The UFC is holed up in their APEX facility in Las Vegas for another Fight Night card this Saturday, with a rather surprising main event in tow.
Sean Strickland has become a staple of the middleweight division over the past couple of years. Yet to find a fighter presumably in the title mix at 185lbs fighting an unranked opponent in a main event, which was the case with Abus Magomedov at UFC Vegas 76, was still something to talk about.
Whether it be due to a lack of viable options or because the UFC brass felt he was ready, Magomedov had a huge opportunity to make a name for himself against the out-spoken (which is putting it nicely) Strickland.
In the co-main event, Grant Dawson, still undefeated inside the octagon, was paired up with the dangerous Damir Ismagulov, coming off his first loss as a UFC fighter.
Our picks are in! Check below to see who we feel will come out on top among the UFC Vegas 76 main card fighters.
| Writer / Fight | Ruziboev vs. Ferreira | Bonfim vs. Saint-Denis | Lipski vs. Gatto | Griffin vs. Morales | Dawson vs. Ismagulov | Strickland vs. Magomedov |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie Theodosi (66-39) |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Val Dewar (65-41) | | | | |  |  |
| Alex Behunin (64-41) | | | | | | |
| Chris Prawdzik (64-43) | | | | | | |
| Cade Moorehouse (17-12) | | |  | | | |
| Jay Anderson (57-54) |  | | |  | | |
| Dylan Rush (53-58) | | | | | | |
| Eddie Law (48-55) | |  | | | | |
Rather surprisingly, there was not a single unanimous pick among our staff members this week. The closest to a consensus was the main card opener, with all but one writer responding choosing the undefeated Brunno Ferreira to beat newcomer Nursulton Ruziboev. That, despite Ruziboev having the edge in experience.
Only two fighters chose Max “Pain” Griffin and Ariane Lipski in their fights with Michael Morales and Melissa Gatto, respectively. The co-main events played out the same, with only two writers choosing Grant Dawson over Damir Ismagulov, while the main event was the closest fight to call, though Sean Strickland had a slight edge.
