At the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, the UFC makes its highly-anticipated return after an almost one-month hiatus at UFC Fight Night 249. We will give you all our UFC on ESPN 63 betting predictions and staff picks below.
UFC Fight Night 249 Main Event
In the UFC Fight Night 249 main event, Amanda Ribas looks to settle the score between her and Mackenzie Dern after soundly defeating her American for more than five years ago. Plagued with a severe degree of inconsistent results over the past several years, Dern now finds herself nearing the strawweight top five. Having been unable to make it past the division’s more seasoned fighters like Amanda Lemos and Jéssica Andrade, a win this Saturday is all the more necessary for Dern to keep herself in the top contender picture.
In something of a precarious position herself in her fighting career, Ribas is in dire need of a victory, with the last time she got her hand raised coming at UFC Vegas 82 against Luana Pinheiro in 2023. In her sole trip to the cage in 2024, the Brazilian took on former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas, at flyweight, and was taken out of the win column by unanimous decision.
In the second to last match of the night, Santiago Ponzinibbio meets welterweight bruiser Carlston Harris. In the midst of a two-fight losing streak, Ponzinibbio has a lot of climbing to do if he wants to regain his place as a force in the weight class. Now 38-years old, the “Argentine Dagger” will tangle with one of the more reputable stoppage specialist’s outside the rankings.
In his four UFC wins, Harris has earned two submissions and one TKO, making him a top and entertaining prospect to watch. Losing his last contest to the hard-punching Khaos Williams in the first round, “Moçambique” has the chance to start 2025 on a high note by snuffing out another welterweight standout.
More Bouts On the Main Card
For the rest of the bouts on the main card, César Almeida takes on Abdul Razak Alhassan. Fan-favorite Chris Curtis locks horns with Russian sensation Roman Kopylov. Christian Rodriguez attempts to claim another undefeated fighter’s zero versus Austin Bashi, and Punahele Soriano makes his sophomore welterweight showing against Uroš Medić.
UFC Fight Night 249 Betting Predictions and 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 2025 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.
Find our UFC Fight Night 249 picks and fight odds below.
UFC Fight Night 249 betting predictions and staff picks
Uroš Medić -218
Vs.
Punahele Soriano +180
WELTERWEIGHT
Jeremy Brand: Medić by Unanimous Decision
Hank Strandberg: Soriano by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: Soriano by Knockout
Michael DeSantis: Medić by second round Technical Knockout
Andrew Benjamin: Soriano by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Soriano by Unanimous Decision
Paul Browne: Medić by round three Knockout
Michael Hernandez: Medić by Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Medić: 4
Staff picking Soriano: 4
Austin Bashi -265
Vs.
Christian Rodriguez +215
FEATHERWEIGHT
Jeremy Brand: Bashi by second round Submission
Hank Strandberg: Rodriguez by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: Bashi by Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Bashi by Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Rodriguez by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Rodriguez by Unanimous Decision
Paul Browne: Rodriguez by Unanimous Decision
Michael Hernandez: Bashi by Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Bashi: 4
Staff picking Rodriguez: 4
Roman Kopylov -265
Vs.
Chris Curtis +180
MIDDLEWEIGHT
Jeremy Brand: Kopylov by Unanimous Decision
Hank Strandberg: Kopylov by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: Curtis by Submission
Michael DeSantis: Kopylov by Split Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Curtis by Split Decision
Frazer Krohn: Kopylov by Unanimous Decision
Paul Browne: Kopylov by Unanimous Decision
Michael Hernandez: Kopylov by Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Kopylov: 6
Staff picking Curtis: 2
César Almeida -265
Vs.
Abdul Razak Alhassan +215
MIDDLEWEIGHT
Jeremy Brand: Alhassan by Unanimous Decision
Hank Strandberg: Almeida by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: Almeida by Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Almeida by second round Technical Knockout
Andrew Benjamin: Alhassan by first round Knockout
Frazer Krohn: Alhassan by second round Technical Knockout
Paul Browne: Alhassan by first round Knockout
Michael Hernandez: Alhassan by third round Knockout
Staff picking Alhassan: 5
Staff picking Almeida: 3
Santiago Ponzinibbio -135
Vs.
Carlston Harris +114
WELTERWEIGHT
Jeremy Brand: Ponzinibbio by third round Technical Knockout
Hank Strandberg: Harris by second round Submission
Drew Zuhosky: Harris by Technical Knockout
Michael DeSantis: Ponzinibbio by Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Ponzinibbio by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Ponzinibbio by second round Technical Knockout
Paul Browne: Ponzinibbio by third round Technical Knockout
Michael Hernandez: Ponzinibbio by third round Technical Knockout
Staff picking Ponzinibbio: 6
Staff picking Harris: 2
Amanda Ribas -192
Vs.
Mackenzie Dern +160
STRAWWEIGHT
Jeremy Brand: Dern by second round Submission
Hank Strandberg: Dern by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: Dern by Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Dern by Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Dern by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Dern by Unanimous Decision
Paul Browne: Ribas by Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Ribas: 1
Staff picking Dern: 6
