It doesn’t get much bigger than this. On Saturday night, the combat sports world zeroes in on the center of the universe as UFC 322 takes over Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Two titles are on the line, with both challengers climbing up in weight for a shot at making rare history — capturing gold in a second division. Zhang Weili jumps up to 125 pounds to challenge fellow all-time great Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight championship, while Islam Makhachev moves up in pursuit of Jack Della Maddalena’s welterweight strap.
Looking at the main event, Makhachev enters as a heavy -305 moneyline favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, with Della Maddalena listed as a +245 underdog.
Along with traditional sports betting and daily fantasy, you can now have more action than ever for UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev. Check out DraftKings UFC Pick6 for my favorite picks for Saturday’s UFC event.
Islam Makhachev More Than 99.5 Fantasy Points
There’s a reason Islam Makhachev (27-1) is the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and there’s an argument he should be No. 1. The former lightweight champion doesn’t just out-wrestle opponents — he mauls them, delivering dominant performances every time he steps into the Octagon.
Makhachev can pounce for an early finish, like he did in his rematch against Alexander Volkanovski and in his most recent win over Renato Moicano. But he’s equally comfortable taking his time, breaking opponents down like he did with Dustin Poirier.
Jack Della Maddalena (18-2) is by no means a walk in the park, and he even flashed strong grappling in his championship win against Belal Muhammad. Still, Makhachev is one of the most complete fighters of the modern era, and he’s poised to become a two-division champion while surpassing the 99.5-point fantasy threshold.
Zhang Weili More Than 4:30 Control Time
Zhang Weili (26-3) makes the jump to 125 pounds after a dominant second run as strawweight champion, during which she bulldozed her way through the entire division. The Chinese star overwhelms her opponents with forward pressure, relentless takedown attempts, and a suffocating ground game — racking up more than 10 minutes of control time in each of her last three fights.
On Saturday night, she faces the toughest test of her career in fellow future Hall of Famer Valentina Shevchenko (25-4-1). The reigning champion is a world-class grappler and one of the most effective distance managers of all time. Still, count on Weili’s additional 10 pounds of strength to bolster her power-first attack.
Sean Brady More Than 2.5 Takedowns
Sean Brady (18-1) will likely enter his welterweight bout on Saturday night with a straightforward objective: get the fight to the ground. His opponent, Michael Morales (18-0), is one of the division’s most dangerous young strikers, boasting 13 career knockouts and coming off back-to-back first-round finishes.
Brady is a solid boxer, but his greatest advantage lies on the mat with suffocating top-position grappling. While Morales has shown solid takedown defense, Brady has managed to overwhelm some of the division’s best — landing five takedowns on Leon Edwards and seven against Gilbert Burns.
Carlos Prates Less Than 37.5 Significant Strikes
Carlos Prates (22-7) only needs one shot to end someone’s night. In August, he slept Geoff Neal with a surgical spinning elbow — his 17th career knockout. The Fighting Nerds product doesn’t even need to land flush: last November, a grazing left hand was all it took to flatten Neil Magny.
On Saturday night, Prates faces former champ Leon Edwards (22-5) in what should be a striker’s delight. Edwards is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time in his career, and while he’s never been knocked out, “The Nightmare” looks like the guy who could finally change that narrative.
Benoit Saint Denis More Than 34.5 Significant Strikes
If you were wondering what type of fighter Benoit Saint Denis (15-3) is, look no further than his nickname: “God of War.” The French lightweight boasts a 100% finish rate — 11 submissions and four knockouts — swarming opponents with heavy strikes and relentless takedown attempts.
Facing a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist in Beneil Dariush (23-6-1), Saint Denis will aim to keep the fight standing and invite a good old-fashioned slugfest. Count on him to thrive in these exchanges while piling up significant strikes. There’s a chance he could crack Dariush — as Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan did — but Saint Denis’ submission skills outshine his pure knockout power.
Bo Nickal Less Than 84.5 Fantasy Points
The hype train has officially derailed for Bo Nickal (7-1), who followed up a lackluster unanimous decision win over Paul Craig with his first professional loss — getting stopped by Reinier de Ridder with a second-round knee to the body in May.
Nickal, a three-time NCAA wrestling champion at Penn State, is at his best when he can control the fight on the mat. That’s far easier said than done against Rodolfo Vieira (11-3), a dangerous Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist with nine career submission victories.
While he enters as the betting favorite, Nickal will need to show far more than he has so far if he hopes to surpass the 84.5-point fantasy threshold. Judging from his one-dimensional attack and career average of 80.9 fantasy points per fight, it’s hard to believe he has it in him.
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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