Johnson

vs.

Bader Barnett

vs.

Rothwell Alcantara

vs.

Rivera Northcutt

vs.

Barberena MMAjunkie readers’

consensus picks

2016 picks: 7-2

Johnson (73%)

Barnett (58%)

Rivera (52%)

Northcutt (84%) Dann Stupp

@DannStupp 2016 picks: 6-3

2015 Champion

Johnson

Barnett

Rivera

Northcutt John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2016 picks: 6-3

Johnson

Barnett

Rivera

Northcutt Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA

2016 picks: 6-3

2014 Champion

Johnson

Barnett

Rivera

Northcutt Ben Fowlkes @BenFowlkesMMA 2016 picks: 6-3

Johnson

Rothwell

Rivera

Northcutt Steven Marrocco @MMAjunkieSteven

2016 picks: 6-3

Johnson

Barnett

Rivera

Northcutt Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt

2016 picks: 4-5

Johnson

Barnett

Rivera

Northcutt Brian Garcia

@thegoze

2016 picks: 4-5

Johnson

Rothwell

Alcantara

Northcutt Brent Brookhouse @BrentBrookhouse 2016 picks:3-6

Johnson

Barnett

Rivera

Northcutt George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2016 picks: 1-8

Johnson

Rothwell

Rivera

Northcutt

The UFC returns to New Jersey tonight – since it still is without any true hope of fighting in New York – and the card is rife with heavy favorites.

In the light heavyweight main event at UFC on FOX 18, which may have a title shot on the line, recent title challenger Anthony Johnson (20-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) is the unanimous pick of our nine editors, writers and radio hosts to top the streaking Ryan Bader (20-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC).

UFC on FOX 18 takes place Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The main card airs on FOX following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

To open up the FOX-televised main card, 19-year-old sensation Sage Northcutt (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is a 5-1 favorite over Bryan Barberena (10-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in their welterweight fight. (Northcutt normally fights at lightweight.) And he’s also a 9-0 pick to move to 3-0 inside of his first four months in the UFC.

Jimmie Rivera (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), a New Jersey native fighting in Brooklyn, is an 8-1 pick to run his winning streak to 18 fights when he meets fellow bantamweight Iuri Alcantara (33-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC).

The only contentious bout on the main card from our pickers is the heavyweight co-main event between Josh Barnett (34-7 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and Ben Rothwell (35-9 MMA, 5-3 UFC). In that bout, Barnett is a 6-3 choice.

In our MMAjunkie reader consensus picks, it’s Johnson, Barnett, Rivera and Northcutt – all the favorites our staffers are going with.

Check out all the picks above. Additionally, leave your individual main-card picks below. As usual, MMAjunkie reader “IAMMA” is organizing the MMAjunkie Member Picks, where a host of players sit at 8-1 after the first two events in the new year of competition.

For more on UFC on FOX 18, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.