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UFC on ESPN 41 predictions: Five blowout picks, but what’s our one iffy fight?

Cruz
vs.
Vera

Landwehr
vs.
Onama

Jauregui
vs.
Lucindo

Clark
vs.
Murzakanov

Cachoeira
vs.
Lipski

Meerschaert
vs.
Silva

MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
131-79

vera2022


Vera
(58%)

onama2022


Onama
(77%)

jauregui2022


Jauregui
(84%)

murzakanov2022


Murzakanov
(79%)

lipski2022


Lipski
(74%)

silva2022


Silva
(76%)

Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
143-72

trophy copy

2018 Champion

vera2022


Vera

onama2022


Onama

jauregui2022


Jauregui

murzakanov2022


Murzakanov

cachoeira2022


Cachoeira

silva2022


Silva

Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
139-76

cruz2022


Cruz

onama2022


Onama

jauregui2022


Jauregui

murzakanov2022


Murzakanov

lipski2022


Lipski

silva2022


Silva

Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
137-78

trophy copy

2014 Champion

cruz2022


Cruz

onama2022


Onama

jauregui2022


Jauregui

murzakanov2022


Murzakanov

lipski2022


Lipski

silva2022


Silva

Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
135-80

vera2022


Vera

onama2022


Onama

jauregui2022


Jauregui

murzakanov2022


Murzakanov

lipski2022


Lipski

silva2022


Silva

Simon Samano
@SJSamano
132-83

cruz2022


Cruz

onama2022


Onama

jauregui2022


Jauregui

murzakanov2022


Murzakanov

lipski2022


Lipski

silva2022


Silva

Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
131-84

vera2022


Vera

onama2022


Onama

jauregui2022


Jauregui

murzakanov2022


Murzakanov

lipski2022


Lipski

silva2022


Silva

Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
130-85

vera2022


Vera

onama2022


Onama

jauregui2022


Jauregui

murzakanov2022


Murzakanov

lipski2022


Lipski

silva2022


Silva

Nolan King
@mma_kings
127-88

vera2022


Vera

onama2022


Onama

jauregui2022


Jauregui

clark2022


Clark

lipski2022


Lipski

silva2022


Silva

Brian Garcia
@thegoze
126-89

trophy copy

2017 Champion

cruz2022


Cruz

onama2022


Onama

jauregui2022


Jauregui

murzakanov2022


Murzakanov

lipski2022


Lipski

silva2022


Silva

George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
117-98

vera2022


Vera

landwehr2022


Landwehr

jauregui2022


Jauregui

murzakanov2022


Murzakanov

lipski2022


Lipski

meerschaert2022


Meerschaert

Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
104-111

vera2022


Vera

onama2022


Onama

jauregui2022


Jauregui

murzakanov2022


Murzakanov

lipski2022


Lipski

silva2022


Silva

The UFC is in Southern California this week with a key bantamweight fight atop the card.

UFC on ESPN 41 takes place Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz (24-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) takes on Marlon Vera (21-7-1 MMA, 13-6 UFC). Vera is a sizable -250 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Cruz is +190. But it’s not a blowout with our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers, who are siding with Vera at a 7-4 clip.

In the co-main event, Nate Landwehr (15-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) meets David Onama (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at featherweight. Onama is the biggest favorite on the main card at -320, and he’s a near-unanimous pick from our staff members at 10-1.

The only unanimous pick on the main card is Yazmin Jauregui (8-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in her promotional debut against fellow debtante Iasmin Lucindo (13-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC). Jauregui is more than a 2-1 favorite in the women’s strawweight bout and has an 11-0 shutout in the picks.

The closest fight from a betting perspective is between Devin Clark (13-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) and Azamat Murzakanov (11-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at light heavyweight. Murzakanov is just a -155 favorite, but he’s a near-unanimous pick at 10-1.

Another near-unanimous choice is Ariane Lipski (14-7 MMA, 3-4 UFC) in her women’s flyweight bout against Priscila Cachoeira (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC). Lipski is a -210 favorite and has a 10-1 blowout in the picks.

And to open the main card, Gerald Meerschaert (34-15 MMA, 9-7 UFC) is a heavy underdog at middleweight against Bruno Silva (22-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC), who is a 3-1 favorite and has a 10-1 near shutout from our staff members.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Vera (58 percent), Onama (77 percent), Jauregui (84 percent), Murzakanov (79 percent), Lipski (74 percent) and Silva (76 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 41.

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Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie