A top-five Bantamweight bout between No. 4 Cory Sandhagen vs. No. 5 Deiveson Figueiredo is headlining the UFC’s return to Iowa. In the co-main event, No. 13 Reinier de Ridder attempts to hand Bo Nickal his first career loss. The Prelims begin at 7:00 p.m. ET with the Main Card starting at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Along with traditional sports betting and daily fantasy, you can now have more action than ever for UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo! Check out DraftKings UFC Pick6! Here are my five favorite picks for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night.
Deiveson Figueiredo More Than 39.5 Fantasy Points
The former two-time Flyweight Champion, Deiveson Figueiredo, is on a quest to capture gold in his second division. But he hit a speed bump when he suffered a loss to former champion Petr Yan in November 2024. Figueiredo’s nickname is “Deus da Guerra,” meaning God of War in English. He has proven he is what his nickname says, but he needs another big performance to move up the 135-pound rankings.
Figueiredo has a tough matchup against Cory Sandhagen, but it’s a great play to get him over 39.5 fantasy points. He has exceeded that total in three of his last four fights. Although Sandhagen is the bigger fighter, Figueiredo is the more efficient competitor on the feet and the ground.
Figueiredo is six inches smaller but closes the distance with his 68″ standing reach, which is only two inches shorter than Sandhagen’s. If Figueiredo can stay aggressive throughout this bout and mix in takedowns, he should be able to have a positive fantasy outing.
Bo Nickal Less Than 10:30 Fight Time
The Fight Time for Bo Nickal vs. Reiner de Ridder is set at 10:30, which is a little surprising since both fighters are elite finishers. Nickal is 7-0 with six finishes in his MMA career, while de Ridder is 19-2 with 17 finishes.
Yes, Nickal proved in his previous contest against Paul Craig that he can win a decision. But Nickal knows that to quickly rise in the rankings in the UFC, a win in spectacular fashion is necessary. Both fighters are great on the ground, but I still favor the three-time NCAA Division 1 National Champion. Even though Nickal is known for being a wrestler, he has also shown he possesses legit knockout power. Although I expect this to be a competitive fight, I don’t envision it lasting past 10:30 with these two fighters.
Reiner de Ridder More Than 41.5 Fantasy Points
During his first two bouts in the UFC Octagon, Reiner de Ridder has also made a significant impact from a fantasy perspective. He has scored 110.3 and 113.8 points against Kevin Holland and Gerald Meerschaert, respectively. Yes, I expected his total to be lower than 100, but getting de Ridder to record more than 41.5 points is good value.
De Ridder has a three-inch height advantage (6’4″ vs. 6’1″) while having a two-inch larger reach (78″ vs. 76″). As I previously mentioned, Nickal is the better overall wrestler, but it will be tough for Nickal to fully control de Ridder throughout the entire bout.
Mason Jones Less Than 11:30 Fight Time
On this card, two fighters are making their UFC return: Mason Jones and Jeremy Stephens. Jones and Stephens are facing each other in a three-round featherweight bout. In his previous UFC run, Jones was 1-2 with a no contest in the promotion, but since then, he went 4-0 in Cage Warriors with three knockouts.
Stephens fought in the UFC from 2007 to 2021 and last fought MMA in the PFL. However, the last time we saw him compete was in BKFC, where he beat former UFC Champion Eddie Alvarez. Stephens has gone 1-1-7 in his previous nine MMA fights and has failed to show consistency. Stephens has 21 finishes in his career, while Jones has 10, making it probable that this fight ends early. Jones’s last three victories have come in the second round.
Miesha Tate More Than 40.5 Significant Strikes
Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate is back after 17 months away from the sport. In the final fight of the Prelims, she will take on Yana Santos in a three-round bout. Tate beat Julia Avila in her previous fight in December 2023. Santos most recently defeated Chelsea Chandler in August 2024.
Even though this is Tate’s first fight in a while, she has totaled more than 40.5 significant strikes in three of her last four fights. Santos averages more significant strikes per minute, but Tate has a better defensive rate (51%) while absorbing fewer strikes per minute (2.98). Tate has the edge in experience, and the longer this fight lasts, she will have a better chance to record 41 or more significant strikes.
Daniel Rodriguez More Than 80.5 Significant Strikes
Rodriguez is fighting Santiago Ponzinibbio, and both fighters won their last fight. This is likely to be primarily a striking battle, and Rodriguez is the overall more advanced fighter on the feet. He is coming off two tremendous striking performances, totaling 123-plus significant strikes in each contest.
In this matchup, Rodriguez is the taller fighter (6’1″ vs. 6’0″) with the larger standing reach (74″ vs. 73″). Rodriguez also lands 7.5 significant strikes per minute, 2.7 more than Ponzinibbio. Even though Ponzinibbio has lost three of his last four fights, he has had a difficult schedule. If Rodriguez shows the same aggressive game plan as he did against Alex Moreno, he easily should surpass 80.5 significant strikes.
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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,e 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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