UFC on ESPN 57 Staff Picks and Betting Predictions

MMASucka staff picks are in for the highly-anticipated return to the Derby City.

UFC on ESPN 57 is set to occur later today, June 8th from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. The Ultimate Fighting Championship made one lone stop at the venue and populous city in March of 2011 with UFC on Versus 3. The card will begin with prelims at 5:00pm ET (2:00pm PT) followed by the six-fight main card at 8:00pm ET (5:00pm PT). All fights are available on ESPN for cable viewers and ESPN+ for subscribers.

Stay tuned here at MMASucka for UFC on ESPN 57: Cannonier vs. Imavov results.

Card Headliner

Fourth-ranked Jared Cannonier and seventh-ranked Nassourdine Imavov will clash across five possible five-minute rounds in the middleweight division.

40 years of age has not slowed down Alaska native Cannonier (+110) who, since moving to the 185-pound weight class from light heavyweight, has compiled an impressive record of 7-2. After losing a decision for the Title against former Champion Israel Adesanya, the striking specialist has won two main events over last weekend’s victor Sean Strickland in late 2022 and Marvin Vettori in June of 2023. Cannonier’s opponent, Imavov (-130), quickly rose the UFC ranks as he makes his third main event and ninth octagon walk since signing with the promotion in 2020. The former TFL Welterweight Champion returned to the win column in February with a majority decision over Roman Dolidze; a victory that followed 2023 struggles seeing a decision loss to the aforementioned Strickland and a “No Contest” due to an accidental headbutt opposite Chris Curtis.

This main event is one you don’t want to miss 💥

Jared Cannonier vs @Imavov1#UFCLouisville | Tomorrow | Live on @ESPNPlus 📺 pic.twitter.com/2nsifKyjbX

— UFC (@ufc) June 7, 2024

Co-Main Event

Light heavyweights will meet in the night’s co-main event between Dominick Reyes and Dustin Jacoby. Winning is of the essence for Reyes (+200) who returns after a near-19 month hiatus. Despite an undefeated run of twelve victories to start his career, the former Title challenger has lost four in a row as he searches tonight for his first octagon win since October of 2019. Jacoby (-250) also looks for a turnaround with a lone knockout over Kennedy Nzechukwu last August between three decision defeats. The former Glory Kickboxing Title challenger is in his second promotional tenure after resigning to the UFC from Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020.

Remaining Fights

After suffering his first professional defeat to Christian Rodriguez, Contender Series alum and 19-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. (-230) came back with a vengeance in September of last year dispatching Terrence Mitchell by technical knockout in just 54 seconds. Rosas Jr. will meet at bantamweight opposite The Ultimate Fighter 29 winner Ricky Turcios (+190) who makes his anticipated comeback roughly a year and a half since his last fight and victory over Kevin Natividad. An illness from Rosas Jr. delayed their originally scheduled meeting in February.

Dangerous finishers of Contender Series alums Bruno Ferreira (-250) and Dustin Stoltzfus (+205) will fight in the middleweight division.

A third battle at 185 pounds sees Season 1 Contender Series signee Julian Marquez (-145) looking to snap a two-fight skid against Season 7 contract winner Zachary Reese (+120) whose 100% finishing streak was broken in December versus Cody Brundage.

Opening the main card sees another Dana White’s Contender Series graduate pairing between Hawaii’s Punahele Soriano (+165) and the long-awaited return of Miguel Baeza (-200).

See our staff picks and betting predictions for UFC on ESPN 57 further below.

Staff Picks

MMASucka staff picks are composed of four of the world’s leading mixed martial arts organizations: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League (PFL) with Bellator MMA, ONE Championship (ONE FC), and Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS).

• UFC picks will include main card fights ranging from four to six matchups per event.
• PFL and Bellator MMA see picks from main cards for pay-per-views and from tournament fights in the Regular Season, Playoffs, and Finals.
• ONE FC and DWCS picks will feature all MMA fights from the event with a minimum of three matchups.

The individual who picks the most victorious fighters by the end of 2024 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a detailed chain from Championship Chains. Staff picks in 2023 were won by Ben Jamieson with a record of 300-148.

Find out below our UFC on ESPN 57: Cannonier vs. Imavov staff picks and betting predictions.

RECORDS AFTER UFC 302:

1. Nate Freeman: 119-57
2. Wesley Riddle: 112-64
3. Jeremy Brand: 110-66
4. Michael DeSantis: 104-60
5. Frazer Krohn: 101-75
6. Andrew Benjamin: 78-75
7. Lukas DeWitt: 52-33
8. Julio Monteros Jr.: 28-11
9. Michael Kachan: 19-9
10. Casey Cooper: 4-5

*Note – not all staff pick for every event*

Miguel Baeza (10-3), -200
vs.
Punahele Soriano (9-4), +165

WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION
– 170 LBS. ~ 77.1 KG. –

Jeremy Brand: Soriano via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Baeza via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Baeza via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Baeza via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Soriano via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Baeza via Round 2 TKO

Staff picking Baeza: 4
Staff picking Soriano: 2

Julian Marquez (9-4), -145
vs.
Zachary Reese (6-1), +120

MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION
– 185 LBS. ~ 83.9 KG. –

Jeremy Brand: Reese via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Reese via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Marquez via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Reese via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Marquez via Split Decision
Nate Freeman: Marquez via Split Decision

Staff picking Marquez: 3
Staff picking Reese: 3

Brunno Ferreira (11-1), -250
vs.
Dustin Stoltzfus (15-5), +205

MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION
– 185 LBS. ~ 83.9 KG. –

Jeremy Brand: Ferreira via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Ferreira via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Ferreira via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Ferreira via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Ferreira via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Ferreira via Round 1 TKO

Staff picking Ferreira: 6
Staff picking Stoltzfus: 0

Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1), -230
vs.
Ricky Turcios (13-3), +190

BANTAMWEIGHT DIVISION
– 135 LBS. ~ 61.2 KG. –

Jeremy Brand: Rosas Jr. via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Rosas Jr. via Round 2 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Rosas Jr. via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Rosas Jr. via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Rosas Jr. via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Rosas Jr. via Split Decision

Staff picking Rosas Jr.: 6
Staff picking Turcios: 0

Dominick Reyes (12-4), +200
vs.
Dustin Jacoby (19-8-1), -250

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
– CO-MAIN EVENT –
– 205 LBS. ~ 93.0 KG. –

Jeremy Brand: Jacoby via Round 3 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Jacoby via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Jacoby via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Reyes via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Jacoby via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Jacoby via Round 2 TKO

Staff picking Reyes: 1
Staff picking Jacoby: 5

Jared Cannonier (17-6), +100
vs.
Nassourdine Imavov (13-4), -120

MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION
– MAIN EVENT –
– 185 LBS. ~ 83.9 KG. –

Jeremy Brand: Cannonier via Round 3 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Cannonier via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Cannonier via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Cannonier via Split Decision
Frazer Krohn: Cannonier via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Cannonier via Unanimous Decision

Staff picking Cannonier: 6
Staff picking Imavov: 0

UFC ON ESPN 57 FEATURED IMAGE:

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