The Octagon heads to South America for UFC Argentina and the Cageside Press staff has its picks set for the six-fight main card.
| Staff Writers | Calvillo vs. Botelho | Cannetti vs. Vera | Ferreira vs. Heinisch | Rountree vs. Walker | Lamas vs. Elkins | Ponzinibbio vs. Magny |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heath Harshman (117-65) |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Dan Doherty (119-69) | |  | | | | |
| Paarth Pande (112-67) | | | | |  | |
| Mike Straus (112-76) |  | |  | | | |
| Eddie Law (105-66) | | | | | | |
| Josh Evanoff (57-44) | | | | | | |
| Gabriel Gonzalez (94-73) | | | | | | |
| Jay Anderson (103-85) | | | | | | |
| Mike McClory (94-81) | | | | | | |
UFC Argentina features Santiago Ponzinibbio in the main event in his home country against Neil Magny. Ponzinibbio has soared through the middleweight ranks with six consecutive victories since 2015, with Mike Perry and Gunnar Nelson topping the list. Magny is looking to extend his win streak to three after defeating Carlos Condit and a short-notice foe in Craig White. Ponzinibbio was unanimously picked by the staff.
The co-main event pits perennial top-five featherweight Ricardo Lamas against Darren Elkins. Lamas has had a tough go lately, falling to Josh Emmett and Mirsad Bektic recently. While not a member of the new guard like the aforementioned fighters, Elkins has become a legitimate threat at featherweight after rattling off six-straight wins. However, a loss to top prospect Alex Volkanovski set Elkins back a bit. All but two writers picked Lamas.
Khalil Rountree welcomes Johnny Walker to the Octagon. Rountree is unbeaten in his last four after knocking out legendary kickboxer Gokhan Saki. Walker earned a spot in the UFC after five straight finishes and a win over promotional veteran Luis Henrique da Silva on the DWTNCS. Rountree was unanimously picked.
Ian Heinisch will make his UFC debut against Cezar Ferreira. Ferreira has won five of his last six, submitting Karl Roberson last time out. Heinisch is 11-1 in his career with three straight finishes including a first-round stoppage on the DWTNCS. The Brazilian received all but one pick.
Guido Cannetti takes on Marlon Vera on the main card with home field advantage in this battle of South Americans. Cannetti is 1-1 in the Octagon, while Vera brings in a 5-4 UFC record, recently snapping a two-fight skid. Only two writers picked Cannetti over the veteran Vera.
Opening up the UFC Argentina main card is Poliana Botelho vs. Cynthia Calvillo. Calvillo was in rough shape at the weigh-ins, missing by two pounds. She has not fought since last December, when Carla Esparza handed her her first pro loss. Botelho is 2-0 in the promotion, winning in just 33 seconds in her last outing. Two writers sided with Calvillo.
