| Ortega vs. Jung |
Andrade vs. Chookagian |
Bukauskas vs. Crute |
Almeida vs. Martinez |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2020: 121-77 |
 Jung (69%) |
 Andrade (64%) |
 Crute (78%) |
 Almeida (80%) |
| Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2020: 131-67 |
Jung |
Andrade |
Crute |
 Martinez |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 2020: 131-67 |
Jung |
Andrade |
 Bukauskas |
Almeida |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2020: 130-68 |
 Ortega |
Andrade |
Bukauskas |
Almeida |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2020: 129-69 |
Jung |
Andrade |
Crute |
Almeida |
| Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2020: 128-70 |
Ortega |
Andrade |
Bukauskas |
Almeida |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2020: 127-71  2014 Champion |
Jung |
 Chookagian |
Crute |
Almeida |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 2020: 127-71 2017 Champion |
Jung |
Andrade |
Crute |
Martinez |
| Simon Head @simonhead 2020: 126-72 2019 Champion* |
Jung |
Andrade |
Bukauskas |
Almeida |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 2020: 125-73 |
Jung |
Andrade |
Crute |
Almeida |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2020: 122-76 |
Ortega |
Andrade |
Bukauskas |
Almeida |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2020: 122-76 2018 Champion |
Ortega |
Chookagian |
Crute |
Almeida |
| John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2020: 119-79 |
Ortega |
Andrade |
Crute |
Martinez |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2020: 118-80 |
Jung |
Andrade |
Crute |
Almeida |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2020: 80-118 |
Ortega |
Chookagian |
Bukauskas |
Martinez |
(Note: The main card fight between James Krause and Claudio Silva was added too late for our picks deadline.)
The UFC stays at its “Fight Island” home away from home this week with a long-awaited featherweight matchup at the top of the card.
UFC on ESPN+ 38 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. 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]Brian Ortega[/autotag] (14-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) takes on “The Korean Zombie,” [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC), in a matchup between former featherweight title challengers. Jungn is a 2-1 favorite in the fight, but it’s a close fight in the picks from our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts. They’re taking Jung, but just at an 8-6 clip.
In the co-feature, former strawweight champion [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] (20-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) takes on recent women’s flyweight title challenger [autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in a bout at 125 pounds. Andrade is the mild favorite, and she’s got a big 11-3 picks lead.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) meets [autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in a light heavyweight bout. Crute is the biggest favorite on the main card, but he’s only got an 8-6 picks lead.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Thomas Almeida[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) fights [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) at bantamweight. Almeida is returning from a lengthy layoff and is a slight favorite at the sports books. He’s also got a 10-4 lead from our pickers.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Jung (69 percent), Andrade (64 percent), Crute (78 percent) and Almeida (80 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
[vertical-gallery id=559792]