UFC 248 predictions: Who’s picking underdog upsets in the two title fights?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC 248 main card, which features Adesanya vs. Romero and Weili vs. Jedrzejczyk title fights.

	Adesanya vs. Romero	Weili vs. Jedrzejczyk	Dariush vs. Klose	Jingliang vs. Magny	Griffin vs. Oliveira
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2020: 28-16	Adesanya (54%)	Weili (69%)	Dariush (55%)	Jingliang (58%)	Oliveira (77%)
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2020: 38-11 2017 Champion	Romero	Weili	Dariush	Jingliang	Griffin
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2020: 37-12	Adesanya	Jedrzejczyk	Dariush	Jingliang	Oliveira
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2020: 37-12	Adesanya	Weili	Klose	Jingliang	Oliveira
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2020: 37-12	Adesanya	Weili	Dariush	Magny	Griffin
Simon Head @simonhead 2020: 36-13 2019 Champion*	Adesanya	Weili	Dariush	Jingliang	Oliveira
Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2020: 36-13	Adesanya	Weili	Klose	Magny	Oliveira
Nolan King @mma_kings 2020: 36-13	Adesanya	Weili	Dariush	Jingliang	Oliveira
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2020: 36-13	Adesanya	Weili	Dariush	Jingliang	Oliveira
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2020: 35-14 2018 Champion	Adesanya	Weili	Klose	Jingliang	Oliveira
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2020: 35-14	Adesanya	Jedrzejczyk	Dariush	Magny	Oliveira
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2020: 34-15	Adesanya	Weili	Dariush	Magny	Griffin
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2020: 34-15 2014 Champion	Adesanya	Jedrzejczyk	Dariush	Magny	Oliveira
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2020: 31-18	Romero	Jedrzejczyk	Dariush	Jingliang	Oliveira
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2020: 23-26	Romero	Jedrzejczyk	Klose	Magny	Oliveira

The UFC is back in Las Vegas this week, and a pair of title fights are at the top of the bill.

UFC 248 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

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

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In the main event, middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) puts his title on the line for the first time when he meets challenger [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC). Adesanya is as much as a 3-1 favorite from the oddsmakers, and he’s got a big lead in the picks from our 14 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers – only three of which are taking Romero in an upset.

The co-main event is another title fight. Women’s strawweight champ [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (20-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) puts her belt up for the first time when she takes on former champ [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC). Zhang is a mild favorite, but she’s got a fairly significant 9-5 lead in the picks.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (17-4-1 MMA, 11-4-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag] (11-1-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) at lightweight. Dariush is a -170 favorite, and he’s got a big 10-4 lead in the picks.

[autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC) also is about a -170 favorite in his welterweight bout against [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 14-6 UFC). That bout is our most contentious – Jingliang has just an 8-6 picks edge.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (20-8-1 MMA, 9-6 UFC) is just a slight favorite over [autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 3-5 UFC), but he’s got a big 11-3 lead in the picks.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Adesanya (54 percent), Weili (69 percent), Dariush (55 percent), Jingliang (58 percent) and Oliveira (77 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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Beneil Dariush not letting Drakkar Klose’s previous accusations bother him entering UFC 248

Ahead of UFC 248, Beneil Dariush said he isn’t letting Drakkar Klose’s past trash talk bother him.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] isn’t rattled entering UFC 248 despite past comments made by his opponent, Drakkar Klose.

In July 2019, Dariush (17-4-1 MMA, 11-4-1 UFC) and Klose (11-1-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) were supposed to fight at UFC on ESPN+ 13 in Sacramento, Calif. However, the week of the fight, Dariush pulled out due to injury. Klose criticized Dariush in an interview with MMA Junkie after the bout was scrapped and indicated he thought he may have been faking.

While Dairush saw some of the headlines, he didn’t let it bother him at the time – and he said he’s not letting it bother him heading into Saturday’s matchup.

“I heard a little bit, but didn’t take to too much of it,” Dariush told MMA Junkie at Thursday’s media day. “I figured he’s trying to provide for his family. He felt very emotional. Things were said. No problem. I’ve seen him during the week. He shook my hand. Everything seems fine. I feel the game is kind of manufactured.

“I’m supposed to hate a guy who has the same dream as me and probably does exactly the same thing I do everyday. He wakes up, trains hard two times a day, has a family, wants to support his family – and I’m supposed to hate this guy? It just seems silly to me. I couldn’t care less what he said. I care about what I’m going to do Saturday.”

While Klose claims to be toning back his antics heading into this fight, Dariush said he won’t be rattled by the trash talk if it does resurface.

“Maybe, I’ll just smile – or maybe I’ll just kick him,” Dariush said. “That’s the beauty of it. If he taunts me, I’ll just go after him. There’s no need for me to be like, ‘I’m going to taunt you back.’ No, I’m going to go in there and hit you. I’m going to take you down. I’m going to put an elbow in your face. I’m going to submit you or something – or I’m not going to. I’m going to lose the fight, but at least everything is clear.

“The truth is out there. You’re going to find it out in that octagon. That’s the best part. It’s not about what he said or I said. It’s about the truth. The truth is going to be found out Saturday.”

UFC 248 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

Check out MMA Junkie’s full UFC 248 pre-fight interview with Dariush in the video above.

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6 burning questions heading into UFC 248

MMA Junkie senior editor Dave Doyle takes you through the key UFC 248 storylines, including two title fights atop the bill.

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A pair of newly crowned champions will make their first title defenses Saturday night at UFC 248 against challengers who are no strangers to main-event spotlights.

There will be an international flavor in Las Vegas as New Zealand’s [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] puts his UFC middleweight title up for grabs against Cuban native [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] in the main event, and China’s [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] makes her first defense of the strawweight title against former titleholder [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] of Poland.

Beyond that, there’s the usual potpourri of interesting items that you’ll find up and down a card of this magnitude.

UFC 248 takes place at T-Mobile Arena. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

Without further ado, then, here are six burning questions heading into UFC 248.

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Can Israel Adesanya finish Yoel Romero?

Israel Adesanya finishes Robert Whittaker at UFC 243. (USA TODAY Sports)

Yes, it’s true, granting Romero (13-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) a title fight was questionable. He’s coming off two straight losses and three in his past four fights, and that’s supposed to merit if there are merit-based title shots.

Adesanya (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), however, was the one who requested this fight after it became apparent the next in line, Paulo Costa, would be on the shelf with a bicep injury.

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And that leads us to why this is still very much an intriguing fight despite the rankings optics: All three of those Romero losses were decisions. In all three, you could make a case for a Romero victory. And never once in his 17-fight career has Romero been stopped.

Adesanya doesn’t just want to defeat Romero. He wants to be the first to finish him. That’s a bold and brash goal – and exactly the sort of thing which would help elevate Adesanya, who gets closer and closer to becoming the next MMA megastar with each fight.

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UFC 248: Beneil Dariush media day interview

UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush spoke to MMA Junkie’s Nolan King ahead of Saturday’s UFC 248 event in Las Vegas.

UFC 248: Make your predictions for two title fights in Las Vegas

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 248 event in Las Vegas, featuring Adesanya-Romero and Weili-Jedrzejczyk title fights.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 248 event in Las Vegas.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC 248 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC 248 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

Make your picks for all five main card fights inside:

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UFC 248 lineup finalized: Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero tops double-title tilt

The lineup has been set for what promises to be an explosive night of action in Las Vegas.

UFC 248 will feature a championship doubleheader showcasing four elite competitors from all over the world.

Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya of New Zealand will put his title on the line against Yoel Romero, from South Florida by way of Cuba, in the main event.

In the co-main, strawweight champion Weili Zhang of China meets Joanna Jedrzejczyk of Poland.

The melting pot that is UFC 248 takes place March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

Both Adesanya (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Zhang (20-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will look to remain undefeated in the UFC.

The finalized UFC 248 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

Champ Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero – for middleweight title
Champ Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk – for strawweight title
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag]
[autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]
[autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag]

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

[autotag]Shane O’Malley[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jose Quinonez[/autotag]
[autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mark Madsen[/autotag]
[autotag]Saparbek Safarov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag]
[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Deron Winn[/autotag]

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)

[autotag]Polyana Viana[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Emily Whitmire[/autotag]
[autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]
[autotag]Danaa Batgerel[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag]

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Beneil Dariush vs. Drakkar Klose added to UFC 248

A rescheduled lightweight matchup between Beneil Dariush and Drakkar Klose is the latest addition to UFC 248.

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A rescheduled lightweight matchup is the latest addition to UFC 248, with [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (17-4-1 MMA, 11-4-1 UFC) set to take on [autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag] (11-1-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) at the event.

MMA Junkie today verified the booking with a person with knowledge of the agreement following an initial report from Combate. The person requested anonymity because an official announcement has not yet been made.

UFC 248 takes place March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected for ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

Dariush and Klose were scheduled to face off at UFC on ESPN+ 13 in July, but an injury forced Dariush out just a week before the fight, and the contest was scrapped from the card entirely.

Dariush would make his return to the octagon in October, picking up a first-round submission win over Frank Camacho, earning his second straight “Performance of the Night” bonus, and his third straight win overall.

Klose has also won his last three in a row, defeating the likes of Lando Vannata, Bobby Green and, most recently, Christos Giagos at UFC 241, as he looks to edge closer to the 155-pound rankings with a win over Dariush.

With the addition, the UFC 248 lineup includes:

Champ Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk – for women’s strawweight title
Li Jingliang vs. Neil Magny
Jared Cannonier vs. Robert Whittaker
Beneil Dariush vs. Drakkar Klose

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