UFC on ESPN+ 35 predictions: Michelle Waterson or Angela Hill in key 115-pound bout?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN+ 35 main card in Las Vegas.

Waterson
vs.
Hill
Azaitar
vs.
Worthy
Lee
vs.
Modafferi
Herman
vs.
Rodriguez
Nelson
vs.
Quarantillo
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2020: 91-58
waterson2020
Waterson
(52%)
worthy2020
Worthy
(64%)
lee2020
Lee
(61%)
rodriguez2020
Rodriguez
(66%)
quarantillo2020
Quarantillo
(84%)
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2020: 103-46
hill2020
Hill
worthy2020
Worthy
lee2020
Lee
rodriguez2020
Rodriguez
quarantillo2020
Quarantillo
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2020: 102-47
hill2020
Hill
worthy2020
Worthy
lee2020
Lee
rodriguez2020
Rodriguez
quarantillo2020
Quarantillo
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2020: 101-48
hill2020
Hill
azaitar2020
Azaitar
lee2020
Lee
rodriguez2020
Rodriguez
quarantillo2020
Quarantillo
Simon Head
@simonhead
2020: 99-50
trophy copy 2019 Champion*
waterson2020
Waterson
worthy2020
Worthy
lee2020
Lee
rodriguez2020
Rodriguez
quarantillo2020
Quarantillo
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
2020: 98-51
hill2020
Hill
worthy2020
Worthy
lee2020
Lee
herman2020
Herman
quarantillo2020
Quarantillo
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2020: 97-52
trophy copy 2017 Champion
hill2020
Hill
worthy2020
Worthy
modafferi2020
Modafferi
herman2020
Herman
quarantillo2020
Quarantillo
Dave Doyle
@davedoylemma
2020: 96-53
hill2020
Hill
worthy2020
Worthy
modafferi2020
Modafferi
herman2020
Herman
quarantillo2020
Quarantillo
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2020: 96-53
hill2020
Hill
worthy2020
Worthy
lee2020
Lee
rodriguez2020
Rodriguez
nelson2020
Nelson
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2020: 96-53
trophy copy 2014 Champion
waterson2020
Waterson
worthy2020
Worthy
lee2020
Lee
rodriguez2020
Rodriguez
quarantillo2020
Quarantillo
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2020: 93-56
trophy copy 2018 Champion
hill2020
Hill
worthy2020
Worthy
lee2020
Lee
rodriguez2020
Rodriguez
quarantillo2020
Quarantillo
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2020: 92-57
hill2020
Hill
worthy2020
Worthy
modafferi2020
Modafferi
herman2020
Herman
nelson2020
Nelson
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2020: 91-58
hill2020
Hill
worthy2020
Worthy
modafferi2020
Modafferi
rodriguez2020
Rodriguez
quarantillo2020
Quarantillo
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2020: 89-60
hill2020
Hill
worthy2020
Worthy
modafferi2020
Modafferi
rodriguez2020
Rodriguez
quarantillo2020
Quarantillo
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2020: 62-87
waterson2020
Waterson
azaitar2020
Azaitar
modafferi2020
Modafferi
herman2020
Herman
nelson2020
Nelson

The UFC stays in Las Vegas this week with a key women’s strawweight bout at the top of the card.

UFC on ESPN+ 35 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.)

In the main event, [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (12-8 MMA, 7-8 UFC) becomes the first Black woman to headline a UFC card when she takes on [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] (17-8 MMA, 5-4 UFC). Hill is a slight favorite, but our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts have her with a big lead at 11-3.

In the co-main event, [autotag]Ottman Azaitar[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) meets slight favorite [autotag]Khama Worthy[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 2-0 UFC) at lightweight, and despite the reasonably close odds, only two of our pickers are taking Azaitar in a mild upset.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) meets [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag] (24-17 MMA, 3-5 UFC) in a women’s flyweight bout. Lee is the biggest favorite on the main card at more than 3-1, but our pickers nearly are split down the middle. Lee has just an 8-6 lead in the picks.

[autotag]Ed Herman[/autotag] (24-14 MMA, 12-10 UFC) is a +200 underdog at light heavyweight against [autotag]Mike Rodriguez[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC), but he’s got his fair share of underdog pickers. Rodriguez has a 9-5 picking edge.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has three pickers taking him in a featherweight upset against [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC).

(Note: The lightweight fight between Bobby Green (26-10-1 MMA, 7-5-1 UFC) and Alan Patrick (15-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) was added to the main card too late for our picks deadline.)

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Waterson (52 percent), Worthy (64 percent), Lee (61 percent), Rodriguez (66 percent) and Quarantillo (84 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.