UFC 250 predictions -- Amanda Nunes vs. Felicia Spencer: Fight card, odds, date, prelims, expert picks

by 24USATVJune 7, 2020, 3:40 a.m. 61
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Greatness is stepping back inside the Octagon on Saturday night. In the main event of UFC 250 from the Apex facility in Las Vegas, Amanda Nunes will put her featherweight title on the line for the first time against Felicia Spencer. Nunes has beaten every single women's fighter or champion of note above of the 115-pound division. Her resume is a venerable who's who: Miesha Tate, Valentina Shevchenko (twice), Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie (twice). She hasn't lost since 2014.

While Nunes is far and away the most accomplished woman to ever step foot into the Octagon, Spencer brings an interesting dynamic to this fight. The former Invicta FC featherweight champion is a full-fledged 145-pound fighter with a diverse skill set. She's 8-1 as a pro with the lone defeat coming in a grueling decision against Cyborg where she withstood some of her opponent's heaviest punches.

The PPV portion of the card has plenty of intrigue in the bantamweight division. There's three separate fights in the division that all could have implications on the race to crown a new champion after Henry Cejudo retired and vacated the strap. Former champ Cody Garbrandt is back in action as he looks to end his three-fight losing streak against Raphael Assuncao. All three of those losses have come by knockout.

Some might say the "People's Main Event" is in the featured slot as Aljamain Sterling takes on Cory Sandhagen. Both have a claim to the No. 1 contender's slot and the winner should be next in line for a title shot. Sterling is on a four-fight win streak while Sandhagen has won seven in a row.

And rising star Sean O'Malley will open the main card action when he faces former WEC champion Eddie Wineland in a fight that could continue to position O'Malley as the future of the 135-pound division.

While it might not have the depth of most PPV cards, there's still plenty of interesting names to keep an eye on with veterans looking to start one last run at a title (Brian Kelleher) and some fresh face prospects looking to establish themselves on the big scene (Chase Hooper and Alonzo Meinfield). There's something for everyone on Saturday night to get excited about.

Get your expert picks for UFC 250 from our podcast -- State of Combat with Brian Campbell -- where we look at everything on the main card and get some in-depth analysis from UFC Hall of Famer "Suga" Rashad Evans below.

Buckle up, it's going to be a wild ride. Let's take a closer look at the rest of the card with the latest odds from William Hill Sportsbook.

With such a massive main event on tap, the crew at CBS Sports went ahead with predictions and picks for the main card. Here are your pick makers: Brent Brookhouse (Combat sports writer), Brian Campbell (Combat sports writer), Matthew Coca (producer), Jack Crosby (editor), Michael Mormile (producer) and Brandon Wise (editor).

Campbell on why Nunes will win: This one has sneaky potential to be a trap fight given Spencer's toughness and all of the distractions facing Nunes from the quarantine, a recent ankle injury that postponed her return and the coming birth of her first child with partner Nina Ansaroff. Nunes also looked a bit flat at times in her last outing against Germaine de Randamie in December. Luckily for Nunes, there's a reason why she's the G.O.A.T. Expect this fight to play out a lot more competitive than the odds suggest, but also expect a Nunes victory once the damage she inflicts starts to accumulate.

Brookhouse on why Garbrandt will win: In a striking battle, I favor Garbrandt, even with his tendency to leave his hands down and his chin exposed when winging left hooks. I don't think Assuncao has the chops to pounce on that vulnerability and score a knockout. Garbrandt has defended 100% of takedown attempts in his Octagon career. Being able to keep things standing and fire power shots for three rounds should allow Garbrandt to snap a really ugly three-fight losing skid.

Campbell on why Assuncao will win: Given his three-fight losing skid, all by knockout, this is very much a crossroads fight for the former champion Garbrandt. The real question comes down to whether Garbrandt's fall had more to do with his love of throwing hands in a reckless manner once he gets hit or whether his chin is slowly deceiving him. It will be up to Assuncao to find out by trying to lure him off his game and make it a fight. Garbrandt has kept a low profile and focused on jiu-jitsu training after moving his camp. But you are who you are once the leather starts flying and Assuncao, even at 37, is still too cagey not to exploit Garbrandt's flaws and tendencies. Historically, Assuncao only loses to the true elite, of which the jury is still out as to whether Garbrandt will ever be again.

Brookhouse on why Sandhagen will win: This is a very hard fight to predict and is as close to a pick 'em as anything on the card. Sandhagen has the edge here in being a guy who goes for the finish -- and often finds it. Sterling can get outworked and Sandhagen is a guy capable of doing just that. Sterling has improved his striking game, but Sandhagen has a dangerous combination of length, a strong striking game that builds off jabs and kicks and a willingness to bring a high volume of strikes. Sandhagen is more than capable of holding his own on the ground but will likely look to keep this standing and play off that volume -- he throws about twice as many strikes per minute as Sterling -- to simply outwork Sterling for the decision win.

Wise on why O'Malley will win: It's as close to a showcase opportunity as there can be for the "Suga" show. He is as good a talent as there is in the 135-pound division, but still yet to be challenged on the elite level. This is decidedly not that as Wineland, 36, has his best days behind him. The only hope is that O'Malley can get his contract issues settled so we can see him in bigger spots sooner than later. Look for another spectacular KO from the unorthodox and awkward 25 year old.

Who will win Nunes vs. Spencer, and how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight at UFC 250, all from the accomplished MMA expert who's up more than $20,000 and has nailed eight straight main event winners.

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