The UFC this week makes its second visit to the Australian city of Perth, and there are two title fights at the top of the bill.
UFC 284 takes place Saturday at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) meets featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC). Makhachev will put his title on the line for the first time; he hasn’t lost in more than seven years. Volkanovski, who will go after a second concurrent title, hasn’t lost in nearly 10 years.
Makhachev is big favorite at -380 at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Volkanovski is +300. Only one of our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are going with him in an upset at a hefty 10-1 clip.
In the co-feature, the interim featherweight title is on the line between Yair Rodriguez (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and Josh Emmett (18-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC). The two fight for the interim belt just ahead of featherweight champion Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) and his quest for a second belt at lightweight. Rodriguez nearly is a 2-1 favorite, but it’s Emmett who has a narrow 6-5 lead in the picks.
Also on the main card, Randy Brown (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) takes on Jack Della Maddalena (13-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at welterweight. Maddalena is a big favorite at -330 and has a blowout at 10-1 from our staff members.
Parker Porter (13-7 MMA, 3-2 UFC) meets Justin Tafa (5-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in a heavyweight matchup. Tafa is a slight favorite at -130, but Porter has the smallest possible edge in the picks at 6-5.
And to open the main card, Jimmy Crute (12-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) takes on Alonzo Menifield (13-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in a light heavyweight fight. Crute nearly is a 2-1 favorite at the betting window, but he has just a slim 6-5 picks lead.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Makhachev (51 percent), Rodriguez (62 percent), Maddalena (80 percent), Tafa (66 percent) and Crute (51 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 284.