Saturday night, former Interim Lightweight Champion Dustin Poirier will challenge Max Holloway for the BMF title in his final UFC fight on July 19 in New Orleans, Louisiana, at UFC 318.
Along with traditional sports betting and daily fantasy, you can now have more action than ever for UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3. Check out DraftKings UFC Pick6! Here are my favorite picks for Saturday’s UFC PPV.
Max Holloway More Than 145.5 Significant Strikes
Even though Holloway was knocked out in his last fight, he still finished with 79 significant strikes. It might seem extreme for someone to land more than 145.5 significant strikes, but that is how incredible of a striker Holloway is. He is not only one of the best strikers currently in the UFC, but also one of the greatest in the promotion’s history. He has surpassed this total in strikes twice in his last four contests.
Holloway landed 181 significant strikes against Poirier in their second fight at UFC 236. He has also hit this total in strikes four times in his last seven contests. Although Poirier remains an elite fighter and striker, Holloway has been performing better recently. The BMF champion has won three of his previous four bouts with a knockout in his last 155-pound fight.
Paolo Costa More Than 70.5 Significant Strikes
Costa has lost two straight and four of five, but has still been an effective striker. He is coming off a performance with 158 significant strikes. Seeing his total in strikes at 70.5 against Roman Kopylov is surprising, since he has fought much tougher competition in the past.
In his last four fights, Costa has totaled more than 70.5 significant strikes. More of the same can be expected from him on Saturday, as he is a more powerful and accurate striker in this fight. Costa averages 1.26 more significant strikes than Kopylov at a 58 percent rate. This is a good opportunity for the former title challenger to get back in the win column while proving he is the better striker.
Dan Ige Less Than 53.5 Significant Strikes
Ige is an exciting fighter, but he has a 2-3 record in his previous five fights. He hasn’t recorded more than 54 significant strikes in his last five contests. Although he is facing Patricio Pitbull, who is coming off a loss, he is still a tough competitor and a better fighter than Ige’s previous opponent.
Pitbull excels when he moves forward and unloads a high output. Ige is the same way, but has struggled in the past when facing tougher competition. With Ige failing to hit this mark lately, it will be hard to back him until he proves he is more than a knockout artist.
Marvin Vettori More Than 64.5 Fantasy Points
“The Italian Dream,” Marvin Vettori is back for his second fight in the last four months. He is taking on fellow top 15 middleweight Brendan Allen, who is also coming off two losses. This is a very close matchup on paper, but Vettori has the advantage in big fight experience.
Vettori has finished with at least 65 fantasy points in two of his last three bouts. In this fight, Vettori averages more significant strikes per minute while being the more accurate fighter on the ground. Vettori needs to bring the fight to Allen, and if he can successfully defend his takedown attempts, Vettori should find success.
Kyler Phillips More Than 65.5 Fantasy Points
Since 2019, Phillips has had an excellent run, going 7-2 in that span. He is coming off a loss to Rob Font but hasn’t lost back-to-back fights in his career and has done a good job of bouncing back. Now he is facing Vinicius Oliveira, who is 3-0 in the UFC. With Phillips averaging more significant strikes and takedowns, an above-average fantasy performance is possible.
Phillips scored only 46.1 points against Font, but recorded 74-plus points in the four previous fights. He has been consistent in the UFC, and one down outing shouldn’t derail his run. Oliveira is an elite striker and has 16 knockouts in his career, so Phillips will need to be careful early in this fight. With his 60 percent defensive rate on the feet, he should be able to neutralize his power shots.
Bruno Ferreira More Than 4:30 Fight Time
Bruno Ferreira is back and is fighting UFC debutant Jackson McVey. All 13 of Ferreira’s MMA wins have come via knockout or submission. Even though Ferreira is a finishing machine, they usually don’t come in the first four minutes, as his previous four fights have lasted longer than 4:30 minutes.
Even though McVey has an undefeated record, Ferreira is still a heavy favorite at -550 on DraftKings Sportsbook. That is because Ferreira’s striking is phenomenal. Ferreira averages 3.54 significant strikes at a 49 percent rate while only absorbing 3.54 strikes per minute. Normally, Ferreira likes to feel out his opponent before throwing his most powerful punches, making the over 4:30 minutes in this fight a good play.
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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.
How to Play DraftKings Pick6
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.
Compete for Prizes
Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ guaranteed prizes. Any prizes won will be credited to your DraftKings account after contests are finalized.
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