Allan Fabrykant 
YUSUFF V BARBOZA
Folks, we are one week away from the return of UFC Fight Island (UFC 294), but first, we have a stacked Vegas Fight Night card ahead of us! Today’s fights start at 4:00 PM ET!! Many big names and rising stars are squaring off! Read more below to find out my takes on tonight’s matchups! Tonight, there will be 11 fights ending with a featherweight fight between two fighters looking to break into the top 10 of the division. Now, with all that out of the way, let’s get right into the action!
SLATE STARTS AT 4:00 PM ET
Exposure to the main event is 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 Vegas 81 Yusuff vs Barboza.
MY UFC VALUE TARGET (CASH&GPP):
Cameron Saaiman vs Christian Rodriguez
A longtime training partner of #5 ranked middleweight Dricus Du Plessis, Saaiman holds a perfect 9-0-0 record with three UFC wins and a 78% finish rate. Saaiman has shown some incredible hand speed throughout his three UFC fights, and not only does he have a high SLpM (+5.41) and Strike Differential (+2.93), but he has shown that the longer a fight goes on, the better he gets. In fact, in his fight against Mana Martinez, Saaiman recorded 45 strikes in the third round, the most he got in the entire fight. He has also shown some good grappling ability, averaging over one takedown per 15 minutes. His opponent, Christian Rodriguez, had a rocky start on the UFC scene. Initially, he appeared on the Dana White Contender Series. Despite receiving a 30-27 from all three judges, his lack of impressiveness, inability to finish, and poor weigh-in led to Dana White passing on him after that fight. After a win on the regional scene, he got his chance to get back into the UFC with a short-notice matchup against Jonathan Pearce, which he proceeded to lose. Then, after a bounce-back win, he came in overweight again and stopped the hype train of Raul Rosas Jr.
All that brings us to a few months ago, where he was set to match up with Saaiman back in July but pulled out, only for the fight to be rebooked after Saaiman defeated another opponent on short notice. With all of that taking place in Rodriguez’s short UFC career, it should come as no surprise that he came into tonight’s fight overweight, AGAIN, by four pounds. Saaiman is going to be fired up for this one and is going to have the skill to back it up.
MY UFC DFS PICK: Cameron Saaiman THIRD-ROUND KO.
MY UFC LOCKED-IN TARGET (CASH):
Chris Gutierrez vs. Alatengheili
This matchup seems like it is simply too much for Heili to handle. Despite coming off a loss, Gutierrez is still inside the top 15 of the UFC Bantamweight division, and Heili is not even close. The stats back this up, too. Gutierrez has double the striking output of Heili and absorbs half the number of strikes, leading to a 3.63 difference between Gutierrez’s and Heili’s strike differentials. Some may look to Heili’s takedowns and think that there is a path for him there, but with Gutierrez’s impressive 74% takedown defence, I simply don’t see a path forward for Heili in this fight. I’m taking Gutierrez all the way.
MY UFC DFS PICK: Chris Gutierrez UNANIMOUS DECISION (possible THIRD-ROUND KO).
MY UFC TOP SCORING TARGET (GPP):
Terrence McKinney vs. Brendon Marotte
This fight is a big mismatch. Originally, McKinney was set to match up against Chris Duncan, but with Duncan’s Visa issues, the bout had to be scrapped, opening the door for Marotte to get the call-up for his UFC debut. Unfortunately for Marotte, he is up against a fighter with seven UFC fights under his belt in just over two years. McKinney has been extremely active and has picked up some big wins in the process, including a 7-second knockout against Matt Frevola. I think we won’t see this fight last much longer. Marotte has not fought anyone like McKinney, and I think that this level of competition will simply be too much for him.
MY UFC DFS PICK: Terrence McKinney FIRST-ROUND KO (possible FIRST-ROUND SUBMISSION)
UFC HONORABLE MENTIONS:
(Not in order)
Sodiq Yusuff
Adrian Yanez (Straight up, pick em’ fight)
Michel Pereira (Pereira is a talented fighter and very flashy, but he can take some unnecessary risks that could get him in some dangerous spots. Petroski is not my pick to win, but he has some winning chances and is a viable DFS option)
TJ Brown (Darren Elkins might be worth a live bet. He takes a lot of hits early and turns on the pace late when his opponent begins to tire out, so the live odds may turn against him hard while he still has a shot at winning)
Tainara Lisboa
Melissa Dixon (Close fight, just take the fight to go the distance in this one)
Emily Ductoe (By Decision)
Jennifer Maia FADE
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
Chris Gutierrez (Double Chance KO/Decision) -250
Emily Ducote (By Decision) -175
Terrence McKinney -500
