UFC Fight Night 216 predictions: Jared Cannonier or Sean Strickland in 2022's finale?

The UFC stays in its home base this week, and middleweights are atop the promotion’s final card of the year.

UFC Fight Night 216 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, recent title challenger Jared Cannonier (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) takes on Sean Strickland (25-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC). The fight nearly is a pick’em at Tipico Sportsbook. Cannonier is the slight favorite at -115; the comeback on Strickland is -105. Our 10 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Cannonier with a narrow 6-4 picks lead.

In the co-feature, Damir Ismagulov (24-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) meets Arman Tsarukyan (18-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at lightweight. Tsarukyan is a -190 betting favorite and a near-unanimous pick at 9-1.

Also on the main card, our lone unanimous pick is Amir Albazi (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in his flyweight bout against Alessandro Costa (12-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC). Albazi is the biggest favorite on the entire card at -450.

Alex Caceres (19-13 MMA, 14-11 UFC) takes on Julian Erosa (28-9 MMA, 6-5 UFC) in a featherweight fight. Erosa is a mild favorite at -170 and has a 7-3 lead in the picks.

Drew Dober (25-11 MMA, 11-7 UFC) and Bobby Green (29-13-1 MMA, 10-8-1 UFC) clash in a fight between longtime UFC lightweights. Dober is a -150 favorite, but he has just a slim 6-4 lead in the picks.

And to open the main card, Cody Brundage (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) takes on Michal Oleksiejczuk (17-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) at middleweight. Oleksiejczuk is a big -280 favorite, but three of our pickers are taking Brundage in an upset.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Cannonier (62 percent), Tsarukyan (66 percent), Albazi (85 percent), Erosa (55 percent), Dober (66 percent) and Oleksiejczuk (71 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 216.