UFC 284 Predictions: Expert Picks By MMA News Staff

UFC 284 is now only three days away, and MMA News has some staff picks to get you ready for this weekend’s massive pay-per-view!

Who is the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC? This Saturday, the world will find out when the top-two P4P fighters, Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev, face one another in the main event.

The co-main event will feature an interim featherweight championship bout between Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett. Also on the main card will be a welterweight bout between Jack Della Maddalena and Randy “Rudeboy” Brown, plus a heavyweight bout between Justin Tafa and Parker Porter and a light heavyweight scrap between Jimmy Crute (#12) and Alonzo Menifeld.

Staff Predictions For UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski

UFC 284 Main Card

Main Event– Lightweight Championship Bout: Islam Makhachev (c) vs. Alexander Volkanovski
Co-Main Event-Interim Featherweight Championship Bout: Yair Rodriguez (#2) vs Josh Emmett (#5)
Welterweight Bout: Jack Della Maddalena vs. Randy Brown
Heavyweight Bout: Justin Tafa vs. Parker Porter
Light Heavyweight Bout: Jimmy Crute (#12) vs. Alonzo Menifield

MMA News is the place to be for all the latest UFC 284 updates. Harvey Leonard, Andrew Starc, and Drew Beaupré, have provided their picks for you below.

Jimmy Crute vs. Alonzo Menifeld

Harvey Leonard: Jimmy Crute might be on a losing streak, but he was widely regarded as one of the hottest prospects at light heavyweight prior to that. A case of drop foot against Anthony Smith and a knockout against now-champion Jamahal Hill doesn’t change that. As he looks to rebound, he’s faced with an absolute powerhouse.

If his KO of Misha Cirkunov and subsequent comments about previous gameplans taking him away from his strength — power shots — were anything to go by, Menifield will likely come out swinging early. If Crute attempts to go shot for shot, he’ll be needing the smelling salts. But the Australian is extremely well-rounded with a good grappling and submission game. He’ll likely look to let “Atomic” fatigue himself by avoiding early barrages and consistently forcing grappling exchanges. Given Devin Clark had success with that approach in 2020, I back Crute to do the same. (Prediction: Jimmy Crute)

Andrew Starc: Jimmy Crute looked to be on his way to title contention until a disastrous 2021. The Australian was unfortunate to lose to Anthony Smith thanks to a freakish injury, before being knocked out by Jamahal Hill in less than a minute a few months later.

Crute now hasn’t fought in over a year, while Menifield racked up two first-round knockouts in 2022, most recently against Misha Cirkunov. There’s a very good chance Menifield could stage an upset and knockout Crute in front of his home fans, but I think the Australian will get it done here. (Prediction: Jimmy Crute)

Drew Beaupré: Considering this fight is scheduled to open the UFC 284 main card and Crute is currently on a two-fight skid, it seems like the UFC might be hoping the Australian can snap his losing run while also hyping up the crowd in Perth for the rest of the event.

Menifield is definitely capable of exploiting the fact that Crute has been stopped in the first round in all of his losses, but it can’t be ignored that the two-fight winning streak “Atomic” is on includes the now infamous Askar Mozharov and what turned out to be Misha Cirkunov’s swan song in the UFC.

Crute’s loss to a former title challenger in Anthony Smith comes with a bit of an asterisk due to it being via leg injury, and even a quick knockout at the hands of Jamahal Hill in his last fight looks slightly better now that Hill has become the light heavyweight champion. There’s a great chance this fight doesn’t make it to the scorecards, and I’ll pick Crute to get his first win since 2020. (Pick: Crute)

Consensus: 3-0 Crute

Justin Tafa vs. Parker Porter

Harvey Leonard: This one certainly sits as an early contender for questionable PPV card placement of the year. Nevertheless, hopefully it makes for a scrap more entertaining than many heavyweight slogs. If it does turn into a firefight, I lean towards Tafa, Aside from a KO loss to Yorgan De Castro, the Aussie’s chin has held up well despite some back-and-forth contests. That includes a memorable scrap with Carlos Felipe, which ended in a split decision that he was unlucky to fall on the wrong side of.

But Parker Porter was able to grind out decisions against Josh Parisian, Chase Sherman, and Alan Baudot, and I think this bout is set up nicely for him to do the same. While a quick KO is always on the cards for Tafa, I think Porter is too smart to indulge in a war. I can see him utilizing his cardio and grappling advantage to pull ahead on the scorecards and upset the odds. (Prediction: Parker Porter)

Andrew Starc: Justin Tafa has had his work cut out for him since making his UFC debut in 2019. The 29-year-old boasts a 2-3 record in the promotion, having most recently earned a first-round head kick KO of Harry Hunsucker.

But that redeeming win was well over a year ago, and Tafa now faces a tricky opponent in Parker Porter, who’s won three of his last four. Perhaps fighting for his UFC future and on home turf, I think Tafa will get a knockout in this one. (Prediction: Justin Tafa)

Drew Beaupré: The UFC put a lot of effort into stacking this event with as much local talent as possible and lost a couple of big-name fights planned for the main card, but it still seems like an odd move to stick a pair of unranked heavyweights on the PPV portion of UFC 284.

Neither Tafa nor Porter have exactly set the heavyweight division on fire since joining the UFC, although Porter at least isn’t far removed from a three-fight winning streak that was snapped by Jailton Almeida. Tafa joined the promotion with only three pro fights, but at 29-years-old he’s still extremely young by heavyweight standards and could even out his UFC record with a win against Porter.

“Bad Man” is obviously dangerous and always a threat to end things early, but I’ll lean with Porter based on him being more experienced and the fact that he’s proven capable of winning fights on the scorecards as well as via finish. (Pick: Porter)

Consensus: 2-1 Porter

Jack Della Maddalena vs. Randy Brown

Harvey Leonard: Della Maddalena is one of the top prospects in the sport, a status he can really cement at UFC 284. Brown is a talented striker in his own right and will enter this contest with a height and reach advantage. But “Rude Boy” hasn’t always used it effectively, with both Khaos Williams and Francisco Trinaldo having solid moments against him on the feet.

While Brown may have some success early in this fight as the hometown favorite gages distance, I expect Della Maddalena, whose ability to dart in and out of range with combos and brutal body hooks is incredibly impressive, to pose too large a skill gap as the fight progresses. (Prediction: Jack Della Maddalena)

Andrew Starc: With three first-round wins in as many UFC bouts, there’s good reason why Jack Della Maddalena is being touted as a future welterweight contender. He’s earned finishes in 12 of his 13 career wins, with his victory in the Contender Series the only time he’s left it to the judges.

But in Randy Brown, Della Maddalena faces his toughest test yet. The Jamaican is riding a four-fight win streak, having most recently defeated Francisco Trinaldo via unanimous decision in October. Brown may pose problems for Della Maddalena thanks to his significant reach advantage, but I think the Australian will get it done here. (Prediction: Jack Della Maddalena)

Drew Beaupré: This is a fairly significant step up in competition for Della Maddalena, but it’s well-deserved considering the way he ran through his first three UFC opponents last year.

Brown has quietly put together a four-fight win streak dating back to the start of 2021, and after debuting for the UFC back in 2016 he finally appears to be hitting his stride in the welterweight division. Even if “Rude Boy” could rightfully question the UFC’s intentions in matching him up with a rising talent in his opponent’s home country, derailing that hype train could also be Brown’s ticket to breaking into the welterweight Top 15.

Given Della Maddalena’s reliance on his striking, it’s going to be interesting to see how he deals with a much taller and longer opponent on the feet. I’m tempted to pick Brown for the upset here, but it’s difficult not to be intrigued by Della Maddalena’s potential after that fantastic debut year when he joined the UFC.

(Pick: Della Maddalena)

Consensus: 3-0 Della Maddalena

Yair Rodriguez vs. Josh Emmett

Yair Rodriguez Josh Emmett — Photos via Instagram @panteraufc @joshemmettufc

Harvey Leonard: This one should be relatively competitive and entertaining on the feet, but I expect Rodriguez to have the edge in speed and a wider arsenal of weapons. While Emmett showed he hasn’t lost a step in his last two wins, I envision him having a hard time keeping up with the Mexican’s pace and combinations.

Of course, Emmett’s power can never be counted out, but Rodriguez has shown his ability to take heavy punishment. With that, the American will probably resort to testing Rodriguez’s takedown defense, which I think will more than likely hold strong en route to interim title glory for “El Pantera.” (Prediction: Yair Rodriguez)

Andrew Starc: Yair Rodriguez has fought sparingly in recent years, having most recently defeated Brian Ortega via TKO after the American dislocated his shoulder during the fight. While he lost to Max Holloway in 2021, Rodriguez has several notable wins under his belt, including Jeremy Stevens and The Korean Zombie.

He’ll be facing an in-form Josh Emmet who’s won his last five, including a unanimous decision win over Dan Ige and most recently, a split decision against Calvin Kattar. But I think the much younger, wilder Rodriguez will step up to the plate here, particularly with the interim title on the line. (Prediction: Yair Rodriguez)

Drew Beaupré: This is one of the few times where it seems like the UFC actually made a reasonable call to book an interim title bout, and it’s nice to see two new fighters finally get a shot at featherweight gold.

I was a little bit surprised to see that Rodriguez is the slight favorite ahead of this fight, but presumably odds makers are considering how good he looked in his 2021 loss to former champion Max Holloway while Emmett arguably lost his last fight against Calvin Kattar. I’m not one of the people that completely writes off Rodriguez’s most recent win over Brian Ortega via shoulder injury, but that was still only the 30-year-old’s second fight since late 2019.

Five-fight win streaks are hard to come by in a division like featherweight, and Emmett has more than paid his dues to finally get a shot at a title. I have some concerns about the 37-year-old potentially slowing down compared to the dynamic Rodriguez, but I can’t pick against someone that combines punching power and wrestling skill in a stylistic matchup like this.

(Pick: Emmett)

Consensus: 2-1 Rodriguez

Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski

Harvey Leonard: On paper, the logical pick here is the reigning lightweight champion. Makhachev has a wrestling pedigree built on a lifetime of sambo training — and backed up by immense strength — that no one at 155 pounds has been able to overcome. But in one of few times I think I’ve agreed with Sean O’Malley, I do have a weird feeling about the UFC 284 main event. But if Paul Craig vs. Johnny Walker taught me anything, it’s to back logic over gut feeling. With that said, I have to predict ‘and still’.

Contrary to some, I expect Volkanovski to make it competitive, especially in the early rounds, where I see him making the most of his sharp movement and attacking Makhachev’s legs early. But while Volkanovski’s immense confidence in his takedown defense is eyebrow-raising, it’s hard to imagine the Russian not finding a path to top position, especially when lesser athletes have managed it versus Volkanovski. From there, a Dagestani triumph seems inevitable. (Prediction: Islam Makhachev)

Andrew Starc: This is such an intriguing matchup for so many reasons. Islam Makhachev showed he’s the real deal by submitting Charles Oliveira to gain the lightweight strap in October, marking his eleventh straight win. While Volkanovski is unbeaten in an incredible 22 fights, having shown he’s a cut above everyone else at featherweight.

But for all the Australian’s accomplishments, the fact that he’ll be on home turf and his chance to make history, I can’t see Volkanovski getting the better of Makachev’s phenomenal wrestling. After all, he came within a whisker of being submitted by Brian Ortega. I’m picking a submission win for Makhachev here. (Prediction: Islam Makhachev)

Drew Beaupré: This is one of those fights that you absolutely love to see booked but absolutely hate to have to make a concrete pick for.

So many of the signs point towards Makhachev being the clear pick here: the size difference, the stylistic matchup, the way the 31-year-old has just been running through top competition the last few years. All of those things make Makhachev rightfully favored in this fight, but the matchup never would have been booked if Volkanovski didn’t have a chance to pull off the upset.

I remember initially being impressed by Volkanovski’s wresting skills early in his UFC run, but obviously that skillset has largely taken a backseat to the Australian’s kickboxing during his time as featherweight champion. Even if his grappling won’t be at the same level as Makhachev’s and there’s still a significant size difference, I think Volkanovski’s depth of skill and speed advantage could take the lightweight champion by surprise.

I won’t be shocked at all if Makhachev takes Volkanovski down and is able to dominant him the same way he has so many other opponents, but I’m siding with the Australian to become a two-division champion at UFC 284.
(Pick: Volkanovski)

Consensus: 2-1 Makhachev

That’ll do it for our UFC 284 staff picks! What do you think? Do your picks look similar? Let us know in the comments section! Also, you can check out the UFC 284 undercard below. And be sure to stick with MMA News for all the coverage leading up to UFC 284 as well as Fight Night and post-fight coverage!