Picking & Grinning: UFC 210 ‘Cormier vs. Johnson 2’

Daniel Cormier has his work cut out for him yet again, as he confronts perhaps the scariest man on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster for the second time.

Cormier will defend his undisputed light heavyweight championship against Anthony Johnson in the UFC 210 main event on Saturday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. Meanwhile, onetime middleweight titleholder Chris Weidman tries to throw the brakes on a two-fight losing streak against Gegard Mousasi in the three-round co-headliner at 185 pounds. The rest of the five-fight main draw features a women’s strawweight clash pairing Cynthia Calvillo with Pearl Gonzalez, a welterweight affair pitting Thiago Alves against Patrick Cote and a lightweight tilt matching Will Brooks with Charles Oliveira.

Ahead of UFC 210 “Cormier vs. Johnson 2,” Sherdog.com staff members and contributors swallowed their pride and put their reputations on the line with bold predictions (live odds):

THE LINEUP

205: Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson
185: Chris Weidman vs. Gegard Mousasi
115: Cynthia Calvillo vs. Pearl Gonzalez
170: Thiago Alves vs. Patrick Cote
155: Will Brooks vs. Charles Oliveira
145: Myles Jury vs. Mike de la Torre
170: Kamaru Usman vs. Sean Strickland
145: Charles Rosa vs. Shane Burgos
205: Patrick Cummins vs. Jan Blachowicz
155: Gregor Gillespie vs. Andrew Holbrook
155: Josh Emmett vs. Desmond Green
135: Katlyn Chookagian vs. Irene Aldana
125: Magomed Bibulatov vs. Jenel Lausa

THE STANDINGS

Jordan Breen: 63-27-1
Tristen Critchfield: 58-32-1
Brian Knapp: 58-32-1
Todd Martin: 56-34-1
Connor Ruebusch: 56-34-1
Eric Stinton: 54-36-1
Mike Fridley: 53-37-1
Mike Sloan: 51-39-1

THE PICKS

Jordan Breen: Cormier, Mousasi, Calvillo, Cote, Brooks, Jury, Usman, Burgos, Cummins, Gillespie, Emmett, Chookagian, Bibulatov

Tristen Critchfield: Cormier, Mousasi, Calvillo, Alves, Brooks, Jury, Usman, Burgos, Cummins, Gillespie, Emmett, Aldana, Bibulatov

Brian Knapp: Johnson, Weidman, Calvillo, Alves, Brooks, Jury, Usman, Burgos, Cummins, Gillespie, Emmett, Chookagian, Bibulatov

Todd Martin: Cormier, Mousasi, Calvillo, Cote, Brooks, Jury, Usman, Burgos, Blachowicz, Gillespie, Emmett, Chookagian, Bibulatov

Connor Ruebusch: Cormier, Mousasi, Calvillo, Alves, Brooks, Jury, Usman, Burgos, Cummins, Gillespie, Emmett, Chookagian, Bibulatov

Eric Stinton: Johnson, Mousasi, Calvillo, Alves, Brooks, Jury, Usman, Rosa, Blachowicz, Gillespie, Green, Aldana, Bibulatov

Mike Fridley: Johnson, Mousasi, Calvillo, Cote, Oliveira, Jury, Usman, Burgos, Cummins, Gillespie, Emmett, Aldana, Bibulatov

Mike Sloan: Cormier, Mousasi, Calvillo, Alves, Brooks, Jury, Strickland, Burgos, Blachowicz, Gillespie, Emmett, Chookagian, Bibulatov