UFC makes its return to Canada on Saturday night with its latest PPV offering north of the border. While the organization typically makes one PPV trip per year to Canada, UFC 240 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, provides a less-than-stellar card without a ton of name recognition on the marquee.
Featherweight champion Max Holloway will put his 145-pound strap on the line against veteran and legend Frankie Edgar in the main event of UFC 240 on Saturday night inside Rogers Place (10 p.m. ET). In the co-main event, Cris Cyborg will look to get back in the win column when she takes on former Invicta FC featherweight champion Felicia Spencer.
Holloway, coming off his decision loss to Dustin Poirier in April when he moved up to 155 pounds to challenge for the interim lightweight title, will look to start up another impressive winning streak by taking out another legend of the sport. Edgar, meanwhile, hasn't stepped in the Octagon since April 2018 when he scored a decision win over Cub Swanson. It was shocking at the time given just five weeks earlier Edgar was stopped for the first time in his career with a vicious knockout by Brian Ortega.
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Cyborg is coming off her first loss in over a decade when she was knocked out by Amanda Nunes as UFC 232 in December when Nunes became the first female two-division champion in UFC history. Spencer, meanwhile, will make just her second appearance in the Octagon after scoring a first-round submission over Megan Anderson in May.
Also on this card are a pair of welterweights looking to make a splash when Geoff Neal squares off against Niko Price in a featured bout. Neal, a veteran of Dana White's Contender Series, made a splash in 2018 with a violent knockout of Frank Camacho. He added to his resume with a decision win over Belal Muhammad in January. Price, meanwhile, is 3-1 in his last four with violent knockouts of Tim Means, Randy Brown and George Sullivan.
With such a loaded event on tap, the crew at CBS Sports went ahead with predictions and picks for the main card with latest odds from Westgate. Here are your pick makers: Brian Campbell (combat sports writer), Matthew Coca (producer), Jack Crosby (editor), Michael Mormile (producer) and Brandon Wise (editor).
| Fight | Campbell | Coca | Crosby | Mormile | Wise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Max Holloway (c) -360 vs. Frankie Edgar +280 | Holloway | Holloway | Holloway | Holloway | Holloway |
Cris Cyborg -700 vs. Felicia Spencer +500 | Cyborg | Cyborg | Cyborg | Cyborg | Spencer |
Geoff Neal -350 vs. Niko Price +275 | Price | Price | Neal | Price | Price |
Arman Tsarukyan -160 vs. Olivier Aubin-Mercier +140 | Tsarukyan | Aubin-Mercier | Aubin-Mercier | Tsarukyan | Tsarukyan |
Krzysztof Jotko -180 vs. Marc-Andre Barriault +150 | Jotko | Barriault | Jotko | Jotko | Jotko |
Campbell on why Holloway will win: In the UFC there is no such thing as a get-well fight. Yet one might be willing to agree that Holloway, fresh off a hard-fought defeat over five rounds to Dustin Poirier for the interim lightweight title, enters a return to featherweight on Saturday that is somewhat favorable in terms of matchmaking. Yes, Edgar is a legend who even at 37 is quite capable of pulling the upset. But Holloway, armed with a size advantage, doesn't quite have the same potential to suffer damage on a relatively quick turnaround than if he were facing other top contenders. Finding out exactly where Holloway is both physically and mentally in this fight will be interesting. Still, his history of putting aside health concerns and delivering another stellar action fight is strong. It's hard to do anything but expect a Holloway win and a possible stoppage.
Crosby on why Cyborg will win: It's a strange feeling going into a Cyborg fight with even the slightest bit of doubt in your mind, but that's the impact the greatest female fighter of all time, Amanda Nunes, has on everyone. The unbeaten Spencer provides an interesting challenge to the once-polarizing Cyborg, but for me, it comes down to motivation. Cyborg has a lot of that at the moment. Entering the final fight on her current UFC deal, it's clear Cyborg doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon and her options are certainly open -- including a potential rematch with Nunes down the road if she does stick around the promotion. Channeling that motivation to get back on a championship track should carry Cyborg towards the victory over the inexperienced Spencer. Pondering Cyborg's future after the fight is where the real drama will begin, though.
Wise on why Spencer will win: Full disclosure, I am the same guy who picked Jessica Eye to beat Valentina Shevchenko last month, so take this with the largest grain of salt. But there's just something weird going on here with UFC and Cyborg. Dana White keeps saying that Cyborg does not want a rematch with double champ Amanda Nunes as she enters the final fight of her current contract. Cyborg is disputing all of this talk, but it feels like the focus is split when it comes to one of the baddest women on the planet. She may have one foot out the door toward another organization, and Spencer is not a slouch when it comes to her submission speciality. Expect Spencer to be one of the first people to truly challenge Cyborg on the ground and score a massive upset victory.
Wise on why Price will win: I am extremely surprised to see this line this lopsided. This has Fight of the Night written all over it and while Neal could be the next big thing, Price is no slouch when it comes to fireworks inside the Octagon. His loss last year to Abdul Rasak Alhassan was shocking, but speaks to Price's willingness to step inside the fire and deliver amazing moments to fans. This one won't make the final bell, and I expect Price to walk away victorious.
Who wins Edgar vs. Holloway and Spencer vs. Cyborg? And how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on all 12 fights at UFC 240, all from the incomparable expert who's up more than $21,000 on MMA in the past year, and find out.
