| Anderson vs. Blachowicz |
Pereira vs. Sanchez |
Borella vs. De La Rosa |
Vargas vs. Weaver |
Bontorin vs. Borg |
Medeiros vs. Vannata |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2020: 13-7 |
 Anderson (57%) |
 Pereira (58%) |
 De La Rosa (83%) |
 Weaver (71%) |
 Borg (61%) |
 Medeiros (62%) |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 2020: 17-3  2017 Champion |
Anderson |
Pereira |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Borg |
Medeiros |
| Simon Head @simonhead 2020: 16-4 2019 Champion* |
Anderson |
Pereira |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
 Bontorin |
Medeiros |
| John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2020: 16-4 |
Anderson |
 Sanchez |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Bontorin |
Medeiros |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2020: 16-4 |
Anderson |
Pereira |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Borg |
Medeiros |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2020: 16-4 2014 Champion |
Anderson |
Pereira |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Borg |
Medeiros |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2020: 16-4 |
Anderson |
Sanchez |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Borg |
Medeiros |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2020: 15-5 2018 Champion |
Anderson |
Pereira |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Bontorin |
Medeiros |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 2020: 15-5 |
Anderson |
Pereira |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Borg |
 Vannata |
| Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2020: 15-5 |
Anderson |
Sanchez |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Bontorin |
Medeiros |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 2020: 15-5 |
Anderson |
Sanchez |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Borg |
Medeiros |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2020: 14-6 |
Anderson |
Sanchez |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Borg |
Medeiros |
| Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2020: 14-6 |
 Blachowicz |
Pereira |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Borg |
Vannata |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2020: 12-8 |
Blachowicz |
Pereira |
De La Rosa |
Weaver |
Borg |
Medeiros |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2020: 11-9 |
Anderson |
Pereira |
De La Rosa |
 Vargas |
Bontorin |
Medeiros |
The UFC is in New Mexico this week for the first time in more than five years with a pair of light heavyweight contenders topping the bill.
UFC on ESPN+ 25 takes place Saturday at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M., near Albuquerque. The event streams on ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) takes on [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] (25-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC) in a fight that will see the winner stay in the light heavyweight title picture for a possible meeting with champion Jon Jones. Anderson is more than a 2-1 favorite from the oddsmakers, and he has a big 12-2 lead in the picks from our 14 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.
In the co-main event, [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] (23-10 MMA, 1-1 UFC) takes on longtime Albuquerque resident [autotag]Diego Sanchez[/autotag] (29-12 MMA, 18-12 UFC) at welterweight. Pereira is the slight favorite, and he’s got a 9-5 edge in the picks.
There’s a unanimous pick on the card, and another that nearly is unanimous. [autotag]Montana De La Rosa[/autotag] (10-5 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is a -175 favorite over [autotag]Mara Romero Borella[/autotag] (12-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) in their women’s flyweight fight. But despite fairly close betting odds, De La Rosa, whose husband Mark De La Rosa fights on the prelims, is a 14-0 pick from our staff.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Brok Weaver[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) nearly is a unanimous pick in his lightweight fight against [autotag]Kazula Vargas[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC). Only one of our pickers is taking Vargas in an upset – Weaver nearly is a 3-1 favorite.
[autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) takes on [autotag]Rogerio Bontorin[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in a flyweight fight that was moved up to the main card from the prelims mid-week. The fight is one of our two most contentious ones with Borg at a 9-5 lead.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Yancy Medeiros[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) takes on [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag] (10-4-2 MMA, 2-4-2 UFC) in a lightweight fight that is a near pick’em at the sportsbooks. But it’s Medeiros who has a whopping 12-2 lead in the picks with only two staff members taking Vannata.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Anderson (57 percent), Pereira (58 percent), De La Rosa (83 percent), Weaver (71 percent), Borg (61 percent) and Medeiros (62 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.