UFC Fight Night 81 staff picks: Anyone picking Dominick Cruz to recapture gold?

	Dillashaw vs. Cruz	Pettis vs. Alvarez	Browne vs. Mitrione	Pearson vs. Trinaldo
MMAjunkie readers’ consensus picks 2016 picks: 5-0	Cruz (69%)	Pettis (81%)	Browne (64%)	Pearson (66%)
Ben Fowlkes @BenFowlkesMMA 2016 picks: 5-0	Dillashaw	Pettis	Browne	Pearson
Steven Marrocco @MMAjunkieSteven 2016 picks: 5-0	Dillashaw	Pettis	Mitrione	Trinaldo
Dann Stupp @DannStupp 2016 picks: 4-1 2015 Champion	Cruz	Pettis	Browne	Pearson
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2016 picks:4-1	Cruz	Pettis	Browne	Pearson
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2016 picks: 4-1 2014 Champion	Dillashaw	Alvarez	Browne	Pearson
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2016 picks: 4-1	Dillashaw	Pettis	Mitrione	Pearson
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2016 picks: 3-2	Dillashaw	Alvarez	Mitrione	Pearson
Brent Brookhouse @BrentBrookhouse 2016 picks: 2-3	Dillashaw	Pettis	Browne	Pearson
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2016 picks: 1-4	Dillashaw	Pettis	Mitrione	Pearson

The UFC’s second title fight of the new year features a former titleholder who has just one fight in the past four years – yet’s he’s a landslide favorite from our readers to unseat the champ.

Dominick Cruz (20-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is a slight underdog to bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw (12-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in Sunday’s UFC Fight Night 81 main event, and seven of our nine MMAjunkie editors, writers and radio hosts are going with Dillashaw. But 69 percent of our readers believe Cruz will once again have gold around his waist.

UFC Fight Night 81 takes place at TD Garden in Boston. The card airs on FOX Sports 1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

In the co-main event, former lightweight champ Anthony Pettis (18-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) returns for the first time since losing his title. He’s the heaviest favorite on the card as he takes on former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez (26-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC). Seven of our nine staffers think Pettis gets his hand raised.

Also on the main card, five of our nine like Travis Browne (17-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) to top Matt Mitrione (9-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in their heavyweight collision. And Ross Pearson (18-9 MMA, 10-6 UFC) is an 8-1 choice over Francisco Trinaldo (18-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in their lightweight scrap to open up the main card.

In our MMAjunkie reader consensus picks, it’s Cruz, as mentioned above, along with Pettis, Browne and Pearson as the selections.

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 went a perfect 5-0 for UFC 195 to open up the new year of competition.

For more on UFC Fight Night 81, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.