| Volkanovski vs. Jung |
Sterling vs. Yan |
Burns vs. Chimaev |
Dern vs. Torres |
Madsen vs. Pichel |
|
|
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 47-19 |
 Volkanovski (76%) |
 Yan (82%) |
 Chimaev (72%) |
 Dern (68%) |
 Madsen (62%) |
|
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 47-25  2014 Champion
|
Volkanovski |
Yan |
Chimaev |
Dern |
Madsen |
|
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 47-25 |
Volkanovski |
Yan |
Chimaev |
Dern |
Madsen |
|
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 46-26 |
Volkanovski |
Yan |
Chimaev |
Dern |
Madsen |
|
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 46-26 2018 Champion
|
Volkanovski |
Yan |
Chimaev |
Dern |
Madsen |
|
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 45-27 |
Volkanovski |
 Sterling |
Chimaev |
Dern |
Madsen |
|
Nolan King @mma_kings 45-27 |
Volkanovski |
Yan |
Chimaev |
Dern |
Madsen |
|
Simon Samano @SJSamano 45-27 |
Volkanovski |
Sterling |
 Burns |
Dern |
Madsen |
|
Brian Garcia @thegoze 42-30 2017 Champion
|
Volkanovski |
Yan |
Burns |
Dern |
Madsen |
|
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 42-30 |
Volkanovski |
Sterling |
Chimaev |
 Torres |
Madsen |
|
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 41-31 |
Volkanovski |
Sterling |
Burns |
Dern |
Madsen |
|
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 31-41 |
Volkanovski |
Yan |
Burns |
Torres |
Madsen |
The UFC is back in Florida this week with two title fights at the top of the card.
UFC 273 takes place Saturday at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. 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, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (23-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) takes on challenger Chan Sung Jung (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC). Volkanovski is a huge -800 favorite at Tipico; the comeback on Jung is +470. With Volkanovski the biggest favorite on the main card, it’s no surprise our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have him as one of two unanimous picks at 11-0.
In the co-feature, bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling (20-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) meets interim champ and former titleholder Petr Yan (16-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC). Yan lost their first fight by disqualification. He’s a -475 favorite in the rematch and has a 7-4 lead in the picks.
Also on the main card, Khamzat Chimaev (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is a 5-1 favorite to stay unbeaten against former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns (20-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC). Chimaev has a 7-4 picks lead.
Mackenzie Dern (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) takes on Tecia Torres (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in a women’s strawweight bout with tight betting odds. Dern is -115, with Torres at -110. But Dern has a heavy 9-2 lead in the picks from our staff members.
And to open the main card, Mark Madsen (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is an underdog at lightweight against Vinc Pichel (14-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC), who is a a-130 favorite. The comeback on Madsen is +105. Yet all 11 of our pickers are going with Madsen as our second unanimous choice.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Volkanovski (76 percent), Yan (82 percent), Chimaev (72 percent), Dern (68 percent) and Madsen (62 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
