UFC 247 is headlined by two dominant champions, Jon Jones and Valentina Shevchenko, defending their respective titles and Cageside Press has its picks set.
| Staff Writers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Anderson (12-3) |  |  |  |  |  |
| Ryan Fortune (12-3) | |  | | | |
| Paarth Pande (3-1) | | | |  | |
| Eddie Law (3-1) | | |  | | |
| Keith Shillan (11-4) | | | | | |
| Heath Harshman (11-4) | | | | | |
| Joe McDonagh (11-4) | | | | | |
| Jason Payne (10-5) | | | | | |
| Chris Prawdzik (10-5) | | | | | |
| Mike McClory (7-4) | | | | | |
| Dan Doherty (9-6) | | | | | |
| Dylan Bowker (9-6) |  | | | | |
| Josh Evanoff (8-7) | | | | |  |
| Gabriel Gonzalez (8-7) | | | | | |
The main event of UFC 247 features pound-for-pound great Jon Jones taking on Dominick Reyes in Jones’ second title defense since reclaiming the belt. Jones has been very active since returning from his latest suspension in 2018, going 3-0 since December 2018. Dominick Reyes will be the man across from him, looking to stay undefeated in his MMA career. Reyes is 12-0 with half of those fights in the UFC. All but one writer picked Jones.
Valentina Shevchenko will defend her flyweight title against Katlyn Chookagian in the co-main event. Since moving down to flyweight after her second bantamweight title shot, Shevchenko is 4-0 and has thoroughly dominated all comers. Chookaagian is the clearest top flyweight contender, going 4-1 in the division with the lone loss being a controversial split decision against Jessica Eye. All but one writer picked Shevchenko.
Heavyweights battle in the middle of the main card as Juan Adams takes on Justin Tafa. Adams is looking to get back to his early career success. After knocking out his first five opponents, Adams has lost two consecutive fights. Tafa has had a similar career path, knocking out his first three opponents before losing in his UFC debut. All but one writer picked Adams.
Exciting featherweights Mirsad Bektic and Dan Ige collide at UFC 247. Bektic, once a top prospect in the featherweight division, is coming off a brutal knockout loss to Josh Emmett. Ige lost his promotional debut, but has won four straight fights since. All but one writer picked Bektic.
Derrick Lewis welcomes Ilir Latifi to the heavyweight ranks. Lewis has been a fan favorite since joining the UFC in 2014, winning nearly all his fights by knockout. Latifi is only 5’10” but is trying his hand at heavyweight after losing three of his last five fights. All but one writer picked Lewis.
