Picking & Grinning: UFC on Fox 21 ‘Maia vs. Condit’

They are fighting over prime real estate near the top of the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division.

Demian Maia on Saturday will lock horns with former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Carlos Condit in the UFC on Fox 21 headliner at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. In the co-main event, onetime UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis downshifts to 145 pounds for the first time to take on Charles Oliveira. The rest of the four-fight main card sees Team Alpha Male’s Paige VanZant paired with Beck Rawlings and “The Ultimate Fighter 5” semifinalist Joe Lauzon pitted against Jim Miller.

Ahead of UFC on Fox 21 “Maia vs. Condit,” members of the Sherdog.com staff swallowed their pride and put their reputations on the line with bold predictions:

Standings

Tristen Critchfield (43-26-1)
Mike Fridley (43-26-1)
Jordan Breen (41-28-1)
Brian Knapp (38-31-1)
Mike Sloan (37-32-1)

The Lineup

170: Demian Maia (23-6) vs. Carlos Condit (30-9)
145: Anthony Pettis (18-5) vs. Charles Oliveira (21-5)
115: Paige VanZant (6-2) vs. Bec Rawlings (7-4)
155: Joe Lauzon (26-11) vs. Jim Miller (26-8)
185: Sam Alvey (27-8) vs. Kevin Casey (9-4-1)
145: Enrique Barzola (11-2-1) vs. Kyle Bochniak (6-1)
185: Garreth McLellan (13-4) vs. Alessio Di Chirico (9-1)
155: Shane Campbell (12-5) vs. Felipe Silva (7-0)
155: Chad Laprise (10-2) vs. Thibault Gouti (11-2)
155: Alex Ricci (10-3) vs. Jeremy Kennedy (8-0)

The Picks

Tristen Critchfield: Condit, Pettis, VanZant, Miller, Alvey, Bochniak, Di Chirico, Campbell, Laprise, Kennedy

Mike Fridley: Condit, Pettis, VanZant, Lauzon, Casey, Barzola, McLellan, Silva, Gouti, Kennedy

Jordan Breen: Condit, Pettis, VanZant, Lauzon, Alvey, Bochniak, Di Chirico, Campbell, Laprise, Kennedy

Brian Knapp: Condit, Pettis, VanZant, Lauzon, Alvey, Bochniak, Di Chirico, Campbell, Laprise, Kennedy

Mike Sloan: Condit, Pettis, VanZant, Lauzon, Alvey, Barzola, Di Chirico, Campbell, Gouti, Ricci