The first of two fight cards this weekend are in for our MMASucka staff picks. Tomorrow morning, February 27 will see ONE Championship: King of the Jungle take place from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. Prelims will begin at 4:30am ET (1:30am PT) on the ONE Super App and various social media platforms with the main card kicking off at 7:30am ET (4:30am PT) on Bleacher Report Live.
Stay tuned to MMASucka come Saturday afternoon for our UFC Fight Night 169 main card picks.
The Fights
Two non-mixed martial arts bouts will headline the night of battle, including all-time great Sam-A Gaiyanghadao defending his Muay Thai title and fan-favorite Stamp Fairtex looking to defend her atomweight kickboxing strap against Hermosa Beach, California’s Janet Todd.
The featured MMA bout comes in the lightweight division between Singapore’s own Amir Khan and Japan’s Kimihiro Eto. Khan, a former 170-pound title challenger, looks to pave his way for another chance at gold. After coming up short of the title in 2018, back-to-back losses in 2019 would unfortunately come. However, the Evolve MMA prodigy would end the year strong snapping his three-fight skid with a tight split decision over Ev Ting. His opponent, Eto, is set to make his second appearance under ONE Championship. A strong 4-1 run under Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series would propel him to the big leagues in the second half of 2019. The lone loss in Warrior Series had come to Dae Sung Park, the two then re-matching in June last year. Although coming up short once more, Eto still looks at the top of his game in search of a fifth submission in his last six victories.
Other featured fighters counted for our staff picks include judoka Yoshihiro Akiyama, long-time veteran Mei Yamaguchi, and the undefeated Troy Worthen. See the remaining ONE Championship: King of the Jungle 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 ONE Championship: King of the Jungle below.
Staff Records after UFC Fight Night 168:
1. Michael DeSantis: 47-14
2T. Wesley Riddle: 46-15
2T. Connor Deitrich: 46-15
4. Ed Gallo: 44-17
5. Dan Rose: 43-18
6T. Jeremy Brand: 40-21
6T. Matt Bricker: 40-21
6T. Frazer Krohn: 40-21
9T. Mike Skytte: 39-22
9T. Ash Camyab: 39-22
11T. Andrew Benjamin: 38-23
11T. Nate Freeman: 38-19, missed one card
13. McKenzie Guardiero: 37-24
14. Mitchell Banuelos: 36-16, missed two cards
15. Ashwin Viswanathan: 34-17
16T. Ryan Hobbs: 33-28
16T. Mike Lynch: 33-28
18. Jack Buchanan: 27-11, missed five cards
19. Jeremy Cook: 7-3, missed eight cards
Troy Worthen (6-0) vs. Mark Abelardo (19-6)
Jeremy Brand: Worthen via UD
Wesley Riddle: Worthen via SD
Mike Skytte: Abelardo via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Worthen via UD
Ed Gallo: Abelardo via Round 2 TKO
Matt Bricker: Worthen via UD
Connor Deitrich: Worthen via UD
Ash Camyab: Worthen via UD
Ryan Hobbs: Abelardo via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Worthen via UD
Frazer Krohn: Worthen via UD
McKenzie Guardiero: Worthen via UD
Dan Rose: Worthen via UD
Mike Lynch: Worthen via UD
Ashwin Viswanathan: Worthen via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Worthen via Round 1 TKO
Jack Buchanan: Worthen via UD
Staff picking Worthen: 14
Staff picking Abelardo: 3
Mei Yamaguchi (21-11-1) vs. Denice Zamboanga (6-0)
Jeremy Brand: Yamaguchi via Round 2 SUB
Wesley Riddle: Yamaguchi via UD
Mike Skytte: Yamaguchi via Round 2 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Yamaguchi via UD
Ed Gallo: Yamaguchi via Round 2 SUB
Matt Bricker: Yamaguchi via UD
Connor Deitrich: Yamaguchi via Round 1 SUB
Ash Camyab: Yamaguchi via Round 3 SUB
Ryan Hobbs: Zamboanga via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Yamaguchi via Round 3 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Zamboanga via Round 2 SUB
McKenzie Guardiero: Zamboanga via UD
Dan Rose: Yamaguchi via UD
Mike Lynch: Yamaguchi via Round 1 SUB
Ashwin Viswanathan: Yamaguchi via Round 1 SUB
Nate Freeman: Yamaguchi via Round 2 SUB
Jack Buchanan: Yamaguchi via Round 2 SUB
Staff picking Yamaguchi: 14
Staff picking Zamboanga: 3
Tiffany Teo (8-1) vs. Ayaka Miura (10-2, 1 NC)
Jeremy Brand: Teo via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Miura via UD
Mike Skytte: Miura via Round 3 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Miura via Round 2 SUB
Ed Gallo: Miura via Round 3 SUB
Matt Bricker: Miura via UD
Connor Deitrich: Miura via Round 2 TKO
Ash Camyab: Miura via UD
Ryan Hobbs: Miura via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Teo via UD
Frazer Krohn: Miura via UD
McKenzie Guardiero: Miura via UD
Dan Rose: Miura via Round 1 SUB
Mike Lynch: Teo via UD
Ashwin Viswanathan: Miura via Round 1 SUB
Nate Freeman: Miura via Round 2 SUB
Jack Buchanan: Miura via Round 3 SUB
Staff picking Teo: 3
Staff picking Miura: 14
Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-7, 2 NC) vs. Sherif Mohamed (9-5)
Jeremy Brand: Mohamed via UD
Wesley Riddle: Akiyama via SD
Mike Skytte: Akiyama via UD
Michael DeSantis: Akiyama via UD
Ed Gallo: Akiyama via UD
Matt Bricker: Akiyama via UD
Connor Deitrich: Akiyama via UD
Ash Camyab: Akiyama via UD
Ryan Hobbs: Akiyama via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Akiyama via UD
Frazer Krohn: Akiyama via UD
McKenzie Guardiero: Akiyama via UD
Dan Rose: Akiyama via UD
Mike Lynch: Akiyama via UD
Ashwin Viswanathan: Akiyama via UD
Nate Freeman: Mohamed via SD
Jack Buchanan: Akiyama via UD
Staff picking Akiyama: 15
Staff picking Mohamed: 2
Amir Khan (12-6) vs. Kimihiro Eto (16-5-2)
Jeremy Brand: Khan via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Khan via UD
Mike Skytte: Khan via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Khan via Round 2 TKO
Ed Gallo: Khan via Round 1 TKO
Matt Bricker: Khan via Round 1 TKO
Connor Deitrich: Khan via Round 2 TKO
Ash Camyab: Khan via Round 1 TKO
Ryan Hobbs: Khan via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Khan via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Khan via Round 1 TKO
McKenzie Guardiero: Khan via Round 2 TKO
Dan Rose: Khan via Round 3 TKO
Mike Lynch: Khan via Round 3 TKO
Ashwin Viswanathan: Khan via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Eto via UD
Jack Buchanan: Khan via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Khan: 16
Staff picking Eto: 1
FEATURED IMAGE:
