The UFC returns to pay-per-view this Saturday for arguably their most anticipated event to date. UFC 306: Riyadh Season Noche UFC will take place on September 14 at Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. Undisputed Bantamweight Champion “Suga” Sean O’Malley headlines the event against No. 1 Merab Dvalishvili. In the co-main event, Alexa Grasso puts her Undisputed Women’s Flyweight Title on the line against former champion No. 1 Valentina Shevchenko. It is Mexican Independence Day and the UFC is putting together a “love letter to the Mexican people” as UFC President Dana White put it.

This is the first-ever sporting event taking place at the Sphere which opened less than one year ago. Inside, Sphere is a one-of-a-kind venue that seats over 18,000 people while having a 16k resolution interior LED screen and 4D effects. The outside has 580,000 square feet worth of LED displays. Sphere cost over $2 billion and is the most expensive entertainment venue in the city.

Let’s get into my favorite fighters to add to your daily fantasy lineups for UFC 306: Riyadh Season Noche UFC.

Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $600K UFC 306 Special [$200K to 1st]

Studs

Daniel Zellhuber ($9,000)

Zellhuber, 25, trains at one of the best gyms in mixed martial arts today: Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. Eric Nicksick is the Head Coach and has done an unbelievable job leading Francis Ngannou and Sean Strickland to UFC gold in the past few years. Zellhuber is one of Nicksick’s best prospects. At only 25 years old, the future appears to be bright for him. He is on a three-fight win streak after losing in his UFC debut.

In this matchup, Zellhuber has a major reach advantage (77″ vs. 69″) and a two-inch height edge. Mexico’s own Zellhuber is facing a talented striker from Argentina: Esteban Ribovics. Ribovics also trains at a highly touted MMA gym: Kill Cliff FC. In his last fight, Ribovics had an impressive knockout against Terrance McKinney in the first round. Although he is a talented young fighter regardless, I believe that Zellhuber’s reach advantage will play a huge role. If Zellhuber is able to control the pace of the fight, he will provide your daily fantasy lineup with a lot of value.

Sean O’Malley ($8,500)

O’Malley is only the seventh most expensive fighter on DraftKings while being the champion in the main event. In his last four fights (excluding fight vs. Munhoz, NC) O’Malley has scored at least 90 fantasy points or more. O’Malley is also coming off his highest-scoring performance against Marlon Vera, in which he scored 122 points.

O’Malley has a huge advantage in height (5’11 vs. 5’6) and reach (72″ vs. 68″) against Merab Dvalishvili. This is one of the biggest mismatches in terms of physical tools in recent memory. O’Malley is one of the biggest guys in the bantamweight division but doesn’t normally have this big of an advantage. Merab’s nickname is “The Machine” and it is completely true when watching him fight. He is on a 10-fight win streak and hasn’t lost a fight since 2018. Merab’s friend and teammate, Aljamain Sterling was the bantamweight champion for a while so Dvalishvili has not been very active lately. But when Merab has fought, he has dominated and most recently beat a former champion in each of his last three fights.

Merab has used his cardio to his advantage over his recent opponents but that will not be an option against O’Malley. “Suga” is always the fighter moving forward and pushing the pace against his opponent. O’Malley is one of the greatest strikers in the sport today, landing over 61 percent of his significant strikes while having an incredible 62 percent defensive rate. O’Malley has been great at defending takedowns in the past (62 percent) but in this fight, he will be tested by stopping a guy in Merab who is persistent when trying to take someone down. Merab averages over six takedowns per 15 minutes while having an 80 percent takedown defense.

From the first time Merab shoots on O’Malley, we will know how the fight is going to play out. If “Suga” can successfully defend Merab’s early takedowns, he will be an excellent choice for your fantasy lineups.

Value Play

Brian Ortega ($7,500)

Ortega, 33, is returning to the Octagon to face up-and-coming No. 14 Diego Lopes. This fight was originally scheduled to happen at UFC 303 but was canceled after Ortega got injured. This is a fascinating matchup between the veteran and one of the most popular prospects in the sport today. When you look at each fighter’s physical tools you will see that Lopes has a larger reach (72″ vs. 69″) and is taller (5’11 vs. 5’8).

Although Lopes has had flashy knockouts lately, Ortega actually lands more significant strikes per minute: 4.07 significant strikes to Lopes’ 3.24. Lopes is the more efficient striker by a large margin (55 percent vs. 38 percent). Ortega has the biggest advantage on the ground, averaging 1.17 takedowns per 15 minutes and having a 57 percent takedown defense.

Ortega is the +160 underdog in this fight with Lopes being -192 on DraftKings Sportsbook. If Ortega can slow down Lopes’ early aggressive attack on the feet and get the fight to the ground, he will become a steal at $7,500 for your lineups!

Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $600K UFC 306 Special [$200K to 1st]

UFC Pick6 is now live! UFC Pick6 is a new peer-to-peer fantasy UFC contest where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of 2 to 6 fighters and select whether or not you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Listed stat projections include significant strikes, takedowns, control time, knockdowns and more. For each fighter, simply select if you think they’ll have MORE or LESS than their listed stat projection. Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contest’s cash prizes!

Play at DraftKings UFC Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!

The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is ryanwohl) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.