Picking & Grinning: UFC Fight Night ‘Lineker vs. Dodson’

They are two of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s most dynamic offensive fighters.

Former Jungle Fight champ John Lineker will face “The Ultimate Fighter 14” winner John Dodson in the UFC Fight Night 96 main event (live odds) on Saturday at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. In the co-headliner, onetime Bellator MMA champion Will Brooks collides with Alex Oliveira in a pivotal battle at 155 pounds. The rest of the four-fight main card features a welterweight clash pairing Joshua Burkman with Zak Ottow and a flyweight affair pitting Louis Smolka against Brandon Moreno.

Ahead of UFC Fight Night “Lineker vs. Dodson,” members of the Sherdog.com staff swallowed their pride and put their reputations on the line with bold predictions:

Standings

Tristen Critchfield (82-41-3)
Jordan Breen (79-44-3)
Mike Fridley (78-45-3)
Brian Knapp (75-48-3)
Mike Sloan (70-53-3)

The Lineup

135: John Lineker (28-7) vs. John Dodson (18-7)
155: Will Brooks (18-1) vs. Alex Oliveira (14-4-1)
170: Joshua Burkman (28-13) vs. Zak Ottow (13-3)
125: Louis Smolka (11-1) vs. Brandon Moreno (11-3)
205: Luis Henrique da Silva (11-0) vs. Joachim Christensen (13-3)
145: Hacran Dias (23-4-1) vs. Andre Fili (15-4)
265: Shamil Abdurakhimov (16-3) vs. Walt Harris (8-4)
170: Keita Nakamura (32-7-2) vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (15-5)
185: Nate Marquardt (34-16-2) vs. Tamdan McCrory (14-4)
205: Jonathan Wilson (7-1) vs. Ion Cutelaba (11-2)
265: Cody East (12-2) vs. Curtis Blaydes (5-1)
135: Kelly Faszholz (3-1) vs. Ketlen Vieira (6-0)

The Picks

Tristen Critchfield: Dodson, Brooks, Burkman, Smolka, da Silva, Fili, Abdurakhimov, Nakamura, McCrory, Cutelaba, East, Fasholz

Jordan Breen: Lineker, Brooks, Burkman, Smolka, da Silva, Dias, Abdurakhimov, Nakamura, McCrory, Wilson, Blaydes, Vieira

Mike Fridley: Dodson, Oliveira, Burkman, Smolka, da Silva, Dias, Harris, Nakamura, Marquardt, Wilson, East, Vieira

Brian Knapp: Dodson, Brooks, Burkman, Smolka, da Silva, Dias, Abdurakhimov, Nakamura, McCrory, Cutelaba, Blaydes, Vieira

Mike Sloan: Lineker, Brooks, Burkman, Smolka, da Silva, Fili, Abdurakhimov, dos Santos, McCrory, Wilson, Blaydes, Vieira