UFC on FOX 24 staff picks: Is anyone picking against pound-for-pound king Demetrious Johnson?

	Johnson vs. Reis	Namajunas vs. Waterson	Souza vs. Whittaker	Moicano vs. Stephens
MMAjunkie readers’ consensus picks 2017: 32-25	Johnson (87%)	Waterson (67%)	Souza (76%)	Stephens (82%)
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2017: 38-19	Johnson	Namajunas	Whittaker	Moicano
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2017: 38-19	Johnson	Waterson	Whittaker	Moicano
Dann Stupp @DannStupp 2017: 37-20 2015 Champion	Johnson	Waterson	Souza	Stephens
Steven Marrocco @MMAjunkieSteven 2017: 36-21	Reis	Waterson	Whittaker	Stephens
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2017: 35-22	Johnson	Waterson	Souza	Stephens
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2017: 34-23	Johnson	Waterson	Souza	Stephens
Ben Fowlkes @BenFowlkesMMA 2017: 34-23 2016 Champion	Johnson	Waterson	Souza	Stephens
Fernanda Prates @nandaprates_ 2017: 33-24	Johnson	Waterson	Souza	Stephens
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2017: 32-25 2014 Champion	Johnson	Waterson	Souza	Stephens
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2017: 27-30	Johnson	Waterson	Souza	Stephens

For the first time, the UFC has touched down in Missouri this week for UFC on FOX 24.

UFC on FOX 24 takes place Saturday at Sprint Center in Kansas City. The main card airs on FOX following prelims on FOX and UFC Fight Pass.

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

In the main event, dominant flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson (25-2-1 MMA, 13-1-1 UFC) takes on challenger Wilson Reis (22-6 MMA, 6-2 UFC). As he has become accustomed to, Johnson is a heavy favorite in the fight at as much as 9-1 at some online sports books. And to little surprise, he’s a heavy favorite with our MMAjunkie editors, writers and radio hosts, who are picking him at a 9-1 rate.

In the co-main event, Rose Namajunas (5-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) meets Michelle Waterson (14-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in a key women’s strawweight battle. Namajunas is a slight favorite in the fight, but it’s Waterson who has a heavy 9-1 edge from our staff pickers.

Also on the main card, Ronaldo Souza (23-4 MMA, 6-1 UFC) takes on Robert Whittaker (17-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in a middlweight bout. “Jacare,” more than a 2-1 favorite, is a 7-3 choice over Whittaker from our staff. And to open the main card, Renato Moicano (10-0-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) meets Jeremy Stephens (25-13 MMA, 12-12 UFC) in a featherweight bout. Stephens, nearly a 2-1 favorite by the oddsmakers, has an 8-2 edge in our picks.

In the MMAjunkie reader consensus picks, Johnson, Waterson, Souza and Stephens are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on UFC on FOX 24, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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