UFC 274 is a card topped by two title fights and plenty of veteran stars. Cageside Press has its picks set for the pay-per-view card.
| Staff Writers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Prawdzik (59-22) |  |  |  |  |  |
| Justin Gibbons (56-25) | |  | | | |
| Alex Behunin (49-25) |  | | |  | |
| Gabriel Gonzalez (46-28) | | | | |  |
| Eddie Law (48-33) | | | | | |
| Jay Anderson (48-33) | | |  | | |
| Dan Doherty (41-29) | | | | | |
Headlining UFC 274 is a lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje. Oliveira, unfortunately, missed weight by a half pound and is ineligible to defend the title. Oliveira has won 10 straight fights with an unbelievable nine stoppages. Gaethje has won five of his last six fights with the one loss coming against the greatest lightweight of all time, Khabib Nurmagomedov. All but one writer picked Gaethje.
The co-main event is a rematch eight years in the making, as Rose Namajunas defends her title against Carla Esparza. Namajunas has gone through a gauntlet with wins in six of her last seven fights. She’s fought Jessica Andrade twice, Weili Zhang twice, and Joanna Jedrzejczyk twice in that stretch. Esparza, the first-ever UFC strawweight champion, has won five straight fights with a TKO in her last outing. Namajunas was picked by four of seven writers.
An entertaining scrap is expected when Tony Ferguson meets Michael Chandler. Chandler is 1-2 since joining the UFC, losing to both headliners, Oliveira and Gaethje. Ferguson has tailed off since his 12-fight win streak, losing in non-competitive fights against Oliveira, Gaethje, and Beneil Dariush. All but two writers picked Ferguson.
Another rematch takes place as Shogun Rua faces Ovince Saint Preux. OSP knocked out Rua all the way back in 2014 and has since gone 8-10. Rua has continued to win late in his career, going 5-2-1 since the loss. OSP was picked by four of seven writers.
Opening the UFC 274 main card will be veterans Joe Lauzon and Donald Cerrone. Lauzon has not fought since 2019, but is coming off a first-round knockout over Jonathan Pearce. Cerrone is winless in his last six fights, losing by knockout in four of them. All but two writers picked Cerrone.
