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The UFC is back for its first event of 2021 – and the first of three cards in eight days on “Fight Island.”
UFC on ABC 1 takes place on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on ABC and ESPN + after preliminaries on ESPN +.
(Click here to open a PDF of the Staff Selection Grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, former featherweight champion Max Holloway (21-6 MMA, 17-6 UFC) faces Calvin Kattar (22-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC). Holloway is a slight favorite at BetMGM at -165, but for the first headliner of the year, our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts are split in the middle at 7-7.
In the co-feature, longtime UFC welterweight Matt Brown (22-17 MMA, 15-11 UFC) and former interim champion Carlos Condit (31-13 MMA, 8-9 UFC) meet. Condit is the small favorite, but he has a big 11-3 lead from our pickers.
Also on the main card, Li Jingliang (17-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) is a big welterweight underdog against Santiago Ponzinibbio (27-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), and Ponzinibbio has a big 12- lead. 2 in the choices.
Joaquin Buckley (12-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is the only unanimous choice of our staff in his middleweight fight against Alessio Di Chirico (12-5 MMA, 3-5 UFC). He’s almost a 3-1 favorite on sports books, and he’s got a 14-0 shutout from our staff.
And to open the main card, Punahele Soriano (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is a slight underdog at middleweight against Dusko Todorovic (10-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC). Both are unbeaten, but it’s Soriano with a 9-5 pick lead.
In MMA readers’ consensus choices Junkie, Holloway (68%), Condit (63%), Ponzinibbio (82%), Buckley (85%) and Todorovic (57%) are the choices.
Check out all of the choices above.
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