Two events remain for MMASucka staff picks in 2023.
The calendar year nears its end with UFC Vegas 83, also titled as UFC Fight Night 233, taking place later tonight, December 9th, from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Originally, the card was set to take place in Shanghai, China but was moved for unknown reasons to the company’s headquarters. Preliminary fights kick off at 7:30pm ET (4:30pm PT) followed by the main card at 10:00pm ET (7:00pm PT) with all fights available on ESPN+.
Stay tuned here at MMASucka for results from all of UFC Vegas 83: Song vs. Gutierrez.
The Fights
Exciting bantamweight talents of Song Yadong and Chris Gutierrez will clash in the night’s featured five-round main event. Gutierrez stepped in on short notice after former UFC Bantamweight Champion, Petr Yan, was forced out due to injury.
26-year-old Yadong has looked nothing short of impressive in his twelve UFC fights since November of 2017. The Team Alpha Male talent will make his third consecutive headlining appearance with the promotion after dropping a fourth-round doctor stoppage to Cory Sandhagen in September of last year followed by his one appearance in 2023 with an April knockout in the fifth round over Ricky Simon. Yadong’s opponent, Gutierrez, makes what will be his first main event in twelve UFC fights and his 28th professionally in just over ten years. A seven-victory octagon run was snapped in April to Pedro Munhoz but found victory with a decision over Alateng Heili in October as tonight the former two-promotional Champion makes a sub-two month turnaround.
In tonight’s co-main event, 20-fight UFC contender and former title challenger Anthony Smith battles The Ultimate Fighter 23 finalist Khalil Rountree Jr in the light heavyweight division. The fight comes as another late change after Rountree Jr. was rescheduled out of his UFC on ESPN 52 fight from December 2nd after Azamat Murzakanov was forced out due to health issues.
Three additional fights compose the awaiting main card as The Ultimate Fighter 24 winner Tim Elliott, 28-year-old Nasrat Haqparast, and South Korea’s Jun Yong Park take on Sino-Tibetan talent Sumudaerji, Australia’s Jamie Mullarkey, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Andre Muniz, respectively. See further below for our UFC Vegas 83: Song vs. Gutierrez picks.
This main event will be nonstop action from the jump 💪@SongYaDongLFG vs @CGutierrezMMA #UFCVegas83 | TOMORROW | Live on ESPN+ 📺 pic.twitter.com/BDjgVMZiMm
— UFC (@ufc) December 8, 2023
2023 Staff Picks
MMASucka staff picks are composed of five promotions: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator MMA, ONE Championship, the Professional Fighters League (PFL), and Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS). UFC and Bellator events feature picks from only main cards. PFL will feature select fights from the main and/or preliminary card while DWCS sees all fights counted from the event. ONE Championship returns to picks for the first time since 2020 and will feature only mixed martial arts (MMA) fights selected from cards with a minimum three matchups.
The WINNER of staff picks at the end of 2023, who picked the most victorious fighters, will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a chain from Championship Chains. Staff picks in 2022 was won by Wesley Riddle with a record of 264-135.
Take a look at our picks and predictions for UFC Vegas 83: Song vs. Gutierrez below.
Staff Records after UFC Vegas 52:
1. Ben Jamieson: 292-146
2. Michael DeSantis: 283-151
3. Nate Freeman: 277-161
4. Jeremy Brand: 274-164
5. Wesley Riddle: 271-167
6. Frazer Krohn: 263-168
7. Julio Monteros Jr.: 243-133
8. Andrew Benjamin: 204-174
9. Jack Goodwillie: 148-83
10. Brian Knight: 140-84
11. Tim Wheaton: 105-60
12. Roemello Reyes: 62-34
13. Jonathan Andrade: 31-24
14. Brandon Joint: 12-9
15T. Andrew Harbaugh: 10-7
15T. Chris De Santiago: 10-7
17. Joshua Yule: 7-6
18. Antwyn Jackson: 5-6
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Jun Yong Park (17-5), -180
vs.
Andre Muniz (23-6), +150
Middleweight Division
– 185 LBS. ~ 83.9 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Yong Park via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Muniz via Round 2 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Yong Park via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Yong Park via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Yong Park via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Yong Park via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Muniz via Round 2 SUB
Staff picking Yong Park: 5
Staff picking Muniz: 1
Tim Elliott (19-13-1), -155
vs.
Sumudaerji (16-5), +130
Bantamweight Division
– 135 LBS. ~ 61.2 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Elliott via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Sumudaerji via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Elliott via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Elliott via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Elliott via Split Decision
Ben Jamieson: Elliott via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Elliott via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Elliott: 5
Staff picking Sumudaerji: 1
Nasrat Haqparast (15-5), -192
vs.
Jamie Mullarkey (17-6), +160
Middleweight Division
– 185 LBS. ~ 83.9 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Haqparast via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Haqparast via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Haqparast via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Mullarkey via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Haqparast via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Haqparast via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Mullarkey via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Haqparast: 5
Staff picking Mullarkey: 1
Anthony Smith (37-18), +164
vs.
Khalil Rountree Jr. (13-5), -198
Light Heavyweight Division
– Co-Main Event –
– 205 LBS. ~ 93.0 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Rountree Jr. via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Smith via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Rountree Jr. via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Rountree Jr. via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Rountree Jr. via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Rountree Jr. via Round 3 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Rountree Jr. via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Smith: 1
Staff picking Rountree Jr.: 5
Song Yadong (20-7-1, 1 NC), -360
vs.
Chris Gutierrez (19-4-2), +285
Bantamweight Division
– Main Event –
– 135 LBS. ~ 61.2 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Yadong via Round 1 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Yadong via Round 4 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Yadong via Round 3 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Yadong via Round 3 TKO
Nate Freeman: Yadong via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Yadong via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Yadong via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Yadong: 6
Staff picking Gutierrez: 0
