MMA Scribbles Newsletter-UFC 270 Main Card Picks - Issue #36

UFC 270 Picks

This year, I want to start submitting my main card picks for as many MMA events as possible, not just UFC events. For those that listen to Coast-2-Coast Combat Hour, you know that on the week of an event, mainly UFC pay-per-views I do my picks with my cohost first before submitting them to the places I write. Since one of them has created a ridiculously bad deadline to submit them(more on that below), I don’t want the fun to be taken out of doing them so I will be publishing here first before I do them anywhere. Hope they help you out and you enjoy them.

When I started drafting my picks for Sherdog and MMANews.com the lineup for UFC 270 is only four fights, with two title fights. Then, they updated the card and bumped up the middleweight bout of Rodolfo Vieira vs. Wellington Turman to the main card opener. The above Tweet by the homie, MMA Junkie’s Nolan King is a follow-up to the protocols he wrote about at the start of the year. At mid-week, this is the best I can do with making picks.

To sum it up for fight fans, there are three chances for fighters to get pulled due to COVID 19 protocols. First, the at-home test, the fight week arrival test, then finally the weigh-in day test. UFC Vegas 46 got whittled down to 10 fights so the change in protocols doesn’t surprise me but fans should expect shaky cards for the first half of the year.

With that in mind, here are my picks. I’m including the odds from DraftKings so if you want to sign up and get in on the action, use my referral link. Especially you newbies from NYC.

There’s a lot to look at in this match-up, especially since the two men have history of training with one another. Ngannoe is a power puncher with the speed to make him just as dangerous and Gane is a very technical striker that went undefeated in Muay Thai. Both men like to hit so that might be the contest we see, or it could make one of these heavy hitters test their grappling against each other. That’s where I think Gane has the edge, he may also have the technical edge in striking but Ngannou has more than a puncher’s chance in any fight. It’s a coin toss, but I think Gane can win this. Pick: Cyril Gane

Nobody asked for this fight but I’m 100% here for it. The first one was a draw, the second a finish that had Moreno crowned champion via submission. This one will take the cake but I find it hard to pick against Moreno. As good as Figueiredo was as a champ, preparedness always seemed to be an issue for him in the past, and it never seemed like something he resolved in the last fight. I think Moreno puts a stamp on the flyweight title this time around. Pick: Brandon Moreno

I expect a knockout here and I expect a possible “fight of the night” candidacy as well. Both men are on win streaks and have on their resumes, a hefty number of knockouts on their win records. This is Fialho’s UFC debut and enough fighters have talked about “UFC jitters’ ‘ enough to make me think this is a big ask for the first fight in the UFC in the first pay-per-view of the year. Pick: Michel Pereira

Coming off two losses, Stamann has a lot of motivation to start the main card off with a win. However, with someone like Nurmagomedov in his path, that will be easier said than done. Most of Stamann’s wins come by way of decision and Nurmagomedov’s only two losses are by decision but that does not mean it can be done easily. That last name coming from Dagestan in MMA usually makes it hard to pick against. Pick: Said Nurmagomedov

Viera is a heavy favorite here and considering his 8-1 record, it’s easy to see why. Seven of his eight wins came by way of submission, with his last win earning a performance of the night bonus for his third-round rear-naked choke win over Dustin Stoltzfus. Still, Turman brings more experience and while he has some losses on his record, he’s never lost by submission, the bread, and butter of Vieira. I think Turman can pull off a win here. Pick: Wellington Turman

My parlay for subscribers is:

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