A few main events later and Jack Hermansson will face Marvin Vettori to headline UFC Vegas 16. Cageside Press has its picks set.
| Staff Writers | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Fortune (146-73) |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Jay Anderson (143-76) | | |  | |  | |
| Joe McDonagh (123-80) |  | | | | | |
| Mike McClory (60-43) | | | | | | |
| Gabriel Gonzalez (123-96) | | | | | | |
| Dan Doherty (120-94) | | | |  | | |
| Dylan Bowker (107-88) | | | | | | |
| Justin Gibbons (100-83) | | | | | | |
| Doug Murray (7-5) | | | | | | |
The main event of UFC Vegas 16 went from Jack Hermansson vs. Darren Till, to Jack Hermansson vs. Kevin Holland, and finally, to Jack Hermansson vs. Marvin Vettori fairly quickly. Vettori is a much different opponent than Hermansson originally was preparing for in both Till and Holland, making it a challenge to keep his hot streak going, during which he’s won five of six fights. After a 2-2-1 start to his UFC run, Vettori has been putting things together with three consecutive wins heading into the main event. Hermansson was picked unanimously.
The co-main event pits Ovince Saint Preux against Jamahal Hill. Saint Preux returned to light heavyweight in his last contest, knocking out Alonzo Menifield in the second round. Hill is undefeated and is coming off a quick knockout that was eventually overturned due to a positive marijuana test. Saint Preux was slightly favored with five picks to four.
Gabriel Benitez will look to get back on track against Justin Jaynes. Benitez started his UFC career with a 5-2 run, but has been defeated twice since then. Jaynes is 1-1 in the Octagon with a win over Frank Camacho. Benitez received six of nine picks.
Flyweights Montana De La Rosa and Taila Santos square off. De La Rosa impressively won her first three bouts in the Octagon, but is 1-2 since then. Santos is 16-2 in her career with 12 stoppages and is coming off a win over Molly McCann. Santos was picked by six of nine writers.
Undefeated Georgian prospect Roman Dolidze faces John Allan. Dolidze is 7-0 with seven stoppages and the latest coming in the UFC. Allan defeated Mike Rodriguez in his promotional debut, but it was overturned after testing positive for a banned substance. Dolidze was unanimously picked.
Opening up the UFC Vegas 16 main card will be prospects Movsar Evloev and Nate Landwehr. Evloev is a former M-1 champion who’s looked dominant in the UFC at 3-0. Landwehr is also a former M-1 champion and is coming off a win over veteran Darren Elkins. Evloev was picked by six of nine writers.
