UFC Vegas 319: Du Plessis vs. Chimaev picks and predictions
See who we think will win in the Windy City this weekend.
The UFC rolls into Chicago this weekend with a pretty stacked card. It would have been very stacked if not for some late cancellations, but we can’t get too mad at that. In the main event is one of the more anticipated fights of the year with Dricus du Plessis defending his UFC middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev.
The co-main is an intriguing bout between top featherweight Lerone Murphy and former Bellator man Aaron Pico. The main card also has Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates (that could be very good), Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page (a fascinating style match-up) and Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura (a meeting of title challengers past and present).
The pick of the prelims include Edson Barboza vs. Drakkar Klose, Chase Hooper vs Alexander Hernandez and Bryan Battle vs. Nursulton Ruziboev.
We’ve done our best to pick winners here, as well as the over/under on the PPV main card fights. Last week we did very well. Four of us went 12-4, while Blaine led us all with a 13-3 record. Nate, who picks just moneylines and not over over/unders, went 9-2 and pushed his year-long record to an incredible 212-94!
I remain in the lead, by a very short margin, after I hit on my lock pick last week (Jean Matsumoto). Everyone else hit, too, so Kristen and Miguel remain right on my tail.
We’re all picking different locks this week, though. And it’s a card that’s pretty tough to call, so there might be an opportunity for someone to take the lead (or for me to expand my buffer zone).
Scroll down to see who we are picking. If you’re using this info for betting purposes, please do so responsibly.
Leader board
Dricus Du Plessis (+165) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (-195)
Miguel Class: I’m equal parts perplexed and intrigued by this fight. DDP and Chimaev represent complete polar opposites. On the one hand, DDP is one of the most unlikely champions I’ve ever witnessed…