PFL 2021, Week 1 predictions: Who are our three unanimous picks on the main card?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the PFL 2021, Week 1 main card, which includes Anthony Pettis, Natan Schulte and Lance Palmer.

Pettis
vs.
Collard
Held
vs.
Schulte
Khaybulaev
vs.
Stojadinovic
Jenkins
vs.
Palmer
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2021: 46-29
pettis2021
Pettis
(78%)
schulte2021
Schulte
(66%)
khaybulaev2021
Khaybulaev
(80%)
palmer2021
Palmer
(82%)
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2021: 49-26
pettis2021
Pettis
schulte2021
Schulte
khaybulaev2021
Khaybulaev
palmer2021
Palmer
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2021: 48-27
trophy copy 2018 Champion
pettis2021
Pettis
schulte2021
Schulte
khaybulaev2021
Khaybulaev
palmer2021
Palmer
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
2021: 47-28
pettis2021
Pettis
schulte2021
Schulte
khaybulaev2021
Khaybulaev
palmer2021
Palmer
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2021: 47-28
pettis2021
Pettis
schulte2021
Schulte
khaybulaev2021
Khaybulaev
palmer2021
Palmer
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2021: 47-28
pettis2021
Pettis
schulte2021
Schulte
khaybulaev2021
Khaybulaev
palmer2021
Palmer
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2021: 45-30
pettis2021
Pettis
schulte2021
Schulte
khaybulaev2021
Khaybulaev
palmer2021
Palmer
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2021: 45-30
trophy copy 2017 Champion
pettis2021
Pettis
schulte2021
Schulte
khaybulaev2021
Khaybulaev
palmer2021
Palmer
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2021: 44-31
trophy copy 2020 Champion
pettis2021
Pettis
schulte2021
Schulte
khaybulaev2021
Khaybulaev
palmer2021
Palmer
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2021: 43-32
pettis2021
Pettis
held2021
Held
khaybulaev2021
Khaybulaev
palmer2021
Palmer
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2021: 42-33
pettis2021
Pettis
schulte2021
Schulte
khaybulaev2021
Khaybulaev
palmer2021
Palmer
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2021: 41-34
trophy copy 2014 Champion
pettis2021
Pettis
schulte2021
Schulte
khaybulaev2021
Khaybulaev
palmer2021
Palmer
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2021: 39-36
pettis2021
Pettis
schulte2021
Schulte
khaybulaev2021
Khaybulaev
palmer2021
Palmer
BetMGM
Betting Favorites
pettis2021
Pettis -600
schulte2021
Schulte -400
khaybulaev2021
Khaybulaev -650
palmer2021
Palmer -350

The PFL returns Friday after missing 2020, and lightweights and featherweights kick off the 2021 season.

PFL 2021, Week 1 takes place at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. The main card airs on ESPN2 following prelims on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, former UFC and WEC lightweight champion [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (24-10) makes his PFL debut in a lightweight regular season bout against [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] (18-8). Whittaker is a heavy favorite at -600 at BetMGM, and he’s one of three unanimous picks from our 12 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts.

In the co-feature, two-time PFL lightweight season winner [autotag]Natan Schulte[/autotag] (20-3-1) returns to take on [autotag]Marcin Held[/autotag] (26-7). Schulte is a 4-1 favorite, and only one of our pickers is taking submission specialist Held to pull off the upset.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Movlid Khaybulaev[/autotag] (15-0-1) will try to stay unbeaten in a featherweight season bout against [autotag]Lazar Stojadinovic[/autotag] (14-7). Khaybulaev is a -650 favorite and another of our unanimous picks.

And to open the main card, two-time featherweight season winner [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] (22-3) takes on [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] (14-4). Palmer is a -350 favorite and our third unanimous pick.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Pettis (78 percent), Schulte (66 percent), Khaybulaev (80 percent) and Palmer (82 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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