| Oliveira vs. Chandler |
Dariush vs. Ferguson |
Bontorin vs. Schnell |
Araujo vs. Chookagian |
Barboza vs. Burgos |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2021: 62-44 |
 Oliveira (54%) |
 Dariush (51%) |
 Schnell (80%) |
 Chookagian (56%) |
 Barboza (68%) |
| John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2021: 67-39 |
 Chandler |
Dariush |
Schnell |
 Araujo |
 Burgos |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2021: 65-41 |
Chandler |
Dariush |
 Bontorin |
Chookagian |
Burgos |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2021: 65-41  2018 Champion |
Chandler |
 Ferguson |
Schnell |
Chookagian |
Burgos |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 2021: 63-43 |
Chandler |
Ferguson |
Bontorin |
Chookagian |
Barboza |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 2021: 63-43 |
Oliveira |
Dariush |
Schnell |
Araujo |
Burgos |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2021: 62-44 |
Chandler |
Dariush |
Schnell |
Chookagian |
Barboza |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2021: 61-45 2014 Champion |
Oliveira |
Dariush |
Schnell |
Chookagian |
Barboza |
| Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2021: 61-45 2020 Champion |
Chandler |
Dariush |
Schnell |
Araujo |
Barboza |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 2021: 61-45 2017 Champion |
Chandler |
Dariush |
Bontorin |
Chookagian |
Barboza |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2021: 60-46 |
Chandler |
Dariush |
Schnell |
Chookagian |
Burgos |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2021: 58-48 |
Chandler |
Dariush |
Schnell |
Araujo |
Barboza |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2021: 57-49 |
Oliveira |
Dariush |
Schnell |
Chookagian |
Barboza |
| BetMGM Betting Favorites |
Oliveira -140 |
Dariush -165 |
Schnell -160 |
Chookagian -145 |
Burgos -145 |
The UFC is back on the road this week with the vacant lightweight title on the line atop the card.
UFC 262 takes place Saturday at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (30-8 MMA, 18-8 UFC) takes on former Bellator champion [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) for the lightweight belt vacated by Khabib Nurmagomedov. Oliveira is a slight favorite at -140 at BetMGM, but it’s underdog Chandler with a big 9-3 lead in the picks from our 12 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (20-4-1 MMA, 14-4-1 UFC) fights former interim lightweight champ [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (25-5 MMA, 15-3 UFC). Dariush is -165 at the betting window, and he’s also our biggest favorite, picks-wise, on the main card at 10-2.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Rogerio Bontorin[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) meets [autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) in a bantamweight bout. Schnell is a -160 favorite and has an 9-3 picks advantage.
[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) meets former women’s flyweight title challenger [autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC), who is a -145 favorite and has an 8-4 picks lead.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] (21-9 MMA, 15-9 UFC) takes on [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a featherweight fight. Burgos is a slight -145 favorite, but it’s Barboza with the narrowest lead on the main card at 7-5.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Oliveira (54 percent), Dariush (51 percent), Schnell (80 percent), Chookagian (56 percent) and Barboza (68 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
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