Picking & Grinning: UFC Fight Night ‘Whittaker vs. Brunson’

Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson want a seat at the contender’s table in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The two middleweights will collide in the UFC Fight Night 101 main event on Saturday at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. Meanwhile, Australian prospect Jake Matthews takes on the once-beaten Andrew Holbrook in the lightweight co-headliner. The rest of the six-fight main draw features a welterweight clash pitting Kyle Noke against Omari Akhmedov, a featherweight tilt pairing Alex Volkanovski with Yusuke Kasuya, a light heavyweight affair matching Khalil Rountree with Tyson Pedro and a women’s strawweight encounter slotting Seo Hee Ham opposite Danielle Taylor.

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

STANDINGS

Tristen Critchfield (125-69-4)
Jordan Breen (122-72-4)
Mike Fridley (119-75-4)
Brian Knapp (115-79-4)
Mike Sloan (114-80-4)

THE LINEUP

185: Robert Whittaker (16-4) vs. Derek Brunson (16-3)
155: Jake Matthews (10-2) vs. Andrew Holbrook (11-1)
170: Kyle Noke (22-9-1) vs. Omari Akhmedov (15-4)
145: Yusuke Kasuya (9-2-2) vs. Alex Volkanovski (13-1)
205: Khalil Rountree (4-1) vs. Tyson Pedro (4-0)
115: Seo Hee Ham (16-7) vs. Danielle Taylor (7-2)
185: Daniel Kelly (11-1) vs. Chris Camozzi (24-11)
155: Jon Tuck (9-3) vs. Damien Brown (16-9)
170: Richard Walsh (9-4) vs. Jonathan Meunier (7-1)
125: Ben Nguyen (14-6) vs. Geane Herrera (9-2)
145: Dan Hooker (13-6) vs. Jason Knight (14-2)
135: Marlon Vera (7-3-1) vs. Guangyou Ning (5-3-1)
125: Zhikui Yao (2-3) vs. Jenel Lausa (6-2)

THE PICKS

Tristen Critchfield: Whittaker, Matthews, Akhmedov, Volkanovski, Rountree, Ham, Camozzi, Tuck, Walsh, Nguyen, Hooker, Vera, Lausa

Jordan Breen: Brunson, Matthews, Akhmedov, Volkanovski, Rountree, Ham, Camozzi, Tuck, Meunier, Nguyen, Knight, Ning, Lausa

Mike Fridley: Brunson, Matthews, Akhmedov, Kasuya, Rountree, Ham, Camozzi, Tuck, Meunier, Herrera, Knight, Vera, Lausa

Brian Knapp: Brunson, Matthews, Akhmedov, Volanovski, Rountree, Ham, Kelly, Tuck, Meunier, Nguyen, Knight, Vera, Lausa

Mike Sloan: Whittaker, Holbrook, Noke, Volkanovski, Rountree, Taylor, Kelly, Tuck, Meunier, Herrera, Knight, Vera, Lausa