UFC 290 predictions: Who’s picking upsets in Volkanovski-Rodriguez, Moreno-Pantoja title fights?
The UFC is on pay-per-view from Las Vegas with two title fights to close out International Fight Week.
UFC 290 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Get pick results from our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers and analysis below.
Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window. Odds listed are via BetMGM Sportsbook.
Bo Nickal vs. Val Woodburn
Records: Nickal (4-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Woodburn (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Betting odds: Nickal -2500, Woodburn +1100
Junkie pick results: Nickal 11, Woodburn 0
Odds and ends: Woodburn stepped up on short notice after Nickal lost his original opponent, Tresean Gore, after fight week already had started. This is Nickal’s second UFC fight, and second on the main card of a pay-per-view. In his promotional debut at UFC 285, he was a unanimous pick from our staff, as well, and backed it up with a quick submission of Jamie Pickett.
Dan Hooker vs. Jalin Turner
Records: Hooker (22-12 MMA, 12-8 UFC), Turner (13-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC)
Betting odds: Turner -275, Hooker +225
Junkie pick results: Turner 10, Hooker 1
Odds and ends: His last time out against Mateusz Gamrot, Turner dropped a split decision and only picked up three nods in our staff picks. It’s a much different story this time with Turner a sizable favorite, and just one picker thinking upset.
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Robert Whittaker
Records: Du Plessis (19-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC), Whittaker (25-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC)
Betting odds: Whittaker -400, Du Plessis +300
Junkie pick results: Whittaker 10, Du Plessis 1
Odds and ends: Former welterweight champ Whittaker is a near-unanimous pick at 10-1. Du Plessis closed as the favorite in each of his five UFC fights until now.
Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja
Records: Moreno (21-6-2 MMA, 9-3-2 UFC), Pantoja (25-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC)
Betting odds: Moreno -225, Pantoja +175
Junkie pick results: Moreno 10, Pantoja 1
Odds and ends: Even though Pantoja holds a submission win over Moreno from several years ago, only one of our staff pickers is taking him in an upset to win the flyweight title. Moreno lost the belt in his first attempted defense only to recapture it. A win would e his first successful defense.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez
Records: Volkanovski (25-2 MMA, 12-1 UFC), Rodriguez (16-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC)
Betting odds: Volkanovski -350, Rodriguez +260
Junkie pick results: Volkanovski 8, Rodriguez 3
Odds and ends: Volkanovski already can say he’s the best featherweight of all time, and despite a failed attempt at the lightweight title his last time out, he’s a big favorite against interim champ Rodriguez in the headliner. Still, three of our pickers are calling a title change.
Preliminary card picks
Although fights on the prelims don’t count toward the standings in the MMA Junkie staff picks, we still pick each fight. Here are some key results.
The prelims were filled with unanimous picks from the 11 Junkie staff members this event. Cameron Saaiman (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was a unanimous pick (11-0) for his bantamweight fight against promotional newcomer Terrence Mitchell (15-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC). Saiman is a -550 favorite.
One spot up the card, Vitor Petrino (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is a unanimous pick at light heavyweight against Marcin Prachnio (16-6 MMA, 3-4 UFC). Petrino is a -240 betting favorite.
And to close out the ESPN+ early prelims, Tatsuro Taira (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is a huge 10-1 favorite against Edgar Chairez (10-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at flyweight and is a unanimous pick.
Yazmin Jauregui (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) got a unanimous nod from our staff members for her women’s strawweight bout against Denise Gomes (7-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC). Jauregui is a 4-1 favorite.
And Jack Della Maddalena (14-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is a 9-1 favorite against short-notice replacement Josiah Harrell (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at welterweight. Not surprisingly, he’s an 11-0 pick from our staff members, as well.
Our staff was split on the Robbie Lawler (29-16 MMA, 14-10 UFC) retirement fight against Niko Price (15-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) that closes out the prelims. Lawler, a former welterweight champion, is about a 2-1 underdog in what he says will be his final fight. But -230 favorite Price has just a 6-5 edge from our staff pickers.
And another close set of picks is at light heavyweight between Jimmy Crute (12-3-1 MMA, 4-3-1 UFC) and Alonzo Menifield (13-3-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC). That bout has the closest betting odds on the entire card with Crute just a slight favorite, and he has a 6-5 edge in our picks.
Check out all the main card picks below.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 47.
UFC 290 main card picks
Volkanovski | Moreno | Du Plessis | Hooker | Nickal | |
MMA Junkie readers’ | 
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Simon Samano | 
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Nolan King |
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Matthew Wells |
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Matt Erickson |
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George Garcia |
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Mike Bohn  2014 Champion |
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Ken Hathaway 2018, 2022 Champion |
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Farah Hannoun |
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Abbey Subhan |
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Brian Garcia 2017 Champion |
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Danny Segura |
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