Allan Fabrykant 
MAKACHEV V VOLKANOVSKI
We are finally here! After weeks of mediocre matchups, we have finally made it to UFC 294! After a scare in the main and co-main, the UFC was able to put together two fights on short notice that look even better than the two that were originally booked. With the fights taking place in Abu Dhabi, UAE, the fights start at 10:00 PA ET!! MANY big names to go through for today’s card. (There are lots of names ending in -ev or -ov. It is definitely worth giving those guys extra attention in your lines and parlays tonight) Read more below to find out my takes on tonight’s matchups! Tonight, there will be 13 fights ending with the title fight for the Lightweight division. Now, with all that out of the way, let’s get right into the action!
SLATE STARTS AT 10:00 AM ET
Exposure to the main event is highly recommended. DFS production in these fights is usually high as they are five-round fights. I do not recommend branching away from the Main Event, as these fighters are both active and can rack up a lot of points. There will be three top plays followed by honorable mentions. Now let’s get ready to make some money!
Tonight I’m here to give you my top three favorite DFS and Sports betting picks for UFC 294 Makachev vs Volkanovski.
MY UFC VALUE TARGET (CASH&GPP):
Alex Volkanovski vs Islam Makachev
Those who know these articles know that I don’t usually list a main event in the recommended picks, but I had to make an exception on this occasion. This may come across as a bit of a surprise, but as someone who was on Makachev in their last matchup, I honestly thought I lost the bet. Despite Makachev’s strong ground game early in the fight, he let it slip away badly. To the point where I thought Volk actually did enough to win the fight. When fighters lose that invincibility and feel that fear, it’s hard to get it back. Volk took it away from Makachev, and at the current odds, I think that even though Makachev has a great opportunity to win, all the value for DFS and sportsbook is on Volkanovski. After seeing how Volk was able to break out of submissions locked in by Brian Ortega, I don’t think there is much Makachev can throw at Volk that he won’t be able to overcome. Of course, Volk is coming in on very short notice, but Makachev was training for Oliveira, whom he beat handily, not Volk, whom he did not beat as cleanly and is a much more different and a much more well-rounded fighter than Oliveira. For parlays, I love this fight going over 3.5 rounds. Both of these guys are absolute warriors and are not going out without a fight, that’s for sure.
MY UFC DFS PICK: Alex Volkanovski UNANMIOUS DECISION.
MY UFC LOCKED-IN TARGET (CASH):
Anshul Jubli vs. Mike Breeden
Mike Breeden is absolutely terrible, got absolutely destroyed in his three UFC fights to date and has missed weight for the second time in his UFC career, this time by 3.5 lbs. In watching Breeden’s fights, I have not seen a single aspect of the game where he has excelled. He is either mediocre or terrible. His strikes absorbed per minute rate is above seven; he got taken down nine times in one fight and has been outstruck in three of his four fights recorded on the UFC catalogue. Jubli won a close fight on Road to the UFC and followed it up with some vicious ground and pound earlier this year in the Road to the UFC finale. In that fight, Jubli showed incredible pressure and grit after a first round where he was dominated on the ground. I don’t think Breeden will have a lot of room to work in this fight, and I can see Jubli grinding out a decision or late KO win.
MY UFC DFS PICK: Anshul Jubli UNANIMOUS DECISION (possible THIRD-ROUND KO).
MY UFC TOP SCORING TARGET (GPP):
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kamaru Usman
Ever since they announced this fight, I immediately got excited about it. For starters, Chimaev was going to maul Costa, let’s be honest here. Adesanya was able to control Costa in the cage; Chimaev would’ve embarrassed him… badly. Unfortunately, Costa has not fully recovered from surgery, which opened the door for Usman to take this fight on short notice. Chimaev is renowned for his impressive and aggressive wrestling styles. There is no better test than coming up against one of the best American-style wrestlers in the UFC, Kamaru Usman. It still doesn’t change how I feel this fight is going to go, but it will be more of a test of Chimaev’s skills if he is able to handle a well-trained American wrestler cleanly. One thing to keep in mind is that Gilbert Burns (Usman’s teammate) was able to push Chimaev to the brink in a close decision win for Chimaev. Still, unfortunately for Usman, I don’t believe he will be able to do the same as his team, especially considering how Chimaev’s fight against Kevin Holland went in his last appearance in a UFC octagon.
MY UFC DFS PICK: Khamzat Chimaev FIRST-ROUND SUBMISSION (possible FIRST-ROUND KO)
UFC HONORABLE MENTIONS:
(Not in order)
Magomed Ankalaev (I like Ankalaev on the KO-Decision Double Change)
Ikram Aliskerov (This dude is a straight killer, and Chimaev absolutely picked him apart. He is going to make quick work of Alves.)
Said Nurmagomedov (Unfortunately, I think this fight could end up being one of the more boring fights on the card, with Nurmagomedov dominating on the ground and ending up with either a submission win or a 15-minute grapple fest win.)
Muhammad Mokaev (Mokaev is a very special talent, and Tim Elliot is in for a really rough day at the office. Mokaev will get the finish here, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets it done under 1.5 rounds. He will face some challenges the higher up he gets, but Tim Elliott will not pose those challenges to him)
Trevor Peek (Peek disappointed me big time in his last fight, but against someone who is making their UFC debut after some victories against some less-than-impressive opponents, I think he has a good shot at victory in this one. I like him as well by KO-Decision Double Chance)
Javid Basharat
Abu Azaitar FADE (Dumas is absolutely terrible, but Azaitar has one of the worst gas tanks I’ve ever seen. This fight will most likely be a bad vs worse situation, and I doubt this is one that most fans are even looking forward to)
Nathaniel Wood (By Decision)
Viktoriia Dudakova (Dudakova did miss weight by a bit, but Jinh Yu Frey is not UFC calibre and will most likely get cut after a fourth straight UFC loss, this one coming at the hands of an undefeated rising star in the women’s strawweight division)
Sharabutdin Magomdov (This is one frightening dude. He’s 11-0-0, with 10 KOs and another five wins under modified MMA rules. Silva has been very inconsistent as of late, losing three of his last four fights. Even though his opponent is making his UFC debut, I think it’s a matchup that will be more than Silva is able to handle.)
SUMMARY:
On Saturday’s fourteen-bout MMA UFC DFS slate, I am finally allowed to bet again on UFC as restrictions have now been lifted in my area. As such, I will play 2 Parlays. Remember, to take down a 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 WinDaily Discord chat. GOOD LUCK, and don’t forget to come back and Win Daily!
PARLAY OF THE DAY
Magomed Ankalaev (Double Chance KO/Decision) -250
Makachev vs Volkanovski Over 3.5 Rounds -175
Ikram Aliskerov to Finish -250
Khamzat Chimaev -334
