Picking & Grinning: UFC Fight Night ‘Volkov vs. Struve’

The current state of the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division has resulted in opportunities that might not have existed anywhere else in the sport. Into the void step two of the promotion’s tallest competitors.

Former M-1 Global and Bellator MMA champion Alexander Volkov will take aim at a fifth straight victory when he collides with Stefan Struve in the UFC Fight Night 115 main event on Saturday at Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Meanwhile, Siyar Bahadurzada and undefeated Australian prospect Rob Wilkinson are set to lock horns in the three-round co-headliner at 185 pounds.

Ahead of UFC Fight Night “Volkov vs. Struve,” Sherdog.com staff members and contributors swallowed their pride and put their reputations on the line with bold predictions:

THE LINEUP

265: Alexander Volkov vs. Stefan Struve
185: Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Rob Wilkinson
135: Marion Reneau vs. Talita de Oliveira Bernardo
170: Leon Edwards vs. Bryan Barberena
170: Darren Till vs. Bojan Velickovic
155: Mairbek Taisumov vs. Felipe Silva
155: Michel Prazeres vs. Mads Burnell
155: Rustam Khabilov vs. Desmond Green
205: Francimar Barroso vs. Aleksandar Rakic
145: Mike Santiago vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov
205: Bojan Mihajlovic vs. Abdul-Kerim Edilov
155: Thibault Gouti vs. Andrew Holbrook

THE STANDINGS

Jordan Breen: 184-87
Tristen Critchfield: 182-89
Brian Knapp: 177-94
Todd Martin: 172-99
Mike Fridley: 169-102
Eric Stinton: 162-109

THE PICKS

Jordan Breen: Volkov, Wilkinson, Reneau, Edwards, Till, Taisumov, Prazeres, Khabilov, Rakic, Magomedsharipov, Edilov, Holbrook

Tristen Critchfield: Volkov, Bahadurzada, Reneau, Edwards, Till, Taisumov, Prazeres, Khabilov, Rakic, Magomedsharipov, Edilov, Holbrook

Brian Knapp: Struve, Wilkinson, Reneau, Edwards, Till, Taisumov, Prazeres, Khabilov, Rakic, Magomedsharipov, Edilov, Holbrook

Todd Martin: Volkov, Bahadurzada, Reneau, Edwards, Till, Taisumov, Prazeres, Khabilov, Rakic, Magomedsharipov, Edilov, Holbrook

Mike Fridley: Volkov, Bahadurzada, Reneau, Barberena, Till, Taisumov, Prazeres, Khabilov, Rakic, Magomedsharipov, Edilov, Gouti

Eric Stinton: Volkov, Wilkinson, Reneau, Edwards, Till, Taisumov, Burnell, Green, Rakic, Magomedsharipov, Edilov, Holbrook