The UFC returns for its second numbered event of the month with UFC 321, live from Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena on Saturday night (main card starts at 2:00 p.m. ET). The card is headlined by newly crowned heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, who makes his first title defense against former titleholder Ciryl Gane. Before the heavyweight showdown, Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern will clash for the vacant strawweight title.
Aspinall enters as a heavy -345 favorite to retain his belt on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Dern is listed at -148 to be crowned champion. Along with traditional sports betting and daily fantasy, you can now have more action than ever for UFC 321: Aspinall vs. Gane. Check out DraftKings UFC Pick6 for my favorite picks for Saturday’s UFC PPV.
Tom Aspinall Less Than 25.5 Significant Strikes
Tom Aspinall is highly unlikely to land more than 25.5 significant strikes against Ciryl Gane — simply because one clean shot from him is usually enough to end the night. He has never gone to the judges’ scorecards, finishing all of his 15 wins with 11 knockouts and four submissions, and boasts the shortest average fight time in UFC history at just 2:02.
The reigning champion from Manchester has eclipsed 25.5 significant strikes only twice in his career. He enters the Octagon on Saturday night riding a three-fight winning streak — all first-round knockouts finished in roughly a minute.
Mackenzie Dern More Than 61.5 Significant Strikes
Mackenzie Dern has had an up-and-down UFC career, but she enters her strawweight title bout against Virna Jandiroba on a two-fight winning streak. While she hasn’t always been consistent in racking up significant strikes, she’s well-positioned to top 61.5 against Jandiroba — mainly because she already has.
The co-main event marks a rematch from their 2020 clash, where the two Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialists neutralized each other’s grappling and turned the fight into a thrilling standup battle. Dern landed 82 significant strikes in that bout — the second-most of her career — en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Umar Nurmagomedov More Than 14:30 Fight Time
Umar Nurmagomedov enters his bout against Mario Bautista hungry to rebound from a crushing loss against bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili. The 18-1 Russian, who posed the greatest threat to the champ’s throne, is the top betting favorite of the night at -625 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
While a dominant win for Nurmagomedov wouldn’t be surprising, it would be quite shocking if he finished the fight inside the distance. The cousin of MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov has just nine finishes across his 18 victories, including three unanimous decisions in his last four fights.
Quillan Salkilld More Than 2.5 Takedowns
Dana White’s Contender Series standout Quillan Salkilld made a thunderous UFC debut, knocking out Anshul Jubli in just 19 seconds. In his next fight, the lightweight contender returned to what he does best: spamming takedowns like there’s no tomorrow.
The 9-1 Australian attempted a whopping 23 takedowns against Yanal Ashmouz at UFC 316 in June, landing eight of them en route to a unanimous decision victory. It mirrored his performance against Gauge Young on DWCS in September 2024, where he landed nine of 22 takedown attempts to secure the same result.
Salkilld’s opponent, Nasrat Haqparast, boasts an impressive takedown defense rate at 85 percent. Still, if Salkilld maintains his usual pace, he’s likely to drag Haqparast to the canvas at least a few times.
Jose Delgado More Than 82.5 Fantasy Points
Also a former DWCS standout, Jose Delgado owns a 10-1 professional record with 10 finishes. The featherweight contender is riding a seven-fight winning streak, including five straight knockouts, and both of his UFC fights ended in the first round.
Delgado enters as a slight favorite against Nathaniel Wood and looks well-positioned to surpass 82.5 fantasy points. In his first two UFC bouts, he recorded 108.8 and 126.7 fantasy points, respectively — an average of 118.8. With an imposing five-inch height advantage, he has a strong chance to hit the over once again.
Jaqueline Amorim More Than 101.5 Fantasy Points
Jaqueline Amorim opens the first fight of the night as one of the top betting favorites on the entire card, listed at -395 favorite to defeat Mizuki in their strawweight clash. She owns a 10-1 record with a 100 percent finish rate and is aiming to secure her fifth consecutive stoppage victory — a feat that would give her the longest active streak in the promotion.
Since her UFC debut in April 2023, Amorim has surpassed 101.5 just twice in five contests. Still, the Brazilian is favorably situated to hit the over against Mizuki, who has not competed in the UFC Octagon since September 2023. Amorim absorbs strikes at a historically low rate for her division and holds a clear advantage on the ground with a diverse submission arsenal — a recipe for a dominant showing on Saturday night.
What is DraftKings Pick6?
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, 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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