UFC FIGHT NIGHT: SASKATOON.
Welcome back for another breakdown of an action-packed MMA DFS slate at WinDaily Sports. I’m going to be offering my COMBAT CORE FOUR. The four fighters listed below will be listed in order of priority starting from four to my NUMBER ONE pick of this MMA DFS slate. Tonight I am using Draftkings salaries but, my picks are suited for FanDuel and SuperDraft as well. I am going to be breaking down a few fights taking place at the APEX Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada tonight. This article is my universal MMA DFS picks and targets for Draftkings and Fanduel. I will be using my picks in most of my Daily Fantasy lineups and my top money line bets. The fight by fight breakdown can be found in our DISCORD chat. Check out our UFC DraftKings Projections, too!
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COMBAT CORE PICK #4:
Mariya Agapova (-335) (8700) vs. Hannah Cifers (+270) (7500).
DraftKings | FanDuel
Agapova has a professional record of 8W-1L and is making her UFC debut. She is primarily a striker. If Agapova gets going, Cifers is not going to believe what hit her. She is way more than Cifers bargained for; her constant unorthodox movement, the ability to switch up her stance extremely fast, and her hand speed, Hannah is in for a rough night. In my opinion, Mariya is more than Cifers can handle at the moment. Hannah has a history of being finished, and she is facing off against someone who has a “never give up” mentality. Cifers might make it out of the first round if she is smart about her striking and maximizes her grappling opportunities but, I do not see that happening for an extended period of time, definitely not the entire fight. I think Mariya Agapova wins this fight via second-round TKO.
MY MMA DFS PICK: Mariya Agapova (-335) (8700) TKO ROUND TWO.
COMBAT CORE PICK #3:
Tyson Nam (-125) (8000) vs. Zarrukh Adashev (+110) (7700).
DraftKings | FanDuel
Nam is winless in his first two fights in the UFC. He has been completely outclassed in both of his career UFC fights. The problem that Nam has is that he does not throw enough strikes. He is very dull in the octagon. His strategy has been to literally stand there while his opponent throws strike after strike and attempts takedown after takedown until he feels that he has found a weakness and has figured out his opponent. That strategy would be perfect if he were at home watching the fight on the television but definitely not while he’s actually in the octagon with an opponent in front of him.
Nam does not know when to throw certain kicks or punches. It looks like he’s out there just hoping to get lucky and hoping his opponent just falls without contact but, we all know, that’s now how fights work. His opponent is Zarrukh Adashev. Adashev is not the most aggressive fighter, but as soon as he noticed a few missteps in his previous opponents, he released everything that he had into the next few strikes. I believe Adashev is going to make his UFC debut a very memorable one, with a third-round TKO.
MY MMA DFS PICK: Zarrukh Adashev (+110) (770) TKO ROUND TWO. (This is one of my money line bets I will be placing)
COMBAT CORE PICK #2:
Julia Avila (-635) (9300) vs. Gina Mazany (+450) (6900).
DraftKings | FanDuel
Avila won her UFC debut. She showed how amazing she could perform. Avila came out and looked very well rounded. Julia is fresh, more confident, stronger, and an overall better fighter than Mazany, in my opinion. Mazany has been through the wringer, and I believe she is currently on the decline in her career. This matchup does not look good for Gina. Avila has devastating knockout power, and if that doesn’t work, she can take it to the mat and force a submission relatively fast. I do not see a route where Gina Mazany comes out victorious here. Julia Avila should demolish her and should be able to do it quickly.
MY MMA DFS PICK: Julia Avila (-635) (9300) ROUND ONE TKO.
COMBAT CORE PICK #1:
Merab Dvalishvili (-750) (9200) vs. Gustavo Lopez (+510) (6800).
DraftKings | FanDuel
This is my favorite pick of the night. I NEVER go ALL-IN on any one fighter in my MMA DFS picks because anything can happen in the UFC. This is as close as an all-in that I have been in the previous five MMA DFS slates. Merab was initially scheduled to fight Ray Borg but, due to family medical issues, Borg withdrew from the contest.
The replacement for Borg is Gustavo Lopez. Lopez is a decent fighter who was fighting in Combate America (CA) until literally two days ago. Gustavo is a two-time Bantamweight champion in the CA, on a three-fight win streak, has six first-round finishes, four submission wins, and six KO/TKO wins. There are a few issues I have with picking him in this fight. One issue is that he had to cut weight in less than 24 hours, and another issue I have is, all of his stats DID NOT happen in the UFC. Yes, he has looked good in the CA but, the UFC is an entirely different animal with elite competition.
Unfortunately, for him, he is facing Merab Dvalishvili, who is also on a three-fight win streak and his winning streak DID happen in the UFC. Merab is a relentless, scrambling, dominant wrestler, that when he is not grappling, he is an absolute madman in the octagon. He has a wide variety of crazy, wild, hard kicks and punches.
He is one of the most unpredictable fighters that I have ever seen. On top of everything else, he is ridiculously strong too. I think Dvalishvili catches Lopez really fast, and this fight ends early in the first round.
MY MMA DFS PICK: Merab Dvalishvili (-750) (9200) ROUND ONE TKO.
HONORABLE MENTION:
Andre Fili (-240) (8600)
Jordan Espinosa (-175) (8500)
Kevin Aguilar (-185) (8400)
SUMMARY:
On tonight’s 10 bout MMA UFC DFS slate, I will be building 10 GPP lineups. I will be focusing on the winners I chose for each fight. I’m building lineups that can variate from the field and taking bigger risks tonight. I will use my picks to build my MMA DFS lineups, and I will build around them with the available salary. Remember, to take down a UFC DFS GPP; you have to be different and take risks. Scared money doesn’t make money in tournaments. For any further questions, I will be available until lock in our Win Daily Discord chat. GOOD LUCK and don’t forget to come back and Win Daily!