UFC on ESPN+ 27 predictions: Is anyone picking Figueiredo over Benavidez?

The UFC returns to Virginia this week, and the vacant flyweight title is on the line at the top of the bill – but only for one of the fighters.

UFC on ESPN+ 27 takes place Saturday at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va. The card streams on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, two-time flyweight title challenger Joseph Benavidez (28-5 MMA, 15-3 UFC) gets his third crack at the belt when he takes on Deiveson Figueiredo (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC). Figueiredo is not eligible to win the title after he missed weight by 2.5 pounds Friday. Benavidez is just a slight favorite from the oddsmakers at -145, but he pitched a shutout in the picks from our 14 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.

The co-main event features one of three other unanimous picks on the five-fight main card. Felicia Spencer (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is the biggest favorite on the card at 8-1 against Zarah Fairn (6-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in their women’s featherweight bout. Not surprisingly, Spencer has a 14-0 picks shutout.

Megan Anderson (9-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC), who like Spencer is a former Invicta FC champion, also has a unanimous nod from our pickers against Norma Dumont (4-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who is making her UFC debut. Anderson is a -235 favorite in the fight.

And Grant Dawson (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who is a 4-1 favorite in his featherweight fight against Darrick Minner (24-10 MMA, 0-0 UFC), is our fourth unanimous pick in five fights on the main card.

The only contentious fight among our pickers is at light heavyweight. Still, Magomed Ankalaev (12-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), a -225 favorite, has a big lead in the picks against Ion Cutelaba (15-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC). Only three of our 14 pickers are taking Cutelaba in an upset.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Benavidez (71 percent), Spencer (95 percent), Ankalaev (63 percent), Anderson (82 percent) and Dawson (87 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.