A pair of rivalries featuring two separate UFC championships are just hours away, and the MMASucka staff have their picks ready to go.
UFC 268 will take place tonight, November 6 from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The promotion makes its return to The City That Never Sleeps for the first time since November of 2019 and only the fifth time in its organizational history. Tonight’s pay-per-view will kick off at 10:00pm ET (7:00pm PT) available for purchase through ESPN+.
Take a look at our staff picks from Friday’s Bellator 270 event in Dublin.
The Fights
In one of the most highly-anticipated rematches in promotional history, welterweight (170 lbs.) champion Kamaru Usman will seek to defend his belt against challenger Colby Covington in the main event. A memorable first meeting in 2019 it was, Usman defending the title in a back-and-forth affair before the fight was stopped late in the fifth round after Covington suffered a broken jaw.
Usman has since defended his belt a total of three times, those seeing a knockout of his teammate Gilbert Burns and two wins against Jorge Masvidal. A win tonight would move the well-rounded talent to a 14th straight win, sitting second all-time with most consecutive wins behind only Anderson Silva. Covington has fought one time since the fight with Usman, dominating former king of the division Tyron Woodley before the fight was called in round five. The former interim champion will look to avenge his prior loss in his 14th promotional appearance.
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Same words can be spoken in anticipation for Rose Namajunas and Zhang Weili, as the two aim to settle their differences in their co-main event rematch for the strawweight (115 lbs.) championship. Namajunas stunned the crowd in April of this year with her 88-second knockout Weili.
Also on the main card sees former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, four-time “Fight of the Night” recipient Shane Burgos, and a must-watch opening pay-per-view pairing between showstoppers Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler. Find all the UFC 268 fights further below for our MMASucka staff picks.
Staff Picks
Throughout the calendar year, staff picks will be composed of main card fights from both UFC and Bellator events. Main card fights and selected preliminary fights will be selected for PFL MMA. Dana White’s Contender Series will be composed of the full fight card.
The WINNER of staff picks in 2021 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a chain from Championship Chains. For the third straight year, Michael DeSantis captured the 2020 victory compiling a record of 201-88.
Find out who the MMASucka staff are picking to win at Bellator 270: Pitbull vs. Queally II below.
Staff Records after Dana White’s Contender Series 46:
1. Nate Freeman: 221-120
2. Wesley Riddle: 217-124
3. Michael DeSantis: 214-123
4. Frazer Krohn: 204-136
5. Mike Lynch: 186-145
6. Jeremy Brand: 183-148
7. Ash Camyab: 181-126
8. Andrew Benjamin: 132-130
9. Tim Wheaton: 121-91
10. Chris Presnell: 98-43
11. Jake Broderick: 10-2
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
*Note – Bellator 270 picks will be added to the above records NEXT weekend*
Justin Gaethje (23-2) vs. Michael Chandler (22-6)
Jeremy Brand: Gaethje via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Gaethje via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Gaethje via Round 2 TKO
Ash Camyab: Gaethje via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: N/A
Frazer Krohn: Gaethje via Round 2 TKO
Mike Lynch: Gaethje via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Gaethje via Round 2 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Gaethje via Round 1 TKO
Chris Presnell: Gaethje via Round 1 TKO
Jake Broderick: N/A
Staff picking Gaethje: 9
Staff picking Chandler: 0
Shane Burgos (13-3) vs. Billy Quarantillo (16-3)
Jeremy Brand: Burgos via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Burgos via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Burgos via Unanimous Decision
Ash Camyab: Burgos via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: N/A
Frazer Krohn: Burgos via Unanimous Decision
Mike Lynch: Quarantillo via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Burgos via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Quarantillo via Unanimous Decision
Chris Presnell: Burgos via Unanimous Decision
Jake Broderick: N/A
Staff picking Burgos: 7
Staff picking Quarantillo: 2
Frankie Edgar (23-9-1) vs. Marlon Vera (17-7-1)
Jeremy Brand: Edgar via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Vera via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Vera via Unanimous Decision
Ash Camyab: Vera via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: N/A
Frazer Krohn: Edgar via Unanimous Decision
Mike Lynch: Vera via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Edgar via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Vera via Round 3 TKO
Chris Presnell: Vera via Round 2 TKO
Jake Broderick: N/A
Staff picking Edgar: 3
Staff picking Vera: 6
Rose Namajunas (11-4) vs. Zhang Weili (21-2)
Jeremy Brand: Weili via Round 3 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Namajunas via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Namajunas via Unanimous Decision
Ash Camyab: Namajunas via Round 3 SUB
Andrew Benjamin: N/A
Frazer Krohn: Weili via Round 4 TKO
Mike Lynch: Namajunas via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Namajunas via Split Decision
Tim Wheaton: Weili via Unanimous Decision
Chris Presnell: Namajunas via Round 3 SUB
Jake Broderick: N/A
Staff picking Namajunas: 6
Staff picking Weili: 3
Kamaru Usman (19-1) vs. Colby Covington (15-2)
Jeremy Brand: Usman via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Usman via Round 4 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Usman via Unanimous Decision
Ash Camyab: Usman via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: N/A
Frazer Krohn: Usman via Round 3 TKO
Mike Lynch: Usman via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Usman via Round 3 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Usman via Round 3 TKO
Chris Presnell: Usman via Round 3 TKO
Jake Broderick: N/A
Staff picking Usman: 9
Staff picking Covington: 0
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