Sonnen

vs.

Silva Emelianenko

vs.

Mitrione Lima

vs.

Larkin Chandler

vs.

Primus Freeman

vs.

Pico Davis

vs.

Bader MMAjunkie readers’

consensus picks

2017: 53-40

Sonnen

(54%)

Mitrione

(52%)

Larkin

(65%)

Chandler

(92%)

Pico

(56%)

Davis

(53%) Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt

2017: 63-30

Silva

Mitrione

Larkin

Chandler

Pico

Bader Simon Samano

@SJSamano

2017: 62-31

Sonnen

Mitrione

Larkin

Chandler

Pico

Bader Dann Stupp

@DannStupp

2017: 58-35

2015 Champion

Silva

Mitrione

Larkin

Chandler

Pico

Davis Ben Fowlkes @BenFowlkesMMA

2017: 58-35

2016 Champion

Sonnen

Mitrione

Larkin

Chandler

Pico

Davis Steven Marrocco @MMAjunkieSteven

2017: 56-37

Sonnen

Mitrione

Lima

Chandler

Pico

Bader Brian Garcia

@thegoze

2017: 55-38

Sonnen

Mitrione

Larkin

Chandler

Pico

Davis Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA

2017: 55-38

2014 Champion

Sonnen

Mitrione

Larkin

Chandler

Pico

Bader Fernanda Prates @nandaprates_

2017: 54-39

Sonnen

Mitrione

Lima

Chandler

Pico

Davis George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge

2017: 53-40

Silva

Mitrione

Larkin

Chandler

Pico

Bader John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn

2017: 49-44

Sonnen

Mitrione

Larkin

Chandler

Pico

Bader

For just the second time in its history, Bellator is headed to pay-per-view this weekend – and it will do it at the world’s most famous arena.

Bellator NYC takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The main card airs on pay-per-view following Bellator 180, which has a main card on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie.

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

In the main event, Chael Sonnen (29-15-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) and Wanderlei Silva (35-12-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) finally have a chance to settle their years-old grudge, which started when both were in the UFC. The light heavyweights meet in the headliner, which has Sonnen a modest -150 favorite. He’s a bigger pick with our MMAjunkie editors, writers and radio hosts, though, who are giving him a 7-3 advantage in the picks.

In the co-main event, heavyweight great Fedor Emelianenko (36-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) meets Matt Mitrione (11-5 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) in a fight that was delayed from February, when the two were supposed to meet before Mitrione suffered from kidney stones on fight day and was pulled from the bout. The oddsmakers have the fight as a virtual pick’em with Mitrione at -120 to Emelianenko’s -110 – but our staff members are calling it as unanimous for Mitrione, 10-0.

The blockbuster card has a trio of title fights, two of which take place on the main card. Welterweight champion Douglas Lima (28-6 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) puts his belt on the line against promotional newcomer Lorenz Larkin (18-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who will make his Bellator debut after defecting from the UFC. The challenger is a 2-1 favorite, and eight of our 10 pickers are going with him to take Lima’s belt.

Lightweight champ Michael Chandler (16-3 MMA, 13-3 BMMA) is an 8-1 favorite over Brent Primus (7-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA). To little surprise, he’s also a unanimous pick to retain his belt.

And in the Bellator 180 portion of the event on Spike, just ahead of the pay-per-view, light heavyweight champ Phil Davis (17-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) meets Ryan Bader (22-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a rematch – and Bader’s Bellator debut after moving over from the UFC, like Larkin. Bader has a 6-4 edge in the picks, even though it’s Davis who is the slightest of favorites from the oddsmakers.

Also on the card, wrestling standout Aaron Pico (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) makes his pro MMA debut against Zach Freeman (8-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). Like Mitrione and Chandler, Pico is a unanimous choice at 10-0.

In the MMAjunkie reader consensus picks, Sonnen, Mitrione, Larkin, Chandler, Pico and Bader are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on Bellator NYC and Bellator 180, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.