mike Lynch: 13-16
14. Michael McKenzie: 5-5
15. Tim Wheaton: 4-1
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Thiago Santos (21-8) vs. Aleksandar Rakic (13-2)
Jeremy Brand: Rakic via UD
Wesley Riddle: Santos via UD
Michael DeSantis: Rakic via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Santos via UD
Matt Bricker: Rakic via Round 1 TKO
Ash Camyab: Santos via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Santos via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Santos via Round 2 TKO
Dan Rose: Santos via Round 1 TKO
Mike Lynch: Santos via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Santos via SD
Kenny Lee: Rakic via Round 1 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Rakic via Round 3 TKO
Staff picking Santos: 8
Staff picking Rakic: 5
Islam Makhachev (18-1) vs. Drew Dober (23-9, 1 NC)
Jeremy Brand: Makhachev via UD
Wesley Riddle: Makhachev via Round 3 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Makhachev via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Dober via Round 2 TKO
Matt Bricker: Makhachev via UD
Ash Camyab: Makhachev via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Dober via UD
Frazer Krohn: Makhachev via UD
Dan Rose: Dober via Round 2 SUB
Mike Lynch: Makhachev via UD
Nate Freeman: Makhachev via UD
Kenny Lee: Makhachev via UD
Tim Wheaton: Makhachev via UD
Staff picking Makhachev: 10
Staff picking Dober: 3
Petr Yan (15-1) vs. Aljamain Sterling (19-3)
Jeremy Brand: Sterling via UD
Wesley Riddle: Yan via Round 4 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Yan via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Sterling via Round 2 SUB
Matt Bricker: Sterling via Round 3 SUB
Ash Camyab: Yan via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Yan via UD
Frazer Krohn: Sterling via UD
Dan Rose: Sterling via UD
Mike Lynch: Sterling via UD
Nate Freeman: Yan via UD
Kenny Lee: Yan via Round 3 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Sterling via Round 5 TKO
Staff picking Yan: 6
Staff picking Sterling: 7
Amanda Nunes (20-4) vs. Megan Anderson (11-4)
Jeremy Brand: Nunes via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Nunes via Round 1 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Nunes via Round 2 SUB
Mitchell Banuelos: Nunes via Round 1 TKO
Matt Bricker: Nunes via Round 2 TKO
Ash Camyab: Nunes via Round 2 SUB
Andrew Benjamin: Anderson via UD
Frazer Krohn: Nunes via UD
Dan Rose: Nunes via Round 1 TKO
Mike Lynch: Nunes via Round 1 SUB
Nate Freeman: Nunes via Round 2 SUB
Kenny Lee: Nunes via Round 1 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Nunes via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Nunes: 12
Staff picking Anderson: 1
Jan Blachowicz (27-8) vs. Israel Adesanya (20-0)
Jeremy Brand: Adesanya via UD
Wesley Riddle: Adesanya via Round 3 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Adesanya via Round 3 TKO
Mitchell Banuelos: Adesanya via Round 2 TKO
Matt Bricker: Blachowicz via Round 2 TKO
Ash Camyab: Adesanya via Round 3 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Adesanya via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Adesanya via SD
Dan Rose: Adesanya via UD
Mike Lynch: Adesanya via UD
Nate Freeman: Adesanya via Round 3 TKO
Kenny Lee: Adesanya via Round 4 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Adesanya via Round 3 TKO
Staff picking Blachowicz: 1
Staff picking Adesanya: 12
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