Hard-hitting light heavyweights take center stage at UFC Vegas 50 as Thiago Santos takes on Magomed Ankalaev. Cageside Press has its picks set.
| Staff Writers | Dober vs. McKinney | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dylan Bowker (26-10) |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Alex Behunin (25-11) | |  | | | | |
| Justin Gibbons (25-11) | | | |  |  | |
| Chris Prawdzik (24-12) | | | | | | |
| Gabriel Gonzalez (22-14) |  | | | | | |
| Jay Anderson (21-15) | | | | | | |
| Dan Doherty (19-17) | | | | | | |
| Derek Kibler (4-1) | | | | | | |
The main event of UFC Vegas 50 pits former title challenger Thiago Santos against rising contender Magomed Ankalaev. Santos got back on track most recently, snapping a three-fight losing streak with a win over Johnny Walker. Ankalaev has been on a tear, winning seven-straight fights with four knockouts after dropping his promotional debut. Ankalaev was unanimously picked.
Another former title challenger enters the cage tonight as Marlon Moraes takes on Song Yadong in the co-main event. Moraes has been struggling recently, losing four of his last five fights with the lone win being a controversial split decision over Jose Aldo. Yadong is 7-1-1 in the Octagon, winning his last two fights. Cageside Press was split at four picks apiece.
Bantamweights hit the cage as Sodiq Yusuff battles Alex Caceres. Yusuff suffered his first loss in the Octagon last time out, falling to Arnold Allen. Caceres comes in on a career-high five-fight win streak. All but one writer picked Yusuff.
Big light heavyweights Khalil Rountree and Karl Roberson square off on the main card. Rountree won via leg kick TKO in his last fight, snapping a two-fight losing streak. Roberson is 4-4 in the Octagon, losing by submission in each loss. He’ll be attempting to snap a two-fight losing streak. Rountree was unanimously picked.
Terrance McKinney tries to keep his hot streak going when he steps in to fight Drew Dober. McKinney is 2-0 in the Octagon with a pair of first-round stoppages, winning just two weeks ago. Dober rode a three-fight win streak into 2021, but has lost in his last two fights. McKinney was picked by six of eight writers.
Standout kickboxer Alex Pereira enters the Octagon for the second time, taking on Bruno Silva. Pereira is 33-7 in professional kickboxing with wins over Israel Adesanya and has four straight knockouts in MMA. Silva is 3-0 in the Octagon with three knockouts. All but one writer picked Pereira.
