MMASucka staff picks are locked in for UFC Fight Night 171 taking place tonight, May 13 from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Main card action will begin at 9:00pm ET (6:00pm PT) live on ESPN+.
The event will, again, be held without fans in attendance as a result of the recent COVID-19 outbreak. Stay tuned later this week for our UFC on ESPN 9 staff picks on Saturday.
The Fights
In the main event of the evening, light heavyweights Anthony Smith and Glover Teixeira will meet for the first time. Smith’s move to 205 pounds in 2018 has seen its share of success, currently holding a record of four victories and a lone defeat. The loss came to champion Jon Jones early last year, dropping a unanimous decision. Smith looks to back-up his last performance after submitting Alexander Gustafsson by rear-naked choke last June. His opponent, Teixeira, had his chance at the title once before against the aforementioned Jones. Although it did not go his way in 2014, he has remained near the top of the division racking up eight wins since. Three of those have come in Teixeira’s last three outings after a successful 2019 run with wins over Karl Roberson, Ion Cutelaba, and Nikita Krylov.
Heavyweight veteran Ben Rothwell is set to faceoff against divisional newcomer Ovince Saint Preux in the co-main event. Rothwell managed to snap a three-fight skid with a victory over Stefan Struve in December, while Saint Preux looks back up an incredible fourth Von Preux choke with his victory over Michal Oleksiejczuk last September.
Karl Roberson was slated to meet with Marvin Vettori on the main card. However, medical complications resulting from a missed weight cut ruled Roberson out and the fight to be cancelled.
See the fights counted for our MMASucka staff picks at UFC Fight Night 171 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 UFC Fight Night 171 below.
Staff Records after UFC 249:
1. Connor Deitrich: 65-24
2T. Wesley Riddle: 64-25
2T. Michael DeSantis: 64-25
4T. Jeremy Brand: 59-30
4T. Frazer Krohn: 59-30
6. Dan Rose: 58-31
7. Nate Freeman: 57-28
8T. Mike Skytte: 56-33
8T. Matt Bricker: 56-33
10T. Ed Gallo: 54-27
10T. McKenzie Guardiero: 54-35
12. Andrew Benjamin: 53-36
13. Ashwin Viswanathan: 52-27
14T. Ash Camyab: 49-40
14T. Ryan Hobbs: 49-40
16. Mike Lynch: 46-28
17. Jack Buchanan: 44-22
18. Mitchell Banuelos: 39-21
19. Jeremy Cook: 14-6
20. Joshua Yale: 4-4
*Note: not all staff has picked for every event*
Ricky Simon (15-3) vs. Ray Borg (13-4)
Jeremy Brand: Simon via Round 3 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Borg via UD
Mike Skytte: Simon via UD
Michael DeSantis: Simon via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Borg via UD
Matt Bricker: Simon via UD
Connor Deitrich: Simon via UD
Ash Camyab: Borg via UD
Ryan Hobbs: Simon via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Borg via SD
Frazer Krohn: Borg via SD
McKenzie Guardiero: Simon via Round 2 TKO
Dan Rose: Borg via UD
Mike Lynch: Simon via Round 1 TKO
Ashwin Viswanathan: Simon via Round 3 TKO
Nate Freeman: Simon via UD
Jack Buchanan: Simon via UD
Joshua Yale: Simon via Round 1 TKO
Staff picking Simon: 12
Staff picking Borg: 6
Alexander Hernandez (11-2) vs. Drew Dober (22-9, 1 NC)
Jeremy Brand: Hernandez via UD
Wesley Riddle: Dober via Round 3 TKO
Mike Skytte: Dober via UD
Michael DeSantis: Hernandez via SD
Mitchell Banuelos: Dober via Round 2 TKO
Matt Bricker: Hernandez via Round 2 TKO
Connor Deitrich: Dober via Round 3 TKO
Ash Camyab: Hernandez via Round 2 TKO
Ryan Hobbs: Dober via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Hernandez via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Dober via UD
McKenzie Guardiero: Dober via Round 2 TKO
Dan Rose: Hernandez via Round 1 TKO
Mike Lynch: Dober via Round 1 TKO
Ashwin Viswanathan: Dober via UD
Nate Freeman: Hernandez via UD
Jack Buchanan: Dober via Round 3 TKO
Joshua Yale: Dober via Round 1 TKO
Staff picking Hernandez: 7
Staff picking Dober: 11
Ben Rothwell (37-12) vs. Ovince Saint Preux (24-13)
Jeremy Brand: Rothwell via UD
Wesley Riddle: Saint Preux via UD
Mike Skytte: Saint Preux via Round 3 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Saint Preux via UD
Mitchell Banuelos: Saint Preux via Round 2 SUB
Matt Bricker: Saint Preux via UD
Connor Deitrich: Rothwell via UD
Ash Camyab: Saint Preux via Round 1 TKO
Ryan Hobbs: Saint Preux via UD
Andrew Benjamin: Saint Preux via Round 1 SUB
Frazer Krohn: Saint Preux via UD
McKenzie Guardiero: Rothwell via UD
Dan Rose: Saint Preux via Round 3 SUB
Mike Lynch: Saint Preux via Round 2 SUB
Ashwin Viswanathan: Saint Preux via Round 2 SUB
Nate Freeman: Saint Preux via UD
Jack Buchanan: Rothwell via Round 3 TKO
Joshua Yale: Saint Preux via Round 1 SUB
Staff picking Rothwell: 4
Staff picking Saint Preux: 14
Anthony Smith (31-14) vs. Glover Teixeira (30-7)
Jeremy Brand: Smith via Round 1 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Smith via Round 4 TKO
Mike Skytte: Smith via UD
Michael DeSantis: Smith via Round 2 TKO
Mitchell Banuelos: Smith via Round 3 TKO
Matt Bricker: Smith via Round 1 TKO
Connor Deitrich: Smith via Round 2 TKO
Ash Camyab: Smith via Round 2 TKO
Ryan Hobbs: Smith via Round 3 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Smith via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Smith via Round 4 TKO
McKenzie Guardiero: Smith via Round 1 TKO
Dan Rose: Smith via Round 1 TKO
Mike Lynch: Smith via Round 4 TKO
Ashwin Viswanathan: Smith via Round 5 TKO
Nate Freeman: Smith via Round 3 TKO
Jack Buchanan: Smith via Round 4 TKO
Joshua Yale: Teixeira via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Smith: 17
Staff picking Teixeira: 1
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