The UFC lands in Serbia for the very first time on Saturday with a Fight Night card headlined by a welterweight clash between hometown favorite Uros Medic and America’s Daniel Rodriguez.
Medic is a heavy -380 favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook. Rodriguez is a +300 underdog, with the total set at O/U 1.5 Rounds.
Along with traditional sports betting and daily fantasy, you can now have more action than ever for UFC Fight Night: Medic vs. Rodriguez. Check out DraftKings UFC Pick6 for my favorite picks for Saturday’s UFC event.
Uros Medic More Than 0.5 Knockouts
Serbia’s own Uros Medic (13–3, 7–3 UFC) has a strong chance of sending the crowd home happy on Saturday night. He returns to Belgrade with a 100 percent finish rate, with all of his Octagon wins coming by knockout or TKO. “The Doctor” is on a three-fight, first-round stoppage streak, punctuated by a February flattening of welterweight linchpin Geoff Neal.
He now faces Los Angeles native Daniel Rodriguez (20–5, 10–4 UFC), who — despite riding a three-fight surge — marches into enemy territory waving some serious red flags. “D-Rod” is 39 years old and returning from a year-long layoff after spending eight months in a Tijuana prison. His durability is also suspect, having been stopped by Ian Machado Garry — who has nowhere near the finishing upside as Medic.
Jan Blachowicz More Than 1.5 Takedowns
Former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz (29–11–2, 12–8–2 UFC) enters Saturday as the second-oldest fighter on the active UFC roster. Chances are, the grizzled veteran will do his best to steer clear of an all-out standup war with New Zealand prospect and Israel Adesanya protege Navajo Stirling (10–0, 5–0 UFC).
A product of City Kickboxing, Stirling has recorded six of his pro wins by knockout or TKO — including his last two trips to the Octagon. And while he’s shown solid takedown defense overall, the young striker got taken down five times in his latest bout against Ion Cutelaba before scoring a second-round finish. Blachowicz — who once defeated prime Adesanya on the back of his opportunistic grappling — would be wise to follow a similar game plan against Stirling.
Aleksandar Rakic More Than 35.5 Significant Strikes
Hometown favorite Aleksandar Rakic (14–6, 6–5 UFC) may have dropped his last four bouts, but he should look far more comfortable on Saturday — competing for the first time at his natural weight. The former light heavyweight should hit the ground running in the Big Boy division, facing the likewise struggling Marcin Tybura (27–11, 14–10 UFC), a 40-year-old veteran on a two-fight skid.
Rakic, who owns an 85 percent takedown defense, should be able to keep the fight standing against the high-level grappler. From there, he can employ his significant speed advantage and elite kickboxing game. Losses included, the Serbian contender has landed more than 35.5 significant strikes in three of his last five bouts. He should follow suit against Tybura.
Vlasto Cepo More Than 0.5 Knockouts
Debuting Serbian prospect Vlasto Cepo (14–3, 0–0 UFC) is currently a -145 favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook to win by first-round knockout. The formidable middleweight arrives with a 100 percent finish rate, highlighted by 10 knockouts.
The relentless stoppage artist now faces the beleaguered Gilbert Urbina (7–5, 1–3 UFC), who has looked out of his league in the UFC. Including an appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series, Urbina has just collected one victory in five trips to the Octagon. The other four? All stoppage losses. He has also competed only once in the last 900-plus days.
Borislav Nikolic More Than 77.5 Fantasy Points
We’ve got another Serbian newcomer with a chance to make a statement on Saturday. Bantamweight Borislav Nikolic (16–2, 0–0 UFC) will make a short-notice debut against full-throttle Russian Mark Vologdin (12–4–2, 0–0–1 UFC), teeing up a must-see clash with plenty of fantasy points on the table.
Nikolic arrives with a 94 percent finish rate — including six straight stoppage victories — and has several distinct advantages over his opponent. The most readily apparent would be his towering size advantage, holding six inches of height and five inches of reach over Vologdin. And as exciting as his fights may be, Vologdin has proven extremely hittable. Another stoppage isn’t guaranteed given his opponent’s durability, but Nikolic has a clear runway to inflict considerable damage and eclipse 77.5 fantasy points in the process.
Nina Milosevic More Than 26.5 Significant Strikes
Serbia’s first female UFC fighter, Nina Milosevic (8–1, 0–0 UFC), is well-positioned to make an emphatic first impression in MMA’s flagship promotion. The Karate black belt makes her debut riding an eight-fight winning streak, with three of her last five victories coming by first-round knockout. Still, her power has yet to be tested inside the Octagon, and her significant strikes line of just 26.5 feels far too low — even in this highly favorable matchup.
Texas native Hailey Cowan (7–5, 0–3 UFC) has looked beyond her element in the UFC, suffering losses by each method: decision, submission, and knockout. Even so, she’s shown decent durability by eating more than 30 significant strikes in two of those three bouts. While Cowan will hold an advantage in the grappling department, it’s not nearly drastic enough to believe Milosevic won’t have opportunities on the feet. The latter should employ her superior striking and clear her modest significant-strike total before potentially securing a finish.
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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, and you must pick players from at least two different teams.
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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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