Saturday night, “The Black Beast” No. 9 Derrick Lewis, is back to take on rising star No. 13 Tallison Teixeira in the Main Event of UFC Nashville. Another UFC veteran, No. 12 Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, is on the card, and he faces Gabriel Bonfim 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: Lewis vs. Teixeira. Check out DraftKings UFC Pick6! Here are my favorite picks for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night.
Derrick Lewis More Than 17.5 Significant Strikes
Lewis has won two of his last three fights and most recently totaled 41 significant strikes in his previous bout. He has finished with more than 17.5 significant strikes in two straight fights.
When Lewis fights, a knockout can occur at any moment, which is why his total number of significant strikes is so low. Lewis and Teixeira have 30 career total knockouts, which shouldn’t result in a five-round fight. With that said, Lewis’s last two contests lasted at least three rounds, and if this one does as well, it would allow Lewis to record more significant strikes.
Stephen Thompson More Than 40.5 Significant Strikes
Thompson is 42 years old, but reaching 41 significant strikes should still be doable for “Wonderboy”. He has hit that mark in two of his last three fights and had 49 significant strikes against Joaquin Buckley in his previous contest.
Can Thompson win this fight? It will be tough, but he should at least be able to surpass this total in significant strikes. Thompson is facing Gabriel Bonfim, who has been on a great run. In this fight, Thompson has the edge in experience and is good on defense when standing. Thompson needs to use his reach advantage (75″ vs. 72″) to his benefit while moving around the Octagon a lot to make an impact.
Gabriel Bonfim More Than 2.5 Takedowns
Bonfim excels on the ground, and he has the perfect matchup to do so once again at UFC Nashville. That is because he is facing Thompson, who is an elite striker but struggles on the ground. Bonfim averages 3.68 takedowns per 15 minutes, with a 76 percent takedown accuracy.
With Bonfim’s elite 65 percent defensive rate on the feet, it should allow him to weather the early storm on the feet and get the contest to the mat. When Thompson faced Shavkat Rakhmonov, he was submitted after being unable to get back to his feet. Bonfim has 13 career submissions and very well could do the same. But Bonfim has shown patience lately, as he has totaled three-plus takedowns in two of his last three fights.
Steve Garcia More Than 67.5 Fantasy Points
After losing two of his first three UFC fights, Garcia is on a five-fight knockout streak. Garcia finished his last five opponents in the first two rounds as well. Although he is on a hot streak, Garcia now faces Calvin Kattar, the toughest test of his career so far.
Even though he has a tough matchup, it is still surprising to see his total in fantasy points set at 67.5. That is because he has recorded at least 93 points in his last five bouts, including performances of 107 points or more.
Chris Curtis More Than 69.5 Significant Strikes
Curtis is an elite striker on the feet, averaging over six significant strikes per minute at a 51 percent rate. Although he is facing a tough veteran in Max Griffin, Curtis has been consistent in the striking department recently and should be able to get the best of him.
He has totaled 140, 124, and 142 significant strikes in his previous three bouts. Since Curtis is the smaller fighter, he will need to be aggressive against Griffin, as he must close the distance to land combinations throughout the contest.
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Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of 2+ players and select whether or not you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Enter your Pick Set in Pick6 contests to compete against other users. Get enough picks correct and win a share of cash prizes.
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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.
Enter an Amount
Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.
Sweat Your Picks
When the games go live, use the My Picks tab to follow your picks in real time to track how your players are performing against their projections and how they stack up against other users.
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