UFC 250 is upon us.
The event will be held inside the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada tomorrow night (June 6). No fans will be in attendance. Headlining the card will be a women’s featherweight title clash between champion Amanda Nunes and Felicia Spencer. The co-main event will see bantamweight action as former 135-pound champion Cody Garbrandt goes one-on-one with Raphael Assuncao. Also featured on the main card will be a bantamweight battle between Aljamain Sterling and Cory Sandhagen.
MMA News continues to keep you posted on the latest UFC 250 updates. Earlier today, we covered the weigh-ins, which you can see the results for here. Myself, Ed Carbajal, and Andrew Ravens have once again linked up to provide main card predictions for UFC 250.
Take a look at the bouts set for the main card:
- Amanda Nunes vs. Felicia Spencer – featherweight title fight
- Raphael Assuncao vs. Cody Garbrandt – bantamweight bout
- Aljamain Sterling vs. Cory Sandhagen – bantamweight bout
- Neil Magny vs. Anthony Rocco Martin – welterweight bout
- Sean O’Malley vs. Eddie Wineland – bantamweight bout
Amanda Nunes vs. Felicia Spencer
Fernando Quiles Jr.: Felicia Spencer is game as she demonstrated in her unanimous decision loss to Cris Cyborg. She is deserving of a title shot against Amanda Nunes but I can see Nunes being in control for five rounds. If the fight stays on the feet, Spencer may just be tough enough to eat Nunes’ shots but I don’t think she’ll be able to pull off the upset. (Prediction: Amanda Nunes)
Ed Carbajal: Nunes has seemed unbeatable for a while now but Spencer is no slouch. She’s a former Invicta FC champion who had not suffered a loss until she faced Cris Cyborg. Still, it’s hard to pick against Nunes but I do not think it will be an easy fight for her, and I would not be surprised if Spencer surprises fans. (Prediction: Amanda Nunes)
Andrew Ravens: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s extremely hard to pick against Nunes. Sure, people will see this fight on paper and think that Nunes will run through Spencer just like she’s done to others before. I can’t argue against that belief, but there might be other things outside of the Octagon that could prevent Nunes from competing at her maximum performance and lead to a closer fight than most people consider. Nunes had to delay the fight due to training issues and perhaps, she is looking over Spencer. Most thought Nunes would run through Germaine de Randamie in her previous fight and that went the distance. However, I see Nunes getting the KO win in the fourth round. (Prediction: Amanda Nunes)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Amanda Nunes
Cody Garbrandt vs. Raphael Assuncao
Fernando Quiles Jr.: Cody Garbrandt’s back is against the wall here. Coming off three straight finishing losses, it’ll be easy for fight fans to write off “No Love” if he is defeated at the hands of Raphael Assuncao. I think Garbrandt snaps the skid, however. Assuncao is a formidable foe but even if Garbrandt hasn’t changed up his style, I see him clipping the Brazilian and finishing him off via TKO. (Prediction: Cody Garbrandt)
Ed Carbajal: Garbrandt suffered three tough losses and you have to wonder how ready he is for a return. While he has shown to be one the best and more evolved fighters out of Team Alpha Male, he is having a rough road getting back in the win column. This match against Assuncao will tell a lot about where he is in his career, but he’s hard to pick here. (Prediction: Raphael Assuncao)
Andrew Ravens: There’s a lot of unknowns in this bout as Assuncao was on a four-fight winning streak up until his previous two bouts while Garbrandt has dropped his last three fights with two of those coming to TJ Dillashaw. The big question is can Garbrandt get back on track, but it’s not going to be easy by going up against the always tough Assuncao. I’ll go with Gargrandt to walk away with the razor-close split decision. (Prediction: Cody Garbrandt)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Cody Garbrandt
Aljamain Sterling vs. Cory Sandhagen
Fernando Quiles Jr.: This could very well be the most technical fight on the card. Aljamain Sterling’s movement gave Pedro Munhoz fits in his last outing but Cory Sandhagen is also a smart fighter. I think this one could come down to the wire and may result in controversy if it goes to the judges’ scorecards. I’ll pick Sterling to edge it out.
Ed Carbajal: Sterling is going to have a tough fight against Sandhagen but he has shown he wants a title shot, probably more than most bantamweights as of late. With the title vacant, both men want to make the claim to be next. I think Sterling is ready. (Prediction: Aljamain Sterling)
Andrew Ravens: In my opinion, this is the hardest fight to pick because you have two of the top tier fighters in the division. In fact, you could make the case that either guy deserves a title shot and could be the next in line to get one. A #1 contender’s fight in the works here? It’s a real coin flip here but I have to side with Sandhagen due to his lengthy winning streak heading into the fight. Sandhagen gets it done by decision. (Prediction: Cory Sandhagen)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Aljamain Sterling
Anthony Rocco Martin vs. Neil Magny
Fernando Quiles Jr.: Anthony Rocco Martin is coming off a big win over Ramazan Emeev. The sambo/freestyle wrestling of Emeev didn’t faze Rocco in that bout, which could be bad news for Neil Magny. If Magny is to win this fight, he’ll want to utilize his reach advantage to frustrate Rocco. In the end, I see Rocco pulling off a victory by closing the distance. (Prediction: Anthony Rocco Martin)
Ed Carbajal: I like this fight but at welterweight it seems like Magny might be too big for Martin here. The height and reach advantage make me think Magny has too many advantages. Also, Magny was really impressive in his last outing where he seemed to be counted out so there are too many reasons not to pick him. (Prediction: Neil Magny)
Andrew Ravens: Here’s two guys that have had recent winning streaks only to be snapped and then seeing them rebounded with wins. Martin probably doesn’t get enough credit for his performances inside of the Octagon. Especially, when looking at this fight on paper, most will side with Magny and I am one of them. It’ll be a decent fight that sees Magny get the split decision nod. (Prediction: Neil Magny)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Neil Magny
Sean O’Malley vs. Eddie Wineland
Fernando Quiles Jr.: This is good matchmaking. Having prospect Sean O’Malley fight a seasoned, but beatable veteran in Eddie Wineland should show us where the “Sugar” show is at in his young MMA career. Wineland struggles with opponents who keep their distance utilizing kicks. I think O’Malley will pepper Wineland with kicks and then finish him via TKO (Prediction: Sean O’Malley)
Ed Carbajal: O’Malley has the physique that just seems to favor combat sports athletes and his submission game seems to be better than most folks are aware. He likely has a reach advantage over Wineland too but Wineland can certainly still put him away. It still seems like O’Malley has the tools to win here. (Prediction: Sean O’Malley)
Andrew Ravens: I think it’ll be hard to find anyone that believes Wineland has a shot against the rising prospect. Don’t get me wrong, Wineland is a tough veteran but there is a lot of upside for Sean and it appears to be a slight test by UFC officials, but a fight that they know Sean can win and do so over a name that the hardcore fans know. O’Malley walks away with the decision win. (Prediction: Sean O’Malley)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Sean O’Malley
That’ll do it for the UFC 250 predictions. Do you agree with the MMA News staffers? Who do you think will emerge victorious on the main card? Give us your predictions in the comments below and be sure to stick with us for live coverage of UFC 250.
