Picking & Grinning: UFC on Fox 23 ‘Shevchenko vs. Pena’

Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight titleholder Amanda Nunes will likely soon know the identity of her next challenger.

Valentina Shevchenko on Saturday will collide with “The Ultimate Fighter 18” winner Julianna Pena in the UFC on Fox 23 main event at the Pepsi Center in Denver, with the victor expected to emerge as the No. 1 contender at 135 pounds. Meanwhile, Donald Cerrone aims to continue his push in the welterweight division when he does battle with Jorge Masvidal in the three-round co-headliner. A heavyweight clash pairing Francis Ngannou with Andrei Arlovski and a featherweight encounter pitting Alex Caceres against Jason Knight completes the four-fight main card.

Ahead of UFC on Fox 23 “Shevchenko vs. Pena,” Sherdog.com staff members and contributors swallowed their pride and put their reputations on the line with bold predictions:

THE LINEUP

135: Valentina Shevchenko (13-2) vs. Julianna Pena (8-2)
170: Donald Cerrone (32-7) vs. Jorge Masvidal (31-11)
265: Francis Ngannou (9-1) vs. Andrei Arlovski (25-13)
145: Alex Caceres (12-9) vs. Jason Knight (15-2)
185: Sam Alvey (29-8) vs. Nate Marquardt (35-16-2)
135: Raphael Assuncao (23-5) vs. Aljamain Sterling (12-1)
170: Bobby Nash (8-1) vs. Jingliang Li (11-4)
205: Luis Henrique da Silva (12-1) vs. Jordan Johnson (6-0)
185: Eric Spicely (9-1) vs. Alessio Di Chirico (10-1)
205: Marcos Rogerio de Lima (14-4-1) vs. Jeremy Kimball (14-5)
125: Alexandre Pantoja (16-2) vs. Eric Shelton (10-2)
155: Jason Gonzalez (10-3) vs. J.C. Cottrell (17-4)

2017 STANDINGS

Tristen Critchfield: 10-2
Jordan Breen: 9-3
Connor Ruebusch: 9-3
Brian Knapp: 8-4
Mike Sloan: 7-5
Todd Martin: 6-6
Eric Stinton: 6-6
Mike Fridley: 5-7

THE PICKS

Tristen Critchfield: Shevchenko, Cerrone, Ngannou, Knight, Marquardt, Sterling, Li, Johnson, Di Chirico, Kimball, Pantoja, Gonzalez

Jordan Breen: Shevchenko, Cerrone, Ngannou, Knight, Alvey, Assuncao, Li, Johnson, Spicely, Kimball, Pantoja, Gonzalez

Connor Ruebusch: Shevchenko, Cerrone, Ngannou, Knight, Alvey, Assuncao, Li, Johnson, Di Chirico, Kimball, Pantoja, Gonzalez

Brian Knapp: Shevchenko, Cerrone, Ngannou, Knight, Alvey, Assuncao, Li, Johnson, Di Chirico, Kimball, Pantoja, Gonzalez

Mike Sloan: Shevchenko, Cerrone, Ngannou, Knight, Alvey, Sterling, Nash, Silva, Spicely, Lima, Pantoja, Cottrell

Todd Martin: Pena, Cerrone, Ngannou, Knight, Alvey, Sterling, Li, Johnson, Di Chirico, Lima, Pantoja, Cottrell

Eric Stinton: Pena, Cerrone, Ngannou, Knight, Alvey, Sterling, Nash, Silva, Spicely, Lima, Pantoja, Gonzalez

Mike Fridley: Pena, Cerrone, Ngannou, Knight, Alvey, Sterling, Li, Silva, Spicely, Lima, Pantoja, Cottrell