The UFC is in the “City of Brotherly Love” for the first time in nearly seven years this week, and the card is headlined by a potential lightweight slugfest.

UFC on ESPN 2 takes place Saturday at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The event airs on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, former WSOF lightweight champion Justin Gaethje (19-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) takes on Edson Barboza (20-6 MMA, 14-6 UFC). Barboza is just a slight favorite in the fight at -140, but it’s Gaethje with the slightest of 7-6 edges in the picks from our 13 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.

1. Barboza will leg kick even harder than the leg-kicking specialist Gaethje, and then proceed to kick Gaethje’s body and head, including and especially off the backfoot if Gaethje continues to press.
2. Mar 25, 2019 Originally intended for Gaethje’s UFC debut, Edson Barboza vs. Justin Gaethje was marked as a uniquely interesting contest since it was first possible. Gaethje’s style was doubted upon his entry into the UFC; a glutton for punishment with a wrestling pedigree he only uses for keeping the fight on the feet, Gaethje’s first fight with the promotion was against a top-5 lightweight and an.

Barboza Gaethje Predictions Nfl

Former two-division WSOF champion David Branch (22-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) meets Jack Hermansson (18-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in the middleweight co-feature. Hermansson is a very mild favorite at -130, but he has an 8-5 advantage in the picks from our staff members.

Also on the main card, Josh Emmett (13-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) meets Michael Johnson (19-13 MMA, 11-9 UFC) at lightweight in a fight that is split down the middle as a pick’em with the oddsmakers. But Johnson has a big lead in our picks at 9-4.

Former women’s strawweight title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz (12-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) takes on former Invicta FC atomweight champion Michelle Waterson (16-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC) in a bout at 115 pounds on the main card. Kowalkiewicz is the favorite at -160, but she’s just a 7-6 leader in the picks.

Barboza Gaethje Predictions Ufc

Kennedy Nzechukwu (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) nearly is a 2-1 favorite over Paul Craig (10-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in their light heavyweight fight, but he’s one of two 11-2 picks on the main card.

Oct 12, 2020 Barboza faced Justin Gaethje in March 2019, but did not make it past the first round. As ‘Junior’ was circling away, Gaethje threw an overhand right that was on the button to knock him out cold. Barboza has faced both the aforementioned fighters and made a prediction based on his experience. Do you agree with him? Mar 26, 2019 UFC on ESPN: Gaethje vs. Barboza previews, predictions, coverage, odds, more Pull No Punches 11 - Sarah Kaufman on PFL, Conor McGregor reports, future of streaming Video: UFC fighters predict.

The other blowout at 11-2 is Sodiq Yusuff (8-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who opens the main card at featherweight against Sheymon Moraes (11-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC). And though Yusuff is only a -145 favorite, he has a huge lead from our staff members.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Gaethje (54 percent), Branch (65 percent), Johnson (56 percent), Kowalkiewicz (63 percent), Nzechukwu (72 percent) and Yusuff (55 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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