UFC 259 predictions: Who are we picking in the three title fights?
| Blachowicz vs. Adesanya |
Nunes vs. Anderson |
Yan vs. Sterling |
Dober vs. Makhachev |
Rakic vs. Santos |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2021: 18-15 |
Blachowicz (52%) |
Nunes (84%) |
Yan (57%) |
Makhachev (74%) |
Santos (58%) |
| Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2021: 21-12 2020 Champion |
Adesanya |
Nunes |
Sterling |
Makhachev |
Rakic |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2021: 21-12 |
Blachowicz |
Nunes |
Yan |
Makhachev |
Santos |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2021: 20-13 |
Adesanya |
Nunes |
Sterling |
Makhachev |
Santos |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2021: 19-14 2018 Champion |
Blachowicz |
Nunes |
Sterling |
Makhachev |
Rakic |
| John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2021: 19-14 |
Adesanya |
Nunes |
Sterling |
Makhachev |
Rakic |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 2021: 18-15 |
Blachowicz |
Nunes |
Sterling |
Makhachev |
Santos |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 2021: 18-15 2017 Champion |
Blachowicz |
Nunes |
Sterling |
Makhachev |
Rakic |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2021: 17-16 |
Adesanya |
Nunes |
Yan |
Makhachev |
Rakic |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2021: 17-16 |
Blachowicz |
Nunes |
Sterling |
Makhachev |
Santos |
| Simon Head @simonhead 2021: 17-16 2019 Champion* |
Adesanya |
Nunes |
Yan |
Makhachev |
Rakic |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2021: 17-16 2014 Champion |
Adesanya |
Nunes |
Sterling |
Makhachev |
Santos |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2021: 16-17 |
Adesanya |
Nunes |
Yan |
Makhachev |
Santos |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 2021: 15-18 |
Blachowicz |
Nunes |
Yan |
Makhachev |
Rakic |
The UFC one of its biggest events in recent memory this week with three title fights atop the bill.
UFC 259 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, Jan Blachowicz (27-8 MMA, 10-5 UFC) puts his light heavyweight title on the line against middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (20-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC), who will attempt to become the UFC’s latest two-division champ. Despite moving up a weight class, the unbeaten Adesanya is a -250 favorite at BetMGM, but he’s only got the slimmest possible 7-6 lead from our 13 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts.
In the co-feature, women’s bantamweight and featherweight champ Amanda Nunes (20-4 MMA, 13-1 UFC) puts her 145-pound title up against challenger Megan Anderson (10-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC). Nunes is a massive 10-1 favorite, so a win for Anderson would be one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. Not surprisingly, Nunes is one of two unanimous picks on the main card.
It’s a close fight from a betting perspective between bantamweight champ Petr Yan (15-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and challenger Aljamain Sterling (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC). The fight nearly is a pick’em with Yan at -115 and Sterling at -105. But our pickers are siding with Sterling, 8-5, to become the new champ.
The second biggest favorite on the entire card is lightweight Islam Makhachev (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC), who is -375 against Drew Dober (23-9 MMA, 9-5 UFC). Makhachev also is a 13-0 unanimous pick from our staff members.
And to open the main card, Aleksandar Rakic (13-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is a -160 favorite against Thiago Santos (21-8 MMA, 13-7 UFC) at light heayweight, but he’s got a narrow 7-6 picks lead.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Blachowicz (52 percent), Nunes (84 percent), Yan (57 percent), Makhachev (74 percent) and Santos (58 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.