Picking & Grinning: UFC Fight Night ‘Manuwa vs. Anderson’

If Jimi Manuwa wants to keep his place in line at 205 pounds, he will have to do so at the expense of a hard-charging “Ultimate Fighter” winner.

Manuwa will meet Corey Anderson in the UFC Fight Night 107 main event on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, as the Ultimate Fighting Championship touches down in England for the first time in 2017. The three-round welterweight co-headliner sees Icelandic grappling ace Gunnar Nelson collide with Alan Jouban. The four-fight main draw also features a bantamweight battle slotting Brad Pickett opposite Marlon Vera and a featherweight affair pairing Makwan Amirkhani with Arnold Allen.

Ahead of UFC Fight Night “Manuwa vs. Anderson,” Sherdog.com staff members and contributors swallowed their pride and put their reputations on the line with bold predictions (online sportsbooks):

THE LINEUP

205: Jimi Manuwa vs. Corey Anderson
170: Gunnar Nelson vs. Alan Jouban
135: Brad Pickett vs. Marlon Vera
145: Makwan Amirkhani vs. Arnold Allen
155: Joseph Duffy vs. Reza Madadi
205: Darren Stewart vs. Francimar Barrosa
265: Daniel Omielanczuk vs. Timothy Johnson
155: Marc Diakiese vs. Teemu Packalen
185: Tom Breese vs. Oluwale Bamgbose
170: Leon Edwards vs. Vicente Luque
135: Brett Johns vs. Ian Entwistle
185: Bradley Scott vs. Scott Askham
135: Lina Lansberg vs. Lucie Pudilova

THE STANDINGS

Jordan Breen: 56-23-1
Tristen Critchfield: 52-27-1
Brian Knapp: 52-27-1
Connor Ruebusch: 51-28-1
Todd Martin: 50-29-1
Eric Stinton: 48-31-1
Mike Fridley: 46-33-1
Mike Sloan: 45-34-1

THE PICKS

Jordan Breen: Manuwa, Nelson, Pickett, Allen, Duffy, Stewart, Johnson, Diakiese, Breese, Luque, Johns, Askham, Lansberg

Tristen Critchfield: Manuwa, Nelson, Pickett, Amirkhani, Duffy, Stewart, Johnson, Diakiese, Breese, Luque, Johns, Askham, Lansberg

Brian Knapp: Manuwa, Nelson, Pickett, Amirkhani, Duffy, Stewart, Johnson, Diakiese, Breese, Luque, Johns, Askham, Lansberg

Connor Ruebusch: Anderson, Jouban, Pickett, Amirkhani, Duffy, Stewart, Johnson, Diakiese, Breese, Luque, Johns, Scott, Lansberg

Todd Martin: Anderson, Nelson, Vera, Amirkhani, Duffy, Stewart, Johnson, Diakiese, Breese, Luque, Johns, Askham, Lansberg

Eric Stinton: Anderson, Nelson, Vera, Amirkhani, Duffy, Stewart, Johnson, Diakiese, Bamgbose, Edwards, Johns, Askham, Pudilova

Mike Fridley: Manuwa, Nelson, Pickett, Amirkhani, Duffy, Stewart, Johnson, Diakiese, Breese, Edwards, Johns, Scott, Pudilova

Mike Sloan: Manuwa, Nelson, Pickett, Amirkhani, Duffy, Stewart, Omielanczuk, Diakiese, Breese, Edwards, Johns, Askham, Lansberg