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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Matt Erickson

UFC on ESPN 41 predictions: Five blowout picks, but what’s our one iffy fight?

Cruz
vs.
Vera
Landwehr
vs.
Onama
Jauregui
vs.
Lucindo
Clark
vs.
Murzakanov
Cachoeira
vs.
Lipski
Meerschaert
vs.
Silva
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
131-79

Vera
(58%)

Onama
(77%)

Jauregui
(84%)

Murzakanov
(79%)

Lipski
(74%)

Silva
(76%)
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
143-72
2018 Champion

Vera

Onama

Jauregui

Murzakanov

Cachoeira

Silva
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
139-76

Cruz

Onama

Jauregui

Murzakanov

Lipski

Silva
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
137-78
2014 Champion

Cruz

Onama

Jauregui

Murzakanov

Lipski

Silva
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
135-80

Vera

Onama

Jauregui

Murzakanov

Lipski

Silva
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
132-83

Cruz

Onama

Jauregui

Murzakanov

Lipski

Silva
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
131-84

Vera

Onama

Jauregui

Murzakanov

Lipski

Silva
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
130-85

Vera

Onama

Jauregui

Murzakanov

Lipski

Silva
Nolan King
@mma_kings
127-88

Vera

Onama

Jauregui

Clark

Lipski

Silva
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
126-89
2017 Champion

Cruz

Onama

Jauregui

Murzakanov

Lipski

Silva
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
117-98

Vera

Landwehr

Jauregui

Murzakanov

Lipski

Meerschaert
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
104-111

Vera

Onama

Jauregui

Murzakanov

Lipski

Silva

The UFC is in Southern California this week with a key bantamweight fight atop the card.

UFC on ESPN 41 takes place Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz (24-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) takes on Marlon Vera (21-7-1 MMA, 13-6 UFC). Vera is a sizable -250 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Cruz is +190. But it’s not a blowout with our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers, who are siding with Vera at a 7-4 clip.

In the co-main event, Nate Landwehr (15-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) meets David Onama (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at featherweight. Onama is the biggest favorite on the main card at -320, and he’s a near-unanimous pick from our staff members at 10-1.

The only unanimous pick on the main card is Yazmin Jauregui (8-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in her promotional debut against fellow debtante Iasmin Lucindo (13-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC). Jauregui is more than a 2-1 favorite in the women’s strawweight bout and has an 11-0 shutout in the picks.

The closest fight from a betting perspective is between Devin Clark (13-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) and Azamat Murzakanov (11-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at light heavyweight. Murzakanov is just a -155 favorite, but he’s a near-unanimous pick at 10-1.

Another near-unanimous choice is Ariane Lipski (14-7 MMA, 3-4 UFC) in her women’s flyweight bout against Priscila Cachoeira (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC). Lipski is a -210 favorite and has a 10-1 blowout in the picks.

And to open the main card, Gerald Meerschaert (34-15 MMA, 9-7 UFC) is a heavy underdog at middleweight against Bruno Silva (22-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC), who is a 3-1 favorite and has a 10-1 near shutout from our staff members.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Vera (58 percent), Onama (77 percent), Jauregui (84 percent), Murzakanov (79 percent), Lipski (74 percent) and Silva (76 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 41.

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