Another week, another heavyweight main event as Jair Rozenstruik and Ciryl Gane headline UFC Vegas 20. Cageside Press has its picks set.
| Staff Writer | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Doherty (19-10) |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Ryan Fortune (15-14) |  | | | | | |
| Gabriel Gonzalez (15-14) | | |  |  | |  |
| Doug Murray (14-15) | | | | | | |
| Justin Gibbons (14-15) | | | | | | |
| Heath Harshman (14-15) | | | | | | |
| Dylan Bowker (13-16) | | | | | | |
| Jason Payne (13-16) | | | | | | |
| Jay Anderson (13-16) | | | | | | |
| Josh Evanoff (12-17) | | | | | | |
| Joe McDonagh (11-18) | | | | | | |
| Alex Behunin (7-3) | | | | | | |
| Sergio Pineiro (1-5) | | | | | | |
The main event of UFC Vegas 20 is an opportunity for Ciryl Gane to establish himself as a top heavyweight contender when he takes on Jair Rozenstruik. Gane is 4-0 with three stoppages in the UFC, beating Tanner Boser and former champion Junior dos Santos most recently. Rozenstruik is 5-1 in the Octagon and just bounced back from that lone loss with a knockout against dos Santos. Gane was picked by eight of 13 writers.
A battle of Eastern European heavyweights occupies the co-main event slot as Nikita Krylov faces Magomed Ankalaev. Krylov returned to the UFC in 2018 and is 2-2 since then, defeating Ovince St. Preux and Johnny Walker. Ankalaev is on a five-fight win streak with four knockouts after his unsuccessful promotional debut. Ankalaev was unanimously picked.
Montana De La Rosa looks to get back on track against Mayra Bueno Silva. De La Rosa is 4-2 in the Octagon with three stoppages but has lost two of her last three. Silva is 2-1 with the UFC submitting both Mara Romero Borella and Gillian Robertson. All but two writers picked Silva.
Jimmie Rivera and Pedro Munhoz square off in a rematch of their 2015 bout. Rivera won the first time around, but since then, Munhoz is 7-3 while Rivera is 5-3. Munhoz comes in on a two-fight losing streak. Munhoz was slightly favored with seven of 13 picks.
Angela Hill stays active against Ashley Yoder. Hill fought four times last year, losing in her last two in controversial split decisions. Yoder snapped a two-fight losing streak in her last bout against Miranda Granger. Hill was unanimously picked.
Longtime veteran Alex Caceres faces relative newcomer Kevin Croom. Croom surprised many with a submission victory over Roosevelt Roberts in his debut a few months ago (it was later overturned due too marijuana). Caceres is on a three-fight win streak currently with a first-round submission in his last fight. All but two writers picked Caceres.
