Our weekend trilogy comes to a close for MMASucka staff picks.
UFC Vegas 90, also titled UFC Fight Night 240, will take place later today, April 6th from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Preliminaries begin at 3:00pm ET (noon PT) followed by the six-fight main card at 6:00pm ET (3:00pm PT). All fights will be available to ESPN+ subscribers.
Stay tuned here at MMASucka for results from UFC Vegas 90: Allen vs. Curtis 2.
Take a look back at our staff picks from Thursday’s PFL 1 2024 Regular Season event from San Antonio, Texas and Friday’s ONE Fight Night 21 from Bangkok, Thailand.
Main Event
In the night’s main event, #6-ranked Brendan Allen and #14-ranked Chris Curtis will clash in the middleweight division. The two had fought under the UFC banner in December of 2021 with Curtis taking the second-round knockout win. Marvin Vettori was supposed to fight against Allen until unknown reasons forced him out of the pairing.
Since the fight, Allen has won six consecutive times including three in 2023 over Andre Muniz, Bruno Silva, and, most recently, Paul Craig. The former Valor Fights and LFA Middleweight Champion gets his second-straight headliner en route towards a shot at cracking the Top 5 at 185 pounds. Allen’s opponent, Curtis, also receives his first main event in only his ninth professional fight. A multiple-time regional Champion and 2019 PFL tournament contender, the 36-year-old has finished 17 of his 18 stoppages by knockout as he awaits his 32nd MMA bout.
Co-Main Event
Alexander Hernandez and Damon Jackson are set for three rounds in the co-main slot. Factory X’s Hernandez hopes for his first win since February of last year over Jim Miller after losing in October to Bill Algeo by unanimous decision. Opponent Jackson looks to turn his second octagon tenure around after back-to-back defeats in 2023 to Dan Ige and Billy Quarantillo.
The fight will take place at a catchweight of 147.5 pounds after Hernandez missed the featherweight divisional mark by a pound-and-a-half.
Remaining Card
Another pairing at 145 pounds sees former Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion Morgan Charriere set for his second UFC walk opposite Elevation Fight Team’s Chepe Mariscal.
2020 Contender Series contract winner Ignacio Bahamondes will battle in the lightweight division against former RFA and Tachi Palace Fights Title holder Christos Giagos.
Poland’s Lukasz Brzeski will get a likely final shot in the UFC as he targets a victory to snap a three-fight skid against undefeated newcomer and recent Titan FC Heavyweight Champion Valter Walker.
Lightweights of Trevor Peek and Charlie Campbell are to square off in the ESPN+ opener.
Who comes out victorious at UFC Vegas 90? Find out our picks further below.
Are you ready for the REMATCH????@BrendanAllenMMA vs Chris Curtis 😤
[ #UFCVegas90 | TOMORROW on @ESPNPlus | 6pmET/3pmPT ] pic.twitter.com/rIvKQPeefq
— UFC (@ufc) April 5, 2024
Staff Picks
MMASucka staff picks are composed of four of the world’s leading mixed martial arts organizations: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League (PFL) with Bellator MMA, ONE Championship (ONE FC), and Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS).
- UFC picks will include main card fights ranging from four to six matchups per event.
- PFL and Bellator MMA see picks from main cards for pay-per-views and from tournament fights in the Regular Season, Playoffs, and Finals.
- ONE FC and DWCS picks will feature all MMA fights from the event with a minimum of three matchups.
The individual who picks the most victorious fighters by the end of 2024 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a detailed chain from Championship Chains. Staff picks in 2023 were won by Ben Jamieson with a record of 300-148.
See our UFC Vegas 90: Allen vs. Curtis 2 picks below.
RECORDS AFTER UFC ON ESPN 54:
1. Nate Freeman: 59-29
2. Frazer Krohn: 53-35
3. Michael DeSantis: 51-32
4. Wesley Riddle: 50-38
5. Jeremy Brand: 46-42
6. Andrew Benjamin: 35-39
7. Lukas DeWitt: 29-26
8. Julio Monteros Jr.: 28-11
9. Michael Kachan: 11-7
10. Casey Cooper: 4-5
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
*Note – PFL 1 2024 & ONE Fight Night 21 picks will be added to records NEXT weekend*
Trevor Peek (9-1), +145
vs.
Charlie Campbell (8-2), -175
LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION
– 155 LBS. ~ 70.3 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Peek via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Campbell via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Campbell via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Peek via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Peek via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Peek via Split Decision
Lukas DeWitt: Peek via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Peek: 5
Staff picking Campbell: 2
Valter Walker (11-0), -250
vs.
Lukasz Brzeski (8-4-1), +195
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
– 265 LBS. ~ 120.2 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Walker via Round 1 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Walker via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Walker via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Walker via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Walker via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Walker via Round 2 TKO
Lukas DeWitt: Walker via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Walker: 1
Staff picking Brzeski: 0
Igancio Bahamondes (14-5), -355
vs.
Christos Giagos (20-11), +280
LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION
– 155 LBS. ~ 70.3 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Bahamondes via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Bahamondes via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Bahamondes via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Giagos via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Bahamondes via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Bahamondes via Round 2 TKO
Lukas DeWitt: Bahamondes via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Bahamondes: 5
Staff picking Giagos: 1
Morgan Charriere (19-9-1), -120
vs.
Chepe Mariscal (15-6), +100
FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION
– 145 LBS. ~ 65.8 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Mariscal via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Mariscal via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Mariscal via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Mariscal via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Charriere via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Charriere via Unanimous Decision
Lukas DeWitt: Charriere via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Charriere: 3
Staff picking Mariscal: 4
Alexander Hernandez (14-7), -210
vs.
Damon Jackson (22-6-1), +170
CATCHWEIGHT FIGHT
– CO-MAIN EVENT –
– 147.5 LBS. ~ 66.9 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Jackson via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Jackson via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Jackson via Split Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Jackson via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Hernandez via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Hernandez via Unanimous Decision
Lukas DeWitt: Jackson via Round 3 TKO
Staff picking Hernandez: 2
Staff picking Jackson: 5
Brendan Allen (23-5), -225
vs.
Chris Curtis (31-10), +180
MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION
– MAIN EVENT –
– 185 LBS. ~ 83.9 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Allen via Round 2 SUB
Wesley Riddle: Allen via Round 2 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Allen via Round 3 SUB
Andrew Benjamin: Curtis via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Allen via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Allen via Unanimous Decision
Lukas DeWitt: Allen via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Allen: 6
Staff picking Curtis: 1
