The Apex Center will be in use for UFC Vegas, a Fight Night event featuring two top welterweights in the main event. Cageside Press has its picks set.
| Staff Writers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Fortune (43-17) |  |  |  |  |  |
| Keith Shillan (40-20) | | | | | |
| Jay Anderson (36-24) | | |  | |  |
| Joe McDonagh (35-25) | | | | | |
| Paarth Pande (19-14) | | | |  | |
| Dylan Bowker (25-21) | |  | | | |
| Josh Evanoff (32-28) | | | | | |
| Dan Doherty (29-26) | | | | | |
| Eddie Law (17-16) | | | | | |
| Gabriel Gonzalez (31-29) | | | | | |
| Justin Gibbons (12-12) | | | | | |
The main event of UFC Vegas is a big step up for Gilbert Burns as he takes on former champion Tyron Woodley. Burns, a former lightweight, is 3-0 since moving up to welterweight and knocked out Demian Maia last time out. Woodley hasn’t fought since last year, when he lost the title to Kamaru Usman in March. The majority of writers believe Woodley will return to form with seven of 11 siding with him.
The heavyweight division is featured in the co-main event as Blagoy Ivanov takes on Augusto Sakai. Ivanov came over to the UFC as the WSOF champion and is 2-2 since then, fighting a who’s who in the division. Sakai is a Contender Series veteran who is 3-0 in the Octagon with a pair of knockouts. Ivanov received seven of 11 picks.
Billy Quarantillo and Spike Carlyle will meet at a 150-pound catchweight. Quarantillo is a Contender Series alum who delivered a second-round submission in his UFC debut. Carlyle won with a vicious elbow TKO in his first contest in the Octagon and looks to carry that success into his second bout. Carlyle was slightly favored, receiving six of 11 picks.
Roosevelt Roberts will battle Brok Weaver, who missed weight for the contest. Roberts is 3-1 with a Performance of the Night bonus since moving to the big show from the Contender Series. Weaver had an unsatisfying UFC debut, winning after he was hit with an illegal knee in the first round. All but one writer picked Roberts.
Opening up the UFC Vegas main card will be Mackenzie Dern and Hannah Cifers. Dern is an incredibly accomplished grappler and is coming off a pregnancy that kept her out of action since October. Very quick turnaround. Cifers is 2-2 in the Octagon, losing to two of the more impressive strawweights out there in Angela Hill and Maycee Barber. Dern was unanimously picked.
