2 days agoFormer UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz (24-3) will be in action for the first time in 2022 as he faces Marlon Vera in the UFC Fight Night main event. He only has three losses in his 17-year professional career, although two have occurred within his last four contests. Typically a pace-controlling fighter who uses his unorthodox footwork to throw off his opponents, 16 of his career 24 wins have come by decision. DraftKings sees the former champion as the underdog with a salary of $7,700. However, Cruz makes for an interesting underdog choice, averaging 83.9 fantasy points per contest.
--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC
2 days agoMarlon Vera (21-7-1) is entering the UFC Fight Night main event on a three-fight winning streak since the decision loss to Jose Aldo. Vera has landed nearly 55% of his strikes, while his opponent, Dominick Cruz, posts a 39% success rate. Vera's key to victory will be landing the big strikes on the 37-year-old former champion. DraftKings sees "Chito" as the favorite, although neither has a clear edge heading into Saturday night.
--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC
2 days agoA former M-1 Challenge featherweight champion, Nate Landwehr (15-4), returns to Octagon for the first time in 2022 against a very dangerous striker in David Onama. Known to push the pace, eight of Landwehr's career wins have occurred via KO/TKO. The 34-year-old has landed one more significant strike per minute than Onama. However, he will need every bit of that if he hopes to avoid being another one of Onama's knockout victims. DraftKings sees "The Train" as the underdog, which is a reasonable salary considering his cloudy outlook on Saturday night.
--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC
2 days agoWith back-to-back wins since debuting for the promotion, David Onama (10-1), who is coming off of a July submission win, will return to action for the second time in as many months at UFC Fight Night on Saturday. Onama has finished all 10 of his professional fights, with six via KO/TKO. DraftKings has the "Silent Assassin" listed as the favorite in the bout against Nate Landwehr. Entering the UFC with a lot of hype, Landwehr has gone 2-2, with both losses ending by knockout, which certainly bodes well for Onama.
--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC
2 days agoSet to make her Octagon debut versus a fellow newcomer, Iasmin Lucindo (13-4) hopes to secure her eighth consecutive professional victory heading into UFC Fight Night. A dangerous striker, eight of her career 13 wins have come by KO/TKO. DraftKings has the 20-year-old as the sizeable underdog with a salary of $7,500. Her first bout with the promotion is coming against Yazmin Jauregui, who has also developed a reputation for finishing her opponents. Nonetheless, while Lucindo has her hands full, there is no denying her upside for DFS managers looking to take a chance on Saturday.
--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC
3 days agoIn the only women's bout on Saturday's main card, former Combate Global strawweight champion Yazmin Jauregui (8-0) will battle fellow debuting fighter Iasmin Lucindo. A dangerous striker, six of Jauregui's eight career wins have come by knockout/TKO, including her last two victories that came via first-round finishes. DraftKings sees Jauregui as the big favorite with a salary of $8,700. Facing a fellow Octagon rookie, look for Jauregui to continue to use her power to keep racking up wins.
--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC
3 days agoRising light-heavyweight star Azamat Murzakanov (11-0) takes to the Octagon in Saturday night's only light-heavyweight main-card bout and will face off against Devin Clark. Earning a first-round knockout in his Contender Series showing, Murzakanov continued to raise his stock by winning his debut in the Octagon via third-round flying-knee knockout. DraftKings sees the Professional as the favorite with a salary of $8,400. In his debut, Murzakanov tallied 72.4 fantasy points. Murzakanov comes into this contest well worth the price tag at DraftKings.
--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC
3 days agoRebounding nicely from back-to-back losses with a third-round knockout in his last outing, Devin Clark (13-6) is set to battle Azamat Murzakanov on Saturday's main card of action. A veteran of the UFC since 2016, five of Clark's 13 career wins have come via the finish, with four of them coming by knockout/TKO. DraftKings sees Brown Bear as the underdog with a salary of $7,800. Throughout his UFC career, Clark averages 61.1 fantasy points per contest. Murzakanov, the former Brave CF open-weight tournament champion, is currently undefeated and shined with a flying-knee knockout in his UFC debut.
--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC
3 days agoA perfect 3-0 in the UFC with three finishes before his last outing, Bruno Silva (22-7) will return to action on Saturday and is hoping to rebound from a decision loss in his last outing against the middleweight division's next title challenger in Alex Pereira. There is no doubt Silva brings heavy hands to the Octagon, with 19 of his 22 career wins coming by knockout/TKO. His opponent, Gerald Meerschaert, has most of his career wins by submission. DraftKings sees Silva as the big favorite with a salary of $9,000. Though Silva is coming off of a loss, it was against extremely tough competition, and it would be no surprise to see him rebound in a big way.
--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC
3 days agoMiddleweight action kicks off the main card on Saturday night with Gerald Meerschaert (34-15) looking to rebound from his last outing when he takes on Bruno Silva. After a three-fight winning streak with three finishes, Meerschaert took a loss in his last outing via unanimous decision back in April. A dangerous finisher on the mat, 26 of his 34 career wins have come by submission. DraftKings sees GM3 as the big underdog with a salary of $7,200. Throughout his UFC career, Meerschaert averages 62.8 fantasy points per contest. Silva enters the contest looking to rebound from a loss prior to riding a seven-fight winning streak. His last outing was a loss to Alex Pereira, the middleweight division's next title challenger.
--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC
5 days agoThe rough road since a loss to Jon Jones continued for Thiago Santos on Saturday when he suffered a fourth-round TKO loss. In 17:31 of action, Santos tallied only 53 significant strikes compared to that of Jamahal Hill's 89. Santos' ground game was not working, and he could only land six of his 20 takedown tries. The loss makes Santos winless in five of his last six contests. Santos has the power to earn an out-of-nowhere knockout win, so let's see who he is matched up against in his next outing. If it's a fighter in the very bottom of the top 15 or an unranked fighter, it's possible we see a Santos rebound.
--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 days agoJamahal Hill capitalized on a huge opportunity on Saturday and finished a title challenger in Thiago Santos in the night's fourth round of main-event action. On a card complete with finishes, Hill did not disappoint, closing out the night with his third straight victory via finish. In 17:31 of action, Hill tallied 89 significant strikes (130 total strikes) while stuffing 14 of Santos' 20 takedown tries. Hill is absolutely a rising star to keep an eye on. It would not be a surprise at all to see him win UFC gold in the near future.
--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 days agoPicking up his first professional loss by stoppage, Vicente Luque came up short in Saturday night's co-main event against Geoff Neal via third-round TKO. In 12:01 of action, Luque landed 97 significant strikes and stuffed three of Neal's four takedown tries on the night. With the first two rounds pretty much split, Luque's demise came on the wrong end of a series of uppercuts, eventually dropping him against the cage. Luque has now suffered back-to-back losses, but the names he's lost to have been among the top competition. Depending on his next matchup, fantasy managers might be able to get Luque at a good price.
--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 days agoHanding his opponent his first stoppage loss, Geoff Neal shined in Saturday night's co-main event by earning a third-round TKO victory over Vicente Luque. In 12:01 of total action, Neal tallied 121 significant strikes (12 significant strikes landed per minute) and landed one of his three takedowns. This was a huge win for Neal, propelling him back into top-10 talks and getting him back on track after back-to-back losses against some tough competition. Look for Neal to continue to ascend up the welterweight ladder.
--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 days agoNot only was Zac Pauga's undefeated streak snapped on Saturday, but he suffered a second-round TKO loss, costing him the TUF heavyweight crown. Less than a minute into the second round, Pauga ate a huge hook from Mohammed Usman that ended up flooring him and led to a stoppage call after a few follow-up strikes. Pauga was out-striking Usman and seemed to display quicker speed. In 5:36 of total action, Pauga tallied 32 significant strikes compared to the 12 of Usman. Though Pauga did not earn a contract in the UFC, with a few good showings out of the Octagon, it may not be long before we see Pauga enter the Octagon.
--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
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