Noche UFC heads to Glendale, Arizona, this weekend, packing a loaded card headlined by a featherweight clash between Jean Silva and Jose Delgado.
Silva enters as a heavy -425 favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook. Delgado is a +330 underdog, with the fight 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 Noche UFC: Silva vs. Delgado. Check out DraftKings UFC Pick6 for my favorite picks for Saturday’s UFC event.
Jean Silva | More Than 0.5 Takedowns
Brazil’s Jean Silva (17–3, 6–1 UFC) is looking to play spoiler against Mexican prospect Jose Delgado (12–2, 4–1 UFC) at Noche UFC. A heavy favorite, the No. 6-ranked featherweight enters Saturday night with a well-rounded skill set and the ability to mix in the ground game.
In his last bout against Arnold Allen, Silva landed four of his six takedown attempts — now averaging 1.20 takedowns per 15 minutes with 60 percent accuracy. His takedown line feels far too low against Delgado, a formidable grappler in his own right but one who has gotten taken down nine times in his last three fights heading into Glendale.
Joseph Morales | Less Than 69.5 Fantasy Points
American flyweight Joseph Morales (15–2, 3–2 UFC) heads into Saturday night with some serious momentum, winning six straight fights — capped by back-to-back submission victories since rejoining the UFC. However, his competition level since returning to the Octagon has been questionable, and he’s now pitted against former two-time 125-pound champ Brandon Moreno (23–10–2, 11–7–2 UFC).
Although the first Mexico-born champion in promotional history has stumbled lately, he remains a battle-tested veteran with five-round cardio. Moreno’s formidable jiu-jitsu also poses a potential kryptonite to Morales’ grapple-heavy approach. Morales may get the victory here, but he’ll likely struggle to reach his typical fantasy-point output in the toughest test of his career.
Tommy McMillen | More Than 58.5 Significant Strikes
If you’ve ever watched a Tommy McMillen (11–0, 2–0 UFC) fight, you know this significant-strikes total is far too low. In just his second UFC bout earlier this year, the budding featherweight star piled up 252 significant strikes during his third-round stoppage win over Alberto Montes — the all-time promotional record for a three-round fight.
McMillen now faces another surging prospect in Morocco’s Marwan Rahiki (9–0, 2–0 UFC). With eight knockouts to his name, Rahiki will almost certainly match McMillen’s kill-or-be-killed energy, teeing up an all-out slugfest in Glendale.
Manon Fiorot | More Than 1:30 Control Time
Here’s some MMA math for you. Last year, French women’s flyweight Manon Fiorot (13–2, 8–1 UFC) took two of five rounds from dominant champion Valentina Shevchenko — clearing seven minutes of control time in the process. One fight earlier, Shevchenko landed eight takedowns for just over 16 minutes of control against former champion Alexa Grasso (17–5–1, 9–5–1 UFC).
Fiorot’s elite karate should allow her to compete with Grasso’s nasty boxing. Still, the former holds a serious edge on the ground and can lean on strong grappling to pile up control time. Grasso heads into Saturday saddled with a paltry 54 percent takedown defense inside the Octagon.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta | More Than 0.5 Knockouts
Dominican heavyweight Waldo Cortes-Acosta (17–3, 10–3 UFC) is only a couple of statement wins away from a title shot, winning eight of his last 10 bouts — with four of his last five coming by knockout or TKO. After getting stumped by the towering Alexander Volkov earlier this year, he now has a chance to bounce back in a big way against veteran Curtis Blaydes (19–6, 14–6 UFC [1NC]).
The ex-title challenger has dropped three of his last five bouts, taking some serious damage along the way. On top of a pair of first-round stoppage defeats, Blaydes is coming off a three-round war with Josh Hokit — further chipping away at his already compromised chin. Blaydes heads into Noche UFC with five of his six professional losses coming by knockout or TKO.
Edgar Chairez | More Than 83.5 Fantasy Points
Earlier this year, Edgar Chairez (14–6, 4–2 UFC [1 NC]) piled up 120.3 fantasy points with a first-round submission win over the second-oldest fighter on the flyweight roster, Bruno Silva. The rising Mexican contender now gets to face an opponent who’s three years older than that.
At 39, Tim Elliott (22–14–1, 10–12 UFC) has accrued significant mileage in his storied career. Half of his 14 pro losses have come inside the distance. Chairez should hold an edge on the feet and on the ground, and he’s equipped with a considerable five-inch reach advantage. With a gaudy 93 percent finish rate, all signs point to another high fantasy-point performance from Chairez at Noche UFC.
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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.
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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