UFC 315 is taking place tomorrow in Montreal, Canada. Belal Muhammad, the UFC Welterweight Champion, defends his title in the Main Event against No. 5 Jack Della Maddalena. The Prelims begin at 8:00 p.m. ET with the Main Card starting at 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Along with traditional sports betting and daily fantasy, you can now have more action than ever for UFC 315: Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena! Check out DraftKings UFC Pick6! Here are my five favorite picks for Saturday’s UFC 315 PPV.
Jack Della Maddalena More Than 61.5 Fantasy Points
JDM has a tough matchup against the champion, Belal Muhammad, but he showed against veteran Gilbert Burns that he can succeed in a close bout. Yes, Della Maddalena is facing the reigning champion, but it is still surprising to see his total in points so low.
Della Maddalena has exceeded this mark in his previous five contests. If he wants a legitimate chance to win this fight, he must display elite takedown defense. In that scenario, Della Maddalena will be able to have an elite fantasy impact in a pure striking battle with Muhammad.
Valentina Shevchenko More Than 2:30 Control Time
The Women’s Flyweight Champion, “The Bullet” Valentina Shevchenko, takes on No. 2 Manon Fiorot in her first title defense of her second reign. It is surprising to see only 2:30 of control time for as dominant as she has been on the ground.
Shevchenko has hit this mark in five straight fights and is coming off a performance in which she totaled 16:04 of control time against Alexa Grasso. With her elite takedown ability, she is in a good position to find a lot of success on the ground in this fight.
Jasmine Jasudavicius More Than 2.5 Takedowns
Jasmine Jasudavicius will face former champion Jessica Andrade on Saturday. Although Andrade is good on the ground, Jasudavicius averages 0.32 more takedowns per 15 minutes. She has also been consistent on the ground, having three or more takedowns in three straight contests.
Jasudavicius has a massive reach advantage (68″ vs. 62″) while being six inches taller (5’7″ vs. 5’1″). Jasudavicius must use her larger reach to control the fight’s pace in this bout. If she does so, three takedowns should be doable.
Alexa Grasso More Than 51.5 Fantasy Points
Even though Grasso lost her title at UFC 306, she is only 31 years old and isn’t done competing at a high level. Grasso will fight Natalia Silva, who is ranked as a No. 5 contender in the women’s flyweight division.
She has a massive advantage in experience, having fought in three title fights in a row. Grasso’s last performance against Shevchenko wasn’t her best; she only scored 40.7 fantasy points. Before that, Grasso totaled 90-plus points in four straight fights.
Grasso is up against Silva, who will be able to go toe-to-toe with her on the feet. It will be a tough fight, but Grasso should be able to score more than 51.5 points.
Belal Muhammad Less Than 74.5 Significant Strikes
Even though Muhammad beat Edwards for the title, he only finished with 68 significant strikes. Muhammad does an incredible job of displaying his well-rounded arsenal each time he is in the Octagon. Muhammad has only had 75 significant strikes twice in his last five fights.
Muhammad has the advantage in this fight on the ground, but isn’t as good a striker as Della Maddalena statistically. JDM has an elite 66 percent defensive rate on the feet. Even though Muhammad has said he is the best striker in the division, he knows that his best chance is to get takedowns.
Brad Katona More Than 63.5 Significant Strikes
Katona has lost two of his previous three fights but has totaled over 63.5 significant strikes in four straight fights. In the first fight of the event, Katona will fight Bekzat Almakhan.
A big problem for Katona in the bantamweight division is his size. He is used to being the smaller fighter, and that is true for this bout as well. Although Almakhan has a four-inch reach advantage, Katona is a way more advanced striker. He lands significant strikes at a 52 percent rate. If Katona can get off to a better start than he has in the past, he will have a better outing.
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