Former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya returns to the Octagon Saturday night, taking on surging prospect Joe Pyfer in the main event of UFC Seattle.
Adesanya enters as a -148 moneyline favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Pyfer sits as a +124 underdog.
Along with traditional sports betting and daily fantasy, you can now have more action than ever for UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. Pyfer. Check out DraftKings UFC Pick6 for my favorite picks for Saturday’s UFC event.
Joe Pyfer More Than 1.5 Takedowns
Joe Pyfer (15–3) has won six of seven bouts since his UFC debut in July 2022, pairing strong boxing with opportunistic grappling. “Bodybagz” averages 1.23 takedowns per 15 minutes in the Octagon, and he’d be wise to return to the well in his five-round main event with one of the most prolific strikers in UFC history.
Israel Adesanya (24–5) may have lost four of his last five bouts, but his elite kickboxing — bolstered by a lanky frame — remains a problem for anyone standing in his way. Expect Pyfer to try neutralizing his opponent’s greatest strength in undoubtedly the biggest fight of his career.
Maycee Barber More Than 3:30 Control Time
Maycee Barber (15–2) has won seven straight fights since falling to eventual champion Alexa Grasso (16–5–1) on the scorecards in February 2021 — largely due to her dominant grappling. Barber, 27, has amassed 4:45 of control time in back-to-back bouts, racking up 6:20 in her dominant unanimous decision win over Karine Silva in December.
Grasso, 32, has struggled to defend takedowns throughout her career (54%), making her increasingly vulnerable against strong grapplers. Barber landed three takedowns for 3:14 control time in her first meeting with Grasso, and she’ll likely implement a similar strategy in Saturday’s rematch.
Michael Chiesa Less Than 22.5 Significant Strikes
Spokane’s Michael Chiesa (19–7) will make his final walk to the Octagon in front of his home fans, looking to ride off into the sunset with a 20th professional win against Niko Price (16–10). Despite landing 72 significant strikes in his last bout against Court McGee, the veteran wrestler will likely attempt to bookend his career with a signature “Maverick” performance, complete with suffocating grappling and submission attempts.
Chiesa, 38, averages over three takedowns per 15 minutes at 47% accuracy, falling below 22.5 significant strikes in three of his last four bouts. It’s a worrying sign for the 36-year-old Price, who has stuffed just 50% of opponent takedown attempts since his 2016 debut.
Lerryan Douglas More Than 0.5 Knockouts
Surging Brazilian prospect Lerryan Douglas (13–5) makes his first trip to the Octagon, following a ferocious 36-second knockout of Cam Teague on Dana White’s Contender Series in September. “Gunslinger,” 30, arrives in MMA’s flagship promotion boasting a 77% finish rate, including seven knockouts and six first-round stoppages.
Saturday’s bout presents him with a golden opportunity to add to his highlight reel, taking on grizzled American veteran Julian Erosa (31–13). While also a stoppage artist — owning an 84% career finish rate, with 12 KOs and 14 submissions — “Juicy J” often leaves his chin exposed in heated exchanges. Eight of his 13 professional losses have come by knockout.
Mansur Abdul-Malik More Than 29.5 Significant Strikes
Unbeaten prospect Mansur Abdul-Malik (9–0–1) boasts a 100% finish rate, comprising seven knockouts and a pair of submissions. While the explosive puncher hasn’t needed more than 29.5 significant strikes to get the job done in any of his last four bouts, he likely will if he wants to put away formidable Dutch striker Yousri Belgaroui (9–3).
The 6-foot-6, former GLORY kickboxer and current Glover Teixeira trainee is coming off a third-round knockout of Azamat Bekoev in his Octagon debut in October. He has recorded seven career knockouts, while never being on the receiving end of a stoppage.
Terrance McKinney More Than 5:00 Fight Time
Terrance McKinney (17–8) hasn’t seen a second round in nearly three years. But after suffering his second first-round finish in his last four bouts — a submission against Chris Duncan in December — he would be wise to pump the brakes on his full-throttle approach.
His upcoming opponent, Canadian veteran Kyle Nelson (17–6–1), isn’t exactly known for his finishing prowess, with three of his last four wins coming by decision. While the fight likely won’t reach the scorecards, it should at least make it out of the opening round.
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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, and you must pick players from at least two different teams.
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