Former Welterweight king No. 5 Kamaru Usman is taking on No. 7 Joaquin Buckley in the Main Event of Saturday’s Fight Night in Atlanta, Georgia. Another former champion, No. 7 Rose Namajunas, is on the card and will face No. 11 Miranda Maverick in the co-main event.
Along with traditional sports betting and daily fantasy, you can now have more action than ever for UFC Fight Night: Usman vs. Buckley! Check out DraftKings UFC Pick6! Here are my five favorite picks for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night.
Kamaru Usman More Than 57.5 Significant Strikes
Seeing the former champion’s total in significant strikes at 57.5 is a no-brainer. He has surpassed that number in three of his previous four bouts. Even though he hasn’t fought in 20 months, Usman still possesses an elite skillset.
Putting the age factor aside, this is a good matchup for Usman. He is taller by two inches and is an all-around more advanced striker on the feet. Usman lands 4.36 significant strikes per minute at a 52 percent rate. Each is better than Buckley’s. Also, Usman only absorbs 2.74 strikes per minute, which is very good.
Usman will most likely try to take Buckley down, but it would be shocking if he didn’t record more than 57.5 significant strikes throughout the five rounds.
Rose Namajunas More Than 47.5 Significant Strikes
Namajunas is also a former champion seeking to get back in the win column like Usman. After losing to Erin Blanchfield, she will face Miranda Maverick in the co-main event of this card.
In this bout, Namajunas is the taller fighter and the better striker. Namajunas must be aggressive early and often to put together another elite performance. After totaling 93-plus significant strikes in her previous three fights, it is surprising to see her total set at 47.5 for Saturday’s bout.
If Namajunas gets back to using her well-rounded skill set, including kicks and punches on the feet, recording more than 47.5 significant strikes shouldn’t be difficult for “Thug Rose.”
Edman Shahbazyan More Than 74.5 Fantasy Points
Edmen Shahbazyan is facing Andre Petroski in a middleweight bout in the third fight from the top. Shahbazyan is coming off a victory against Dylan Budka and is trying to extend his win streak.
Shahbazyan is taller (6’2″ vs. 6’0″) while possessing a two-inch reach advantage (75″ vs. 73″). He has scored 102 or more fantasy points in two of his last three fights. If he can stuff Petroski’s takedown attempts and keep the fight on the feet, then he should have a good chance to hit this mark.
Andre Petroski More Than 8:30 Fight Time
Petroksi has eight finishes in his MMA career, but has won his last three fights by decision. Although Shahbazyan has finished 13 of his previous 14 fights, this could be a more prolonged fight between two talented fighters.
In this matchup, Petroski has the edge on the ground, and if he mixes in takedowns, this fight has a good chance to last longer than 8:30. Three of Shahbazyan’s last six fights have ended with more than 8:30 of fight time. Petroski has shown significant potential recently and should be a more formidable challenge than his previous two opponents (Budka and Gerald Meerschaert).
Paul Craig More Than 19.5 Significant Strikes
Paul Craig is facing Rodolfo Bellato in a bout initially scheduled for a few weeks ago, but Bellato suffered an illness. This is Craig’s first fight at 205 pounds since January 2023. He has lost three straight bouts at middleweight and hasn’t won a fight since July 2023, when he beat Andre Muniz.
Even though he has failed to get into the win column lately, Craig still is a talented fighter and should see more success at light heavyweight. Craig has totaled more than 19.5 significant strikes in his last two fights and three of four. Bellato averages over six significant strikes per minute but absorbs 6.31 strikes. Craig has been passive lately and must change his mentality in the Octagon to get a different outcome.
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Create a Pick Set
Create a Pick Set by choosing 2+ players from the same sport and Pick Group (a set of picks available from a group of set competitions). For each player, simply select if you think they’ll have more or less than their listed stat projection. In each Pick Set, you can not pick the same player twice,e and you must pick players from at least two different teams.
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