Fight Week Picks: Schofield vs. Bahdi, Allen vs. Duncan, Nico Ali Walsh & More
FIGHT WEEK FRIDAY PICKS • OCTOBER 9, 2026
After a week away, the Fight Week Friday Picks are back, and at least we are returning with some momentum.
Our last edition produced one of the strongest weeks since we started keeping score. Johnny Fisher, Liam Davies, Raul Rosas Jr., Ailin Perez, Montel Jackson and Takuma Inoue all came through, with Phillip Rhome Jr. representing the only miss. Fisher won a majority decision rather than the stoppage we predicted, Davies stopped Nathaniel Collins instead of going to the scorecards, and Rosas finished Raoni Barcelos in the fifth round, but the season record tracks fight winners rather than requiring us to hit the exact method.
That 6–1 week moves the running record to:
Fight Week 2026 Prediction Record: 27–17
Saturday gives us an interesting mix. Two undefeated lightweights meet for the vacant WBA championship in Chicago when Floyd Schofield faces Lucas Bahdi. Nico Ali Walsh returns after a 10-month layoff against unbeaten Treavon Craycraft in Kansas City, and the UFC closes the night in Las Vegas with Brendan Allen against surging British contender Christian Leroy Duncan.
Here are this week’s Fight Week Picks.
BOXING — SCHOFIELD VS. BAHDI
Floyd Schofield vs. Lucas Bahdi
The centerpiece of this weekend’s boxing schedule is exactly the kind of matchup Fight Week wants to see more often: two undefeated fighters willing to put those perfect records on the line for a world championship.
Schofield enters at 19-0 with 13 knockouts, while Bahdi is 20-0 with 15 stoppages. The vacant WBA lightweight championship is at stake Saturday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, giving both men their first opportunity to leave the ring as a recognized world champion.
Bahdi is dangerous because he has already shown he can punish a young fighter who gets careless. His knockout of Ashton Sylve demonstrated that he does not need to dominate every minute of a fight to change it with one perfectly timed counter. Schofield occasionally fights with the confidence of someone who believes his speed will get him out of every bad position, and that is precisely the type of habit Bahdi can exploit.
Still, Schofield has more tools. He is quicker, moves better, can change rhythm and should be capable of controlling long stretches of the fight behind his jab rather than giving Bahdi the stationary target he wants. The most important thing for Schofield will be patience. He does not need to prove that he can knock Bahdi out; he needs to prove he can remain disciplined for 12 rounds.
Fight Week Pick: Floyd Schofield
Method: Decision
Confidence: 7/10
The Pick: Bahdi makes Schofield uncomfortable and probably lands the most memorable punch of the fight, but Schofield’s speed and activity allow him to win enough rounds to capture the WBA lightweight title.
Ricardo Sandoval vs. Sergio Mendoza
The co-main event has the potential to be just as entertaining.
Unified WBA and WBC flyweight champion Ricardo Sandoval makes the first defense of his belts against Sergio Mendoza. Sandoval enters at 27-2 with 18 knockouts, while Mendoza brings a dangerous 27-1 record with 23 stoppages.
Mendoza’s record immediately tells you what he wants to do. He is not coming to Chicago simply hoping to survive 12 rounds and steal a few rounds on the scorecards. He can punch, and that creates risk every time Sandoval remains in the pocket longer than necessary.
Sandoval has faced the deeper professional competition, however, and has developed into much more than an offensive fighter. He can pressure when the opportunity is there, but he is also comfortable changing distance and winning exchanges without turning every round into a shootout. Against someone with Mendoza’s power, that versatility could determine the fight.
We expect Mendoza to have moments, particularly during the first half when his power is at its most dangerous. As the rounds accumulate, Sandoval’s experience and ability to make adjustments should begin separating the two.
Fight Week Pick: Ricardo Sandoval
Method: Decision
Confidence: 7/10
The Pick: Mendoza forces Sandoval to respect his power, but the champion gradually solves the problem and wins a competitive decision.
HEART OF AMERICA — KANSAS CITY
Nico Ali Walsh vs. Treavon Craycraft
Nico Ali Walsh returns Saturday in one of the more interesting fights of his career.
Ali Walsh enters at 12-2-1 with five knockouts and has not fought in approximately 10 months. Across the ring will be unbeaten Treavon Craycraft, who brings a 9-0-1 record with three knockouts into their eight-round middleweight main event at Memorial Hall in Kansas City. The fight headlines BiYu Promotions’ Heart of America event and will stream on CombatVisionTV.
The storyline surrounding Ali Walsh has always been complicated by the famous name he carries, but this matchup should be judged on where he is as a fighter right now. He spent this training camp in Omaha working with Brian “BoMac” McIntyre, and that partnership may be more important than anything connected to his grandfather. Ali Walsh needs greater consistency from round to round, particularly when an opponent does not give him easy openings.
Craycraft’s undefeated record makes this more than a routine comeback fight. He does not have overwhelming knockout numbers, but an unbeaten fighter entering the biggest opportunity of his career usually arrives with confidence. Ali Walsh will need to establish the jab early and resist trying to force a spectacular performance simply because he is headlining.
The eight-round distance may actually help him. Rather than chasing a finish, Ali Walsh can concentrate on putting together a complete performance and rebuilding momentum after a long layoff.
Fight Week Pick: Nico Ali Walsh
Method: Decision
Confidence: 6/10
The Pick: Craycraft keeps it competitive and makes Ali Walsh work, but Ali Walsh’s experience and cleaner boxing earn him a decision.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT — ALLEN VS. DUNCAN
Brendan Allen vs. Christian Leroy Duncan
This is a fascinating UFC main event because the matchup asks two completely different questions.
Is Christian Leroy Duncan ready to become a legitimate championship contender, or is Brendan Allen still the gatekeeper separating promising middleweights from the division’s elite?
Allen enters at 27-7 with an impressive 14 submission victories and is riding a three-fight winning streak. Duncan is 15-2, has won five straight and owns 10 knockout victories. His recent run includes decisions over Roman Dolidze and former title challenger Jared Cannonier, so the idea that Duncan is merely an untested prospect no longer applies.
Standing, Duncan may be the more dangerous fighter. He is long, creative and increasingly comfortable controlling fights rather than constantly chasing highlight-reel finishes. His striking numbers also reflect how difficult he can be to deal with at range.
The matchup changes if Allen can consistently force grappling exchanges. Duncan’s listed takedown defense sits at 58 percent, while Allen has built much of his career around creating scrambles, taking the back and capitalizing when opponents make defensive mistakes. Five rounds gives Allen plenty of time to make Duncan repeatedly defend those situations.
Duncan is capable of winning this fight, particularly if he establishes his range early and forces Allen to shoot from too far away. But Fight Week still gives the veteran the advantage once the fight becomes physical.
Fight Week Pick: Brendan Allen
Method: Submission
Confidence: 7/10
The Pick: Duncan has success striking early, but Allen gradually closes the distance, forces extended grappling exchanges and eventually finds a submission in the later rounds.
Matheus Camilo vs. Jai Herbert
The UFC co-main event gives 25-year-old Matheus Camilo an opportunity to take another step forward against experienced British lightweight Jai Herbert.
Camilo enters at 11-3, including five knockout victories and two submissions, and comes off a June win over Nazim Sadykhov. Herbert is 14-6-1 with 10 knockouts and remains one of those veterans who can punish anyone who assumes his record makes him an easy matchup.
Herbert’s length and striking experience make him dangerous when he can establish his preferred distance. He has legitimate power, and opponents who recklessly walk into range can discover quickly why 10 of his 14 professional victories have come by knockout.
Camilo’s youth and physicality are difficult to ignore, though. He should be able to pressure Herbert more consistently and force exchanges at a pace the 38-year-old veteran may not want to maintain. That does not mean Camilo can simply charge forward; Herbert remains too skilled for that. But if Camilo attacks intelligently and makes this a physical fight, the balance should eventually move in his direction.
Fight Week Pick: Matheus Camilo
Method: TKO
Confidence: 7/10
The Pick: Herbert lands enough clean shots to make the opening rounds interesting, but Camilo’s pressure begins breaking him down and produces a stoppage.
Andre Fili vs. Kai Kamaka III
Andre Fili has seemingly fought everyone at featherweight, and Saturday adds another difficult stylistic matchup to a UFC career that has already lasted more than a decade.
Fili enters with a 25-14 professional record, while Kamaka is 18-8-1. Kamaka returned to the UFC this year and comes into Saturday following a July victory over Luke Riley.
Fili’s experience matters. Few things are going to happen Saturday that he has not already seen during a UFC career that began in 2013. He can box at range, mix in takedowns and create enough variation to keep opponents from settling comfortably into one approach.
Kamaka, however, tends to be at his best in exactly this type of fight. He does not need to dominate every exchange or chase a finish. His ability to maintain a steady pace and win minutes could become especially valuable against a veteran who has been through a lot of difficult fights.
This feels like a matchup that could be decided by one round.
Fight Week Pick: Kai Kamaka III
Method: Decision
Confidence: 6/10
The Pick: Fili’s experience keeps the fight close, but Kamaka lands slightly more consistently and does enough to earn a narrow decision.
Loopy Godinez vs. Ketlen Souza
This may be the most dangerous lower-profile pick on the card.
Godinez enters ranked No. 8 at strawweight with a 14-6 record, while Souza is 17-6 and has won three consecutive fights. Souza also owns nine knockout victories and is coming off a first-round stoppage of Ariane Carnelossi in June.
If this becomes an extended kickboxing match, Souza has every reason to feel confident. She is the more dangerous finisher and carries substantially more knockout power than Godinez.
Godinez needs to make this an MMA fight rather than a striking contest. Her ability to mix takedowns with pressure and make opponents constantly reset is the clearest route to victory. She does not need to hold Souza down for entire rounds, but she needs the threat of the takedown to prevent Souza from planting her feet and throwing combinations with confidence.
After losing to Tatiana Suarez earlier this year, Godinez gets a very different stylistic challenge here. We think it suits her better.
Fight Week Pick: Loopy Godinez
Method: Decision
Confidence: 6/10
The Pick: Souza lands the harder individual shots, but Godinez mixes her striking and wrestling well enough to take two of the three rounds.
Fight Week Pick of the Week
Brendan Allen over Christian Leroy Duncan by Submission
Floyd Schofield may be the safer winner this weekend, but Allen–Duncan is the matchup where the style gives us the clearest prediction angle.
Duncan’s development has been impressive, and victories over Dolidze and Cannonier prove he belongs in this position. But Allen brings something different. He does not need to beat Duncan in a technical striking match. He needs to force him into uncomfortable grappling positions repeatedly over 25 minutes.
If Duncan keeps the fight at range, this pick could look bad very quickly. If Allen consistently gets his hands on him, the fight begins changing.
We think Allen eventually gets there.
Fight Week Pick: Brendan Allen by Submission — Confidence 7/10
Fight Week Picks — At a Glance
Floyd Schofield over Lucas Bahdi — Decision — 7/10
Ricardo Sandoval over Sergio Mendoza — Decision — 7/10
Nico Ali Walsh over Treavon Craycraft — Decision — 6/10
Brendan Allen over Christian Leroy Duncan — Submission — 7/10
Matheus Camilo over Jai Herbert — TKO — 7/10
Kai Kamaka III over Andre Fili — Decision — 6/10
Loopy Godinez over Ketlen Souza — Decision — 6/10
Seven fights and several opportunities to move the record in either direction.
The biggest question may come in Chicago. Floyd Schofield has looked like a future world champion for years, but Lucas Bahdi is undefeated for a reason and has already shown that one mistake can completely change a fight. In Las Vegas, Christian Leroy Duncan gets the chance to prove his recent surge belongs at the top of the middleweight division, while Brendan Allen tries to remind everyone why he has remained one of the division’s most difficult outs.
And in Kansas City, Nico Ali Walsh finally gets back in the ring against an opponent who has never lost.
Fight Week 2026 Prediction Record: 27–17
The picks are locked in. Now the fighters get their say.
Check back with Fight Week throughout the weekend for results, reaction and post-fight coverage.
