Capping off this year’s International Fight Week, UFC 290 arrives on Saturday with a considerable amount of international flavor on the card.
All four of the main and co-main event fighters, for starters, hailed from outside the United States: Australia’s Alexander Volkanovski looked to unify his featherweight title against Mexican interim champ Yair Rodriguez, while another Mexican title holder, Brandon Moreno, put his flyweight belt on the line in the co-feature opposite Brazil’s Alexandre Pantoja.
Dan Hooker of New Zealand could also be found on the main card, along with another New Zealand-born Australian in Robert Whittaker, taking on Dricus Du Plessis.
Who do we see coming out on top on the UFC 290 main card? We’ve got our picks in — read on!
| Writer / Fight | Nickal vs. Woodburn | Turner vs. Hooker | Whittaker vs. Du Plessis | Moreno vs. Pantoja | Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie Theodosi (66-39) |  |  |  |  |  |
| Alex Behunin (67-44) | | | | | |
| Val Dewar (67-45) | | | | | |
| Chris Prawdzik (67-46) | | | |  | |
| Cade Morehouse (20-15) | |  | | | |
| Jay Anderson (58-59) | | | | | |
| Dylan Rush (56-61) | | |  | | |
| Eddie Law (52-57) |  | | | |  |
There were no unanimous selections among our staff members for the UFC 290 main card, but there were plenty of locks. Only one writer responding chose against Bo Nickal in the main card opener, and for good reason. Despite being just 4-0 as a pro and facing a fellow undefeated middleweight in Val Woodburn, Nickal is one of the biggest favorites in UFC history.
One writer, likewise, chose against Robert Whittaker, who is otherwise a lock to defeat South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis.
Two of our staff members see Dan Hooker getting the better of Jalin Turner, while both Brandon Moreno and Alexander Volkanovski were heavy favorites in their title fights to close out the night.
