UFC 300 is taking place on Saturday, April 13 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and the card is one of the biggest sporting events of the spring. The card features two official title fights, including a light heavyweight title bout between champion Alex Pereira and former champion Jamahal Hill, and a women’s strawweight title bout between champion Zhang Weili and challenger Yan Xiaonan. The “BMF” title, a celebratory title that is short for “baddest m*****f*****”, is also on the line as reigning “BMF” titleholder Justin Gaethje faces Max Holloway.
T-Mobile Arena was also the site of a legendary win on DraftKings Sportsbook last year. At UFC 285, a DraftKings Sportsbook bettor turned just $1 into nearly $400,000 with a $1 UFC Parlay Bet featuring the following six picks at +39947171 odds:
- Dricus Du Plessis to Win by KO/TKO/DQ in Round 2
- Cody Garbrandt To Win By Decision
- Bo Nickal to Win by Submission in Round 1
- Shavkat Rakhmonov to Win by Submission in Round 3
- Alexa Grasso to Win by Submission in Round 4
- Jon Jones To Win By Submission
As a result of all of these outcomes hitting in the Parlay Bet, the UFC bettor took home $399,472.71.
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*Odds and lines are for illustrative purposes only.
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UFC 300 Picks
Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage
The aforementioned Bo Nickal, who was in the massive parlay hit above, is back in action at T-Mobile Arena at UFC 300. Nickal is one of the most exciting UFC prospects in recent memory and has the skills to emerge as a future UFC champion. Nickal is a three-time NCAA Division I National Champion wrestler and went undefeated in his final two years at Penn State. Nickal is also more than an elite wrestler—his striking has looked explosive. Nickal stands southpaw and showcases big power in both of his hands. Two of Nickal’s five career wins are by KO/TKO, including his most recent UFC fight. In that fight, Nickal feinted takedown attempts to get his opponent, Val Woodburn, to think about defending the takedown, and Nickal then landed several explosive punches past Woodburn’s guard to win the fight by KO/TKO. Nickal used the threat of his elite wrestling to gain cleaner striking entries, showcasing high fight IQ.
A similar theme could be in play for Nickal’s fight against Cody Brundage. Brundage has capable wrestling but leaky striking defense, avoiding just 43% of opponent significant strike attempts. Brundage has absorbed more strikes than he has landed, which is another red flag in his striking metrics. Brundage is also very aggressive and charges forward, which makes his fights prone to finishing inside the distance—only three of Brundage’s 15 career fights have gone to decision. The way Brundage presses forward without strong striking defense could leave him vulnerable to eating power strikes from Nickal, which makes Nickal to win by KO/TKO/DQ a potential plus money option at +130. Casting a wider net with a Method of Victory Double Chance bet of Bo Nickal to win by KO/TKO/DQ or Decision is a way to get Nickal’s Moneyline down from over -2000 to a far more reasonable -120.
Get ready for UFC 300 on DraftKings Network
DraftKings Network is THE ACTION SPOT and will be THE ULTIMATE HOST as you get ready for UFC 300 on Saturday. Tune in for special UFC 300 preview episodes of Morning Kombat from 5-6 p.m. ET and the Anik & Florian Podcast from 6-7 p.m. ET before the fighters step into the Octagon.
Main Event: Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill
Alex Pereira is a murderous striker who has arguably the greatest left hook in the history of MMA. Pereira’s left hook is his signature strike, but he also features a unique and crippling calf kick that has been highly effective at destroying the bases of his opponents. Pereira throws this calf kick without telegraphing it, which makes it difficult to see and check. Pereira also features a stinging lead jab, which he plays off his left hook. Pereira punishes opponents with his left hook when they reach to parry the jab, which is how he set up his knockout of Sean Strickland.
Pereira has been criticized for not moving his head enough defensively, but he is very rangy and elite at distance management, which generally keeps him safe from return fire. Pereira also rolls with the punches he absorbs, which softens the blow and helps him avoid taking the full force of the strike.
Given Pereira’s elite striking, the best path to beat Pereira is through wrestling and top control, which would put Pereira in a position where he would be unable to utilize his biggest strength, which is his distance striking. However, Jamahal Hill has stated that he intends to strike with Pereira and try to knock Pereira out, which would play right into Pereira’s ideal fight. This is supported by Hill having recorded zero successful takedowns in the UFC—Hill has not even officially attempted a takedown in nine UFC fights.
As long as Pereira can keep this fight at distance, he has an excellent chance to utilize his superior striking and emerge from this bout as the winner, either by knockout or by winning on points.
DraftKings Sportsbook Bets to Consider:
- Bo Nickal To Win By KO/TKO/DQ or Decision
Odds: -120
- Alex Pereira Moneyline
Odds: -135
Main Event Same Game Parlay (SGP):
- Alex Pereira Moneyline (3 Way)
- Exact Method of Victory: KO/TKO/DQ
Odds: +115
Winning Method Parlay Bet:
- Alex Pereira To Win By KO/TKO/DQ
- Bo Nickal To Win By KO/TKO/DQ or Decision
Odds: +285
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests. The contents contained in this article do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups.
