The UFC opens up its 2024 schedule with a light heavyweight banger at the top of the lineup in Las Vegas.
UFC Fight Night 234 (ESPN+) takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
Get pick results from our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers, as well as additional analysis, below.
Brunno Ferreira vs. Phil Hawes
Records: Ferreira (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), Hawes (12-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Betting odds: Ferreira -130, Hawes +110
Junkie pick results: Ferreira 11, Hawes 0
Mario Bautista vs. Ricky Simon
Records: Bautista (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC), Simon (20-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC)
Division: Bantamweight
Betting odds: Simon -190, Bautista +160
Junkie pick results: Simon 6, Bautista 5
Gabriel Benitez vs. Jim Miller
Records: Benitez (23-11 MMA, 7-6 UFC), Miller (36-17 MMA, 25-16 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Betting odds: Miller -150, Benitez +125
Junkie pick results: Miller 9, Benitez 2
Manel Kape vs. Matheus Nicolau
Records: Kape (19-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC), Nicolau (19-4-1 MMA, 7-2 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Betting odds: Kape -290, Nicolau +235
Junkie pick results: Kape 11, Nicolau 0
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker
Records: Ankalaev (18-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC), Walker (21-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC)
Division: Light heavyweight
Betting odds: Ankalaev -550, Walker +410
Junkie pick results: Ankalaev 11, Walker 0
Preliminary card picks
Although fights on the prelims don’t count toward the standings in the MMA Junkie staff picks, we still pick each fight. Here are some key results:
It’s rare when there are no unanimous picks on the prelims, but that’s how we’re going to start 2024. There are, however, a lot of blowouts on the seven-fight early lineup.
Matthew Semelsberger (11-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) is a 10-1 pick at welterweight over Preston Parsons (10-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) even though he’s just a slight betting favorite in a fight that nearly is a pick’em.
For his featherweight UFC debut, Jean Silva (11-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is the biggest favorite on the card at more than 11-1 at some online sports books. Just one of our pickers is taking Westin Wilson (16-8 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in a big upset.
Lightweight favorite of more than 3-1 Tom Nolan (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is a near-unanimous pick at 10-1 for his fight against Nikolas Motta (13-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC). And only one of our staff members is taking 2-1 underdog Felipe Bunes (13-6 MMA, 0-0 UFC) to beat Joshua Van (9-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in a flyweight upset.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is a 7-4 picks leader over former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (34-22 MMA, 23-16 UFC); -230 bantamweight favorite Marcus McGhee (8-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is an 8-3 pick over Gaston Bolanos (7-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC); and 3-1 bantamweight favorite Farid Basharat (11-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is an 8-3 pick over Taylor Lapilus (19-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC).
Check out all the main card picks below.
UFC Fight Night 234 main card picks
| Ankalaev vs. Walker |
Kape vs. Nicolau |
Benitez vs. Miller |
Bautista vs. Simon |
Ferreira vs. Van |
|
|
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 209-111 (2024) |
 Ankalaev (67%) |
 Kape (75%) |
 Miller (87%) |
 Simon (63%) |
 Ferreira (64%) |
|
Nolan King @mma_kings 209-111 (2024)  |
Ankalaev |
Kape |
Miller |
Simon |
Ferreira |
|
Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 203-117 (2024) |
Ankalaev |
Kape |
 Benitez |
Simon |
Ferreira |
|
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 202-118 (2024) |
Ankalaev |
Kape |
Miller |
Simon |
Ferreira |
|
Ken Hathaway @1kenhathaway 201-119 (2024) |
Ankalaev |
Kape |
Miller |
 Bautista |
Ferreira |
|
Simon Samano @SJSamano 199-121 (2024) |
Ankalaev |
Kape |
Miller |
Simon |
Ferreira |
|
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 197-123 (2024) |
Ankalaev |
Kape |
Miller |
Bautista |
Ferreira |
|
Brian Garcia @thegoze 192-128 (2024) |
Ankalaev |
Kape |
Miller |
Bautista |
Ferreira |
|
Matt Erickson @MattE 191-129 |
Ankalaev |
Kape |
Miller |
Simon |
Ferreira |
|
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 191-129 (2024) |
Ankalaev |
Kape |
Miller |
Bautista |
Ferreira |
|
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 189-131 (2024) |
Ankalaev |
Kape |
Benitez |
Bautista |
Ferreira |
|
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 187-133 (2024) |
Ankalaev |
Kape |
Miller |
Simon |
Ferreira |
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.
