UFC Fight Night 185 predictions: Curtis Blaydes or Derrick Lewis in heavyweight clash?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC Fight Night 185 main card, featuring Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis at heavyweight.

Blaydes
vs.
Lewis
Kunitskaya
vs.
Vieira
Minner
vs.
Rosa
Daukaus
vs.
Oleinik
Hawes
vs.
Imavov
Arlovski
vs.
Aspinall
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2021: 12-11
blaydes2021
Blaydes
(58%)
vieira2021
Vieira
(66%)
rosa2021
Rosa
(78%)
oleinik2021
Oleinik
(66%)
hawes2021
Hawes
(76%)
aspinall2021
Aspinall
(56%)
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2021: 15-8
trophy copy 2017 Champion
lewis2021
Lewis
vieira2021
Vieira
rosa2021
Rosa
oleinik2021
Oleinik
imavov2021
Imavov
arlovski2021
Arlovski
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2021: 15-8
blaydes2021
Blaydes
vieira2021
Vieira
rosa2021
Rosa
daukaus2021
Daukaus
imavov2021
Imavov
arlovski2021
Arlovski
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2021: 15-8
lewis2021
Lewis
vieira2021
Vieira
rosa2021
Rosa
oleinik2021
Oleinik
hawes2021
Hawes
arlovski2021
Arlovski
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2021: 14-9
trophy copy 2020 Champion
lewis2021
Lewis
vieira2021
Vieira
rosa2021
Rosa
daukaus2021
Daukaus
hawes2021
Hawes
aspinall2021
Aspinall
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
2021: 14-9
lewis2021
Lewis
vieira2021
Vieira
rosa2021
Rosa
daukaus2021
Daukaus
hawes2021
Hawes
aspinall2021
Aspinall
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2021: 14-9
trophy copy 2014 Champion
blaydes2021
Blaydes
vieira2021
Vieira
rosa2021
Rosa
oleinik2021
Oleinik
imavov2021
Imavov
aspinall2021
Aspinall
Simon Head
@simonhead
2021: 12-11
trophy copy 2019 Champion*
blaydes2021
Blaydes
vieira2021
Vieira
rosa2021
Rosa
daukaus2021
Daukaus
hawes2021
Hawes
aspinall2021
Aspinall
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2021: 12-11
trophy copy 2018 Champion
lewis2021
Lewis
vieira2021
Vieira
rosa2021
Rosa
daukaus2021
Daukaus
hawes2021
Hawes
aspinall2021
Aspinall
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2021: 11-12
lewis2021
Lewis
vieira2021
Vieira
rosa2021
Rosa
daukaus2021
Daukaus
hawes2021
Hawes
aspinall2021
Aspinall
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2021: 11-12
blaydes2021
Blaydes
vieira2021
Vieira
rosa2021
Rosa
daukaus2021
Daukaus
hawes2021
Hawes
aspinall2021
Aspinall
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2021: 11-12
blaydes2021
Blaydes
vieira2021
Vieira
rosa2021
Rosa
oleinik2021
Oleinik
hawes2021
Hawes
aspinall2021
Aspinall
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2021: 11-12
blaydes2021
Blaydes
vieira2021
Vieira
rosa2021
Rosa
daukaus2021
Daukaus
hawes2021
Hawes
aspinall2021
Aspinall
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2021: 10-13
blaydes2021
Blaydes
vieira2021
Vieira
rosa2021
Rosa
daukaus2021
Daukaus
imavov2021
Imavov
arlovski2021
Arlovski

The UFC stays in its home base this week with a key heavyweight bout atop the bill.

UFC Fight Night 185 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.)

[lawrence-related id=589791,589599]

In the main event, [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) takes on former heavyweight title challenger [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] (24-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC). The winner is expected to stay in the hunt for a title shot. Blaydes is the biggest favorite on the entire card at -450 at BetMGM, but he’s only got a narrow 7-6 picks lead from our 13 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Yana Kunitskaya[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in a key women’s bantamweight fight. Vieira is a -275 favorite at the betting window, and she’s one of two unanimous picks on our main card at 13-0.

The other unanimous pick is [autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) in his featherweight bout against [autotag]Darrick Minner[/autotag] (25-11 MMA, 1-1 UFC). Rosa only is a mild favorite at -190, but he’s got unanimous love from our staff members.

[autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is a 2-1 favorite in his heavyweight bout against [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (59-14-1 MMA, 8-5 UFC), and he’s got a decent lead in the picks at 9-4.

The closest fight on the main card from an odds perspective is between [autotag]Phil Hawes[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at middleweight. Hawes is just a slight favorite at -125, but he’s got a sizable picks lead at 9-4.

And to open the main card, former heavyweight champion [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] (30-19 MMA, 19-13 UFC) meets [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC). Aspinall is a -250 favorite and has a 9-4 lead in the picks.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Blaydes (58 percent), Vieira (66 percent), Rosa (78 percent), Oleinik (66 percent), Hawes (76 percent) and Aspinall (56 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

[listicle id=589617]

[vertical-gallery id=391998]