Another week, another UFC event! This week, the UFC hosts a Fight Night event at the Apex with former title challenger No. 8 Gilbert Burns taking on rising star No. 12 Michael Morales.
Along with traditional sports betting and daily fantasy, you can now have more action than ever for Burns vs. Morales! Check out DraftKings UFC Pick6! Here are my five favorite picks for Saturday’s event.
Michael Morales Less Than 16:30 Fight Time
Morales is entering his first five-round UFC fight and hasn’t gone five rounds in his 17-fight MMA career. Throughout Morales’s rise to the top, he has done it with spectacular performances. He has three knockouts in the UFC and 12 in his career. Morales is coming off a first-round knockout win over Neil Magny. Morales will look to do the same against another perennial contender in Burns.
At welterweight, Morales has one of the largest standing reaches at 79″, eight inches bigger than Burns. Burns has been knocked out three times in his career. Former champion Kamaru Usman and new champion Jack Della Maddalena are the only two who have done so. If Morales wants to achieve what those two have, a win via stoppage is necessary.
Over the last two years, Burns hasn’t looked the same and seems to be declining at 38 years old. If Morales uses his pace and size to his advantage, this fight should not go the distance.
Paul Craig More Than 18.5 Significant Strikes
Three years ago, Paul Craig was riding a six-fight unbeaten streak. Since then, he has lost five of his last six fights and hasn’t won since June 2023. Craig’s previous loss came against Bo Nickal at UFC 309 in November 2024. Craig’s time in the middleweight division has come to an end. He went 1-3 at 185 pounds and returns Saturday night to fight Rodolfo Bellato at light heavyweight. At 37, Craig desperately needs a victory to prove he is still a worthy UFC fighter.
Craig has struggled lately, but getting his over in significant strikes at 18.5 is a great play. He has exceeded that mark in two straight fights and three of his last four. Bellato lands more significant strikes per minute than Craig, but Craig absorbs fewer strikes. Craig will have a great chance if this fight lasts more than two rounds, as he has put on much better performances at light heavyweight.
Nursulton Ruziboev More Than 87.5 Fantasy Points
Nursulton Ruziboev is fighting Dustin Stoltzfus on the Main Card in a three-round middleweight bout. Ruziboev is 3-1 in the UFC with three wins by knockout. He has been an elite fantasy contributor during his time in the UFC. Ruziboev scored more than 87.5 points in three of his last four fights, totaling 99.9 points in his previous contest against Eric McConico. His lone loss in the past six years was to Joaquin Buckley, currently ranked in the UFC’s top 10.
Ruziboev only has a one-inch reach advantage but is five inches taller (6’5″ vs. 6’0″) than Stoltzfus. Ruziboev has a massive experience edge in this contest as this will be his 47th professional MMA fight, 24 more than his opponent. Stoltzfus will likely try to mix in some takedowns, and Ruziboev must keep the fight on the feet. If Ruziboev uses his height to his advantage and ensures the bout is at his pace, he should be able to total at least 88 fantasy points.
Jared Gordon Less Than 0.5 Takedowns
Gordon has been in the UFC for eight years and has fought many elite fighters. He is 1-2-1 in his previous four fights and needs a win to continue getting big fights in the lightweight division. He will face Thiago Moises, who is coming off a win over Trey Ogden.
Although Gordon averages 1.78 takedowns per 15 minutes, he hasn’t recorded one in three straight fights and four of his last five. Recently, Gordon has primarily focused on striking with his opponents. Also, Gordon has a 31 percent takedown accuracy, which isn’t great. Moises has a 53 percent takedown defensive rate, and it would be shocking if Gordon decided to try to take him down in this fight.
HyunSung Park More Than 71.5 Fantasy Points
Park will fight Carlos Hernandez in the second fight of the night. So far, Park is 2-0 in the UFC and earned his contract from the Road to UFC series. He is 9-0 with eight finishes overall in his career. Park can finish opponents on the feet or the ground, which is a great skill to have. Park recorded 72.6 and 119 fantasy points in his first two UFC fights.
This is a good matchup for Park as he lands 0.25 more significant strikes than Hernandez while being more efficient on the ground. Since he is the smaller fighter, Park must push the pace and be the aggressor in this bout. Even though Park has a tough matchup against a more experienced fighter, his total of 71.5 points still seems too low.
Sodiq Yusuff Less Than 58.5 Significant Strikes
Sodiq Yusuff began his UFC run on a four-fight winning streak but has since gone 2-3 in his last five contests. He is coming off a knockout loss against Diego Lopes, but his demanding schedule continues. Yusuff will fight rising prospect Mairon Santos, who is 24 years old and already 16-1 in MMA.
Santos is 2-0 in the UFC and, with his speed and quickness, could present problems for Yusuff on the feet. Also, predicting which version of Yusuff will show up is hard. He has had 2, 178, and 9 significant strikes in his last three fights. He hasn’t hit this mark in three of his previous five bouts. Yusuff still has talent, but after being knocked out, he might come out passive, and that will not lead to success against a talented young fighter like Santos.
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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.
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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,e and you must pick players from at least two different teams.
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Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.
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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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