UFC 245 predictions: Who's picking upsets in the three title fights?

The UFC is back in Las Vegas for its biggest pay-per-view card of the year with three title fights atop the bill.

UFC 245 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (15-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) puts his belt on the line in a grudge match against former interim champ Colby Covington (15-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC). Usman nearly is a 2-1 favorite at the sports books. But our 13 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers see it the other way, just barely. Covington has the slightest possible edge at 7-6 in our picks.

In the co-main event, featherweight champ Max Holloway (21-4 MMA, 17-4 UFC) defends his title against Alexander Volkanovski (20-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC). Holloway is about a -175 favorite and he has a 9-4 lead in the picks.

The third title fight on the card sees dual women’s champ Amanda Nunes (18-4 MMA, 11-1 UFC) put her bantamweight title up against former featherweight titleholder Germaine de Randamie (9-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC). Nunes is a big favorite at more than 3-1, and she’s got a sizable 11-2 lead in the picks.

Also on the main card, Jose Aldo (28-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) makes his first move to bantamweight to take on Marlon Moraes (22-6-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC). Moraes is more than a 2-1 favorite, and he’s got a huge 11-2 picks advantage.

And to open the main card, bantamweight Petr Yan (13-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) is the biggest favorite at the event by far against Urijah Faber (35-10 MMA, 11-6 UFC). Yan is around a -550 favorite, and he has a big 11-2 lead in the picks.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Covington (54%), Holloway (76 percent), Nunes (84 percent), Moraes (66 percent) and Yan (61 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.