UFC Fight Night 218 predictions: Have our Derrick Lewis-Serghei Spivac picks changed?

Check out our staff members’ picks for UFC Fight Night 218, including the rebooked Derrick Lewis vs. Serghei Spivac heavyweight main event.

Lewis
vs.
Spivac
Clark
vs.
Jung
Ivanov
vs.
Tybura
Choi
vs.
Nelson
Fugitt
vs.
Kinoshita
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
5-5
lewis2023
Lewis
(54%)
jung2023
Jung
(80%)
tybura2023
Tybura
(82%)
choi2023
Choi
(86%)
kinoshita2023
Kinoshita
(72%)
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
8-2
lewis2023
Lewis
clark2023
Clark
tybura2023
Tybura
choi2023
Choi
kinoshita2023
Kinoshita
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
7-3
lewis2023
Lewis
jung2023
Jung
tybura2023
Tybura
choi2023
Choi
kinoshita2023
Kinoshita
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
7-3
lewis2023
Lewis
clark2023
Clark
tybura2023
Tybura
choi2023
Choi
kinoshita2023
Kinoshita
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
6-4
spivac2023
Spivac
jung2023
Jung
tybura2023
Tybura
choi2023
Choi
fugitt2023
Fugitt
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
6-4
trophy copy 2017 Champion
spivac2023
Spivac
clark2023
Clark
ivanov2023
Ivanov
choi2023
Choi
fugitt2023
Fugitt
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
6-4
lewis2023
Lewis
jung2023
Jung
tybura2023
Tybura
choi2023
Choi
kinoshita2023
Kinoshita
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
5-5
trophy copy 2018, 2022 Champion
lewis2023
Lewis
clark2023
Clark
tybura2023
Tybura
choi2023
Choi
fugitt2023
Fugitt
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
5-5
lewis2023
Lewis
jung2023
Jung
tybura2023
Tybura
choi2023
Choi
kinoshita2023
Kinoshita
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
5-5
trophy copy 2014 Champion
lewis2023
Lewis
jung2023
Jung
tybura2023
Tybura
choi2023
Choi
kinoshita2023
Kinoshita
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
4-6
lewis2023
Lewis
jung2023
Jung
tybura2023
Tybura
choi2023
Choi
kinoshita2023
Kinoshita
Nolan King
@mma_kings
4-6/em>
lewis2023
Lewis
jung2023
Jung
tybura2023
Tybura
choi2023
Choi
kinoshita2023
Kinoshita

The UFC is back in its home base after a week off, and a rebooked heavyweight clash tops the card.

UFC Fight Night 218 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, two-time heavyweight title challenger [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] (26-10 MMA, 17-8 UFC) takes on [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC). The two were supposed to headline UFC Fight Night 215 in November, but Lewis became ill during the event and wasn’t cleared to fight.

Spivac is a modest favorite at -240 at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Lewis is +180. But our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are going with him in an upset at a hefty 9-2 clip.

When our staff members first picked this fight this past November, Lewis also had a 9-2 lead in the picks. But oddly, the two pickers who took Spivac the first time switched to Lewis this week, and the two who are picking Spivac this time around had Lewis in November.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) meets [autotag]Da-un Jung[/autotag] (15-3-1 MMA, 4-1-1 UFC) at light heavyweight. Jung is a -250 favorite at the betting window and has a 7-4 edge from our pickers.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Blagoy Ivanov[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) and [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 10-6 UFC) meet at heavyweight. Tybura only is a -135 favorite in the fight, but he’s a near-unanimous pick from our staff members at 10-1.

The only unanimous pick on the main card is [autotag]Dooho Choi[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) in his featherweight bout against [autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 1-4 UFC). Choi is a betting favorite of nearly 2-1.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Adam Fugitt[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Yusaku Kinoshita[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at welterweight. Kinoshita is the biggest favorite on the main card at -350, but three of our pickers are taking Fugitt in an upset.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Lewis (54 percent), Jung (80 percent), Tybura (82 percent), Choi (86 percent) and 72 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 218.

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