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We are back with another instalment of our Bloody Elbow readers picks and predictions, where our community gets a chance to tell us all who they think will win on tonight’s UFC fight card. This time around we’ve got UFC Vegas 72: Song vs. Simon and the community thinks it will be Song Yadong who comes out victorious over Ricky Simon (so they are going against what we think will happen in our staff picks).
In the co-main the community heavily favours Caio Borralho to stay undefeated in the UFC and beat Michal Oleksiejcuk. Read on for the rest of the community picks, as well as some insider picks from two members of our community.
GirlCasual is back to hit us with her picks, she was invited to do so by having one of the best picks records at last week’s event (6-4). She’s joined by NickyBonz, who also went 6-4 last week.
Participation in the the readers picks is for paid subscribers of our Substack. Paid subscriptions are the very best way to support the work we do here at Bloody Elbow. If you haven’t signed up already, please do. In addition to getting your picks shared on BE, you also stand a chance to win prizes at the end of the year. So hop on in!
UFC Vegas 72 reader picks
Song Yadong (61.5%) vs. Ricky Simon (38.5%)
Community pick: Song Yadong
GirlCasual’s pick: Ricky Simon. Wouldn’t be surprised if it comes down to a decision and damage, but Simon’s relentless offense and sheer athleticism mean that a TKO is also a possibility. Song is a fantastic, raw talent, but at 25 I think he still has a bit of development left to do. That said, this is the fight game, and with pick-em odds, he could pull it off.
NickyBonz’s pick: Simon wins, 35/45 for 78% media picks for Simon, he wins a close fight, surviving a couple, scares and controlling with multiple take downs and damage from top control for a likely decision win.
Caio Borralho (92.3%) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (7.7%)
Community pick: Caio Borralho
GirlCasual’s pick: Borrralho. This feels kind of like a set-up match to amp up the momentum for Mr. Wow That’s a Neck Tattoo. Oleksiejcuk has holes in his game and I think Caio will exploit them.
NickyBonz’s pick: Borralho wins, 36/40 for 90% media picks for Borralho, somewhat competitive early but clear win via takedowns, control and high chance of submission.
Cody Brundage (23.1%) vs. Rodolfo Vieira (76.9%)
Community pick: Rodolfo Vieira
GirlCasual’s pick: Vieira. I’m a sucker for a submission specialist.
NickyBonz’s pick: Vieira wins, 34/39 for 87% media picks for Vieira, he wins a close fight by clinching and out-grappling and submitting Brundage as long as he doesn’t gas and lose late.
Julian Erosa (76.9%) vs. Fernando Padilla (23.1%)
Community pick: Julian Erosa
GirlCasual’s pick: Erosa, only because of Padilla’s layoff. Also because how can you root against a guy with such a suave nickname?
NickyBonz’s pick: Padilla wins, 23/38 for 61% media picks for Erosa, but these fighters are relatively evenly matched striking and Padilla has some hype behind him, I think he finds Erosa’s chin for the mild upset in an exciting fight.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta (30.8%) vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (69.2%)
Community pick: Marcos Rogerio de Lima
GirlCasual’s pick: De Lima. He’s just more skilled. I’d pick de Lima by TKO ’cause of his striking.
NickyBonz’s pick: Cortes-Acosta wins, 18/34 for 53% media picks for Cortes-Acosta, he wins a close fight by keeping it standing, avoiding de Lima’s power, and outboxing him to a decision or late TKO win.
Josh Quinlan (76.9%) vs. Trey Waters (15.4%)
Community pick: Josh Quinlan
GirlCasual’s pick: Quinlan, only ’cause he was the one planning on fighting three weeks ago.
NickyBonz’s pick: Quinlan wins, 29/33 for 88% media picks for Quinlan, he wins, most likely by KO, a competitive fight early, eventually outclassing the newcomer Waters, who actually has a bright future but short notice and weight cut will hurt him here.
Martin Buday (61.5%) vs. Jake Collier (38.5%)
Community pick: Martin Buday
GirlCasual’s pick: Buday. Collier is just too chaotic, and not in the good way. That said, I would not pick this fight if you hadn’t forced me to.
NickyBonz’s pick: Buday wins, 18/24 for 75% media picks for Buday, he wins a competitive fight as the naturally bigger fighter, using his size and clinch to slow down and wear down Collier for a clear win.
Cody Durden (30.8%) vs. Charles Johnson (69.2%)
Community pick: Charles Johnson
GirlCasual’s pick: Cody Durden. Again, I wouldn’t make a pick for this fight, but my beloved BE is making me. The only reason I’m picking Durden is because he’s the younger fighter…by roughly two months. Johnson is good, but inconsistent. You’re forcing my hand, guys! Durden by TKO.
NickyBonz’s pick: Johnson wins, 14/24 for 58% media picks for Johnson, he wins a close fight by stuffing take downs or popping right back up to out-strike Durden over the course of three rounds.
Stephanie Egger (84.6%) vs. Irina Alekseeva (15.4%)
Community pick: Stephanie Egger
GirlCasual’s pick: Egger ’cause she’s fought since 2021, as opposed to Alekseeva.
NickyBonz’s pick: Egger wins, 17/19 for 89% media picks for Egger, she uses her judo and size to clinch and overwhelm the UFC debutante for a submission or clear decision win.
Journey Newson (100%) vs. Marcus McGhee (0%)*
Community pick: Journey Newson
GirlCasual’s pick (made before I switched Marcus McGhee in for Brian Kelleher – Newson’s original opponent): C’mon, don’t break my heart like this. Boom pulled out yesterday. I would have picked him, ’cause I’m originally from Long Island, and I don’t bet against my boys.
*Small sample size since this is a late replacement match-up.
Hailey Cowan (53.8%) vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth (46.2%)
Community pick: Hailey Cowan
GirlCasual’s pick: Why are you making me pick this fight? I hate this. Cowan because you’re making me.
NickyBonz’s pick: Howarth wins, 12/17 for 71% media picks for Howarth, she wins a close fight by out-scrapping the more athletically gifted Cowan vis more damaging strikes as Cowan tries to control her against the fence.
Who will win a Performance of the Night award?
Community pick: Ricky Simon (38.5%), Song Yadong, Caio Borralho, Rodolfo Vieira and Julian Erosa (30.8%)
GirlCasual’s pick: Gosh, Ricky Simon and Caio Borralho seem like obvious picks.
NickyBonz’s pick: Quinlan for KO and Borralho for submission
What fight will win Fight of the Night?
Community pick: Song Yadong vs. Ricky Simon (61.5%)
GirlCasual’s pick: Simon vs Song because, over 25 minutes, they’re gonna be like two badgers sewn into a single pillowcase.
NickyBonz’s pick: Erosa vs Padilla
What fight are you most excited for?
Community pick: Song Yadong vs. Ricky Simon (76.9%)
GirlCasual’s pick: There is only one answer to this question, and it’s Simon vs Song. There is very little to this fight night other than that. I’d be interested to see if anybody not related to any of the fighters says otherwise. This card is weaker than Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.
NickyBonz’s pick: Simon vs Yadong, two top-tier fighters in an interesting clash of styles fighting for title contention.
Leader board
We’ve had a change at the top of the leader board with Christophe leap-frogging Adam Law into first place thanks to a strong showing at UFC Vegas 71. As you can see there is only three correct picks separating first from fifth, so we could see some shuffling at the top after UFC Vegas 72.
Remember, whoever finishes in top position at the end of the year receives a special prize. There will also be prizes for runners up and for whoever has the most bonus points and best single event record.
So if you want to get in on the action, get a paid subscription to the Bloody Elbow substack today!
| Position | Community Member | Correct | Incorrect | Total Picks | % | Picks Back | Week 6 Record | Bonus Points |
| 1 | Christophe | 43 | 31 | 74 | 0.581 | – | 7-3 | 2 |
| 2 | Adam Law | 42 | 32 | 74 | 0.568 | 1 | 4-6 | 2 |
| 3 | GirlCasual | 40 | 34 | 74 | 0.541 | 3 | 6-4 | 3 |
| – | Jeremy | 40 | 33 | 73 | 0.548 | 3 | 4-6 | 2 |
| 5 | Luke G | 38 | 36 | 74 | 0.514 | 5 | 0-0 | 4 |
| – | Just Simon | 38 | 36 | 74 | 0.514 | 5 | 0-0 | 3 |
| 7 | Sensei Scott | 36 | 38 | 74 | 0.486 | 7 | 6-4 | 2 |
| 8 | lscottjose | 35 | 29 | 64 | 0.547 | 8 | 0-0 | 2 |
| 9 | BearHands | 33 | 28 | 61 | 0.541 | 10 | 6-4 | 2 |
| 10 | Mark Strong | 32 | 42 | 74 | 0.432 | 11 | 4-6 | 4 |
| 11 | NickyBonz | 31 | 29 | 60 | 0.517 | 12 | 6-4 | 2 |
| 12 | Fishtown Simon | 30 | 20 | 50 | 0.600 | 13 | 0-0 | 3 |
| 13 | Benjamin Thornton | 29 | 35 | 64 | 0.453 | 14 | 0-0 | 1 |
| 14 | Khabib “The Seagull” Nurmagomedov | 24 | 13 | 37 | 0.649 | 19 | 0-0 | 3 |
| 15 | Keyon Talieh | 23 | 27 | 50 | 0.460 | 20 | 0-0 | 2 |
| – | Kathy Hernandez | 23 | 14 | 37 | 0.622 | 20 | 0-0 | 1 |
| 17 | Beato Puente | 20 | 18 | 38 | 0.526 | 23 | 0-0 | 2 |
| 18 | The_Real_DeanD | 17 | 23 | 40 | 0.425 | 26 | 0-0 | 1 |
| 19 | mklip2001 | 16 | 13 | 29 | 0.552 | 27 | 0-0 | 2 |
| – | macnife | 16 | 12 | 28 | 0.571 | 27 | 0-0 | 1 |
| 21 | cloacacarnage | 15 | 10 | 25 | 0.600 | 28 | 0-0 | 1 |
| 22 | Dent | 14 | 11 | 25 | 0.560 | 29 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | BigWarndog | 14 | 8 | 22 | 0.636 | 29 | 0-0 | |
| – | Kaan | 14 | 22 | 36 | 0.389 | 29 | 0-0 | |
| 25 | Stanixx007 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 0.464 | 30 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | pmck003 | 13 | 31 | 32 | 0.406 | 30 | 1-9 | |
| 27 | Federico | 12 | 16 | 28 | 0.429 | 31 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | Wyatt | 12 | 16 | 28 | 0.429 | 31 | 0-0 | 1 |
| 29 | Arran D | 10 | 5 | 15 | 0.667 | 33 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | Tito Orcheese | 10 | 5 | 15 | 0.667 | 33 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | Thomas Goncalves | 10 | 15 | 15 | 0.667 | 33 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | Sure | 10 | 16 | 26 | 0.385 | 33 | 0-0 | 1 |
| 33 | Pembo | 9 | 6 | 15 | 0.600 | 34 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | chadokimu | 9 | 5 | 14 | 0.643 | 34 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | don’t care | 9 | 6 | 15 | 0.600 | 34 | 0-0 | |
| – | Stone Nicholson | 9 | 3 | 12 | 0.750 | 34 | 0-0 | |
| 37 | Nasal Waxing | 8 | 4 | 12 | 0.667 | 35 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | The Oatmeal Handtruck | 8 | 7 | 15 | 0.533 | 35 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | Eric Marentette | 8 | 5 | 13 | 0.615 | 35 | 0-0 | |
| – | TotinosPizzaBoy | 8 | 5 | 13 | 0.615 | 35 | 0-0 | |
| – | Tommy | 8 | 6 | 14 | 0.571 | 35 | 0-0 | |
| – | cubfanjg22 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 0.571 | 35 | 0-0 | |
| 43 | DJNi | 7 | 17 | 14 | 0.500 | 36 | 2-8 | 2 |
| – | Yes | 7 | 3 | 10 | 0.700 | 36 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | pinkfloyd | 7 | 8 | 15 | 0.467 | 36 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | WhiskeySmile | 7 | 3 | 10 | 0.700 | 36 | 0-0 | |
| – | Macknightio | 7 | 3 | 10 | 0.700 | 36 | 0-0 | |
| – | Limitless_DinD | 7 | 6 | 13 | 0.538 | 36 | 0-0 | |
| – | Jason Steiger | 7 | 5 | 12 | 0.583 | 36 | 0-0 | |
| – | Indorfin | 7 | 6 | 13 | 0.538 | 36 | 0-0 | |
| 51 | High_light | 6 | 4 | 10 | 0.600 | 37 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | Darker Than Black | 6 | 6 | 12 | 0.500 | 37 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | Are Daneel | 6 | 9 | 15 | 0.400 | 37 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | Ayaan Khan | 6 | 9 | 15 | 0.400 | 37 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | Rich | 6 | 9 | 15 | 0.400 | 37 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | TheCheeseBurgerLocker | 6 | 4 | 10 | 0.600 | 37 | 0-0 | |
| – | inspectordeckard | 6 | 7 | 13 | 0.462 | 37 | 0-0 | |
| 58 | NitroNikko | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0.500 | 38 | 5-5 | 1 |
| – | Smot Poker | 5 | 9 | 14 | 0.357 | 38 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | Oatmeal Handtruck | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0.500 | 38 | 0-0 | |
| – | Matthew Doolan | 5 | 7 | 12 | 0.417 | 38 | 0-0 | |
| – | Hangovereasy | 5 | 7 | 12 | 0.417 | 38 | 0-0 | |
| – | Aidan | 5 | 8 | 13 | 0.385 | 38 | 0-0 | |
| – | Martolord | 5 | 8 | 13 | 0.385 | 38 | 0-0 | |
| – | Mike | 5 | 8 | 13 | 0.385 | 38 | 0-0 | |
| – | Pastor Rose | 5 | 8 | 13 | 0.385 | 38 | 0-0 | |
| – | SuperWizard | 5 | 8 | 13 | 0.385 | 38 | 0-0 | |
| 68 | Brigsy | 4 | 11 | 15 | 0.267 | 39 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | Call Me Robert | 4 | 11 | 15 | 0.267 | 39 | 0-0 | 1 |
| – | The Professor | 4 | 6 | 10 | 0.400 | 39 | 0-0 | |
| – | Dennis Donoghue | 4 | 9 | 13 | 0.308 | 39 | 0-0 | |
| – | Geo Thornton | 4 | 9 | 13 | 0.308 | 39 | 0-0 | |
| – | Theredman | 4 | 9 | 13 | 0.308 | 39 | 0-0 | |
| 74 | Kevin P | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0.300 | 40 | 3-7 | |
| 75 | Patrick Brosnan | 1 | 9 | 10 | 0.100 | 42 | 1-9 |
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