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Things are slowly getting back to normal. We had our first taste of UFC action almost one month ago when Tony Ferguson lost his fight with Justin Gaethje by TKO in UFC 249. Four weeks and three events later, we're back at the number cards of the promotion with UFC 250 knocking on our doors. For the second time in a row, we'll watch MMA action take place at the UFC Apex complex in Las Vegas, NV.
UFC 250 is headlined by the title fight between Women's Featherweight champion Amanda Nunes and contender Felicia Spencer. The former will put the belt on the line (one of the two she holds, along with the Bantamweight) after having dominated every contender she's faced since getting her first gold back in 2016. Cody Garbrandt and Raphael Assuncao will headline the co-main event of the evening in a bantamweight fight. The bantam-heavy card also bears the names of other recognized fighters such as Aljamain Sterling, Neil Magny, or Sean O'Malley.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy MMA lineup picks for DrafKings for UFC 250 Nunes vs. Spencer on 6/6/20. You can check out our FanDuel MMA DFS picks as well. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced fighters and value picks on DraftKings. Give me a follow on Twitter @chapulana. Good luck!
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UFC 250 Women's Featherweight - MMA DFS Lineup Picks
Amanda Nunes, $9,400 - vs. Felicia Spencer
All hail the Champ (yes, with the capital C). Nunes is a beast, plain and simple. She hasn't lost a fight since March 2015 and is on a 10-win streak. She gets on cards a couple of times per year, gets inside the octagon, beats the hell out of her opponents (she's only gone the distance in three of those 10 wins), and goes back home with the belt intact. There is not much more you need to know about Nunes.
Felicia Spencer is the latest woman to dare challenge the reigning champion. Perhaps not the most coveted or storied challenger out there, Spencer carries a 2-1 UFC record going in this fight. She won her last bout (versus Zarah Fairn) just three months ago in only 3:37 in the first round. Both of Spencer's wins saw her reach 109+ DKFP, which were significantly boosted by the first-round stoppage bonuses.
Nunes outnumbers Spencer at everything. She has more experience, throws more strikes, and has a serious ground game to go with her punches and kicks. Since she became a champ, Nunes only has one fight in which she dropped under 103.5 DKFP, so chances are she puts on another show of at least 100 fantasy points for you this weekend. Don't even think about not rostering her for a minute.
UFC 250 Bantamweight - MMA DFS Lineup Picks
Cody Garbrandt, $8,600 - vs. Raphael Assuncao
Nearly 10 years separate Garbrandt and Assuncao, but both arrive at this fight with long histories attached to their names. Garbrandt is a former champion on a three-loss streak. That stinks, but Assuncao himself has lost his last two fights too. Even with that, Garbrandt enters this bout as the clear favorite, which shows how separate these two are in talent.
Garbrandt has never needed to crank up the volume during his fights. In his last seven, he's only gone to the judges' decision once (his championship win against Dominick Cruz), and only then did he attempt more than 60 strikes. That is mostly because the other six fights finished inside the first round, with the exception of one in the second. Garbrandt is an absolute zero on the ground and doesn't even attempt to take his opponents down.
Assuncao, on the other hand, is a volume-thrower demon. Excluding his loss to Marlon Moraes, he has attempted at least 100 strikes in his last nine fights. That volume is great, but his accuracy isn't otherworldly, often sitting in the 30% to 60% range. He's improved on that recently, though, with 58% and 63% of strikes landed in two of his last three fights (all since July 2018).
Although Assuncao might look like the better and more rounded option here, Garbrandt brings the youth and upside to kill this fight before you even realize. Sure, he's been more on the losing side of things lately, but he makes for a more than reasonable price tag.
UFC 250 Bantamweight - MMA DFS Lineup Picks
Aljamain Sterling, $8,200 vs. Cory Sandhagen
This fight has everything to have a greater impact on the Bantamweight division in the long run. The winner might find himself in a good position to make a run at the title, considering both fighters carry winning streaks (four for Sterling, five for Sandhagen).
Sterling fought in the UFC for the first time in 2014 and has always shown a great ground game, attempting more than five takedowns per fight and succeeding with almost 40% of them on average. Sandhagen has better success rates, but he also works on the ground on a lower volume, balancing things out.
When it comes to strikes, Sterling also has the edge over Sandhagen. This feels like throwing the latter a little bit below the level he's truly out, but in a pound-for-pound comparison to Aljamain, he just isn't at this one's level. Sterling reaches decisions more often than not, and that bulk up his strike counts, which are often north of 150+ attempts, with 60% of them landing. Sandhagen averages around 140, with a much lower 50% landing-rate.
This is not an easy pick, but I'd bet on a full-time fight going to decision and ultimately having Sterling remain in the win column.
