UFC on ESPN 34 predictions: Vicente Luque or Belal Muhammad in Las Vegas?

(Editor’s note: The main card fight between Mounir Lazzez and Ange Loosa was added too late for our staff picks deadline and is not included here.)

The UFC is back in its “Sin City” home base this week with a big welterweight fight at the top of the bill.

UFC on ESPN 34 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, Vicente Luque (21-7-1 MMA, 14-3 UFC) takes on Belal Muhammad (20-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) at 170 pounds. Luque nearly is a 2-1 favorite at -190 at Tipico; the comeback on Muhammad is +145. It’s the most contentious fight in the picks from our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers, who have Luque with just a 6-5 lead.

In the co-feature, Caio Borralho (10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) takes on Gadzhi Omargadzhiev (13-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in a battle of middleweights making their UFC debuts. Omargadzhiev is a mild favorite at -140, but it’s Borralho with a 7-4 edge in the picks.

Also on the main card, welterweight Miguel Baeza (10-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) is a -180 favorite against Andre Fialho (14-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) and has a healthy 9-2 picks lead.

Mayra Bueno Silva (7-2-1 MMA, 2-2-1 UFC) is a big -540 favorite in her women’s bantamweight bout against Wu Yanan (12-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC) and is our only unanimous pick.

And to open the main card, Pat Sabatini (16-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is a -540 favorite, as well, and is a near-unanimous pick over TJ Laramie (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at 10-1.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Luque (68 percent), Omargadzhiev (72 percent), Baeza (85 percent), Silva (82 percent) and Sabatini (89 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.