For the first time, the UFC will host an event on Saturday in Baku, Azerbaijan. Former Light Heavyweight Champion No. 4 Jamahal Hill takes on No. 7 Khalil Rountree Jr. in the Main Event of this Fight Night. An Azerbaijani, No. 11 Rafael Fiziev, is fighting rising star Ignacio Bahamondes in a three-round lightweight co-main event.
The Prelims begin at 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPN, with the Main Card airing live on ABC at 3:00 p.m. ET. Check out my favorite fighters to add to your daily fantasy lineup for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Hill vs. Rountree Jr.
Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $350K Throwdown [$100K to 1st]
Studs
Tagir Ulanbekov ($9,300)
Ulanbekov has won three straight fights and is facing Azat Maksum in a three-round flyweight bout. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Ulanbekov is a -425 favorite. His recent performances back up those odds. He has totaled 86-plus fantasy points in four of his last five contests.
In this fight, Ulanbekov is the more advanced striker and grappler. He averages 3.13 significant strikes per minute at a 47 percent rate. Also on the ground, he lands 3.56 takedowns, 1.56 more than Maksum. If Ulanbekov stays aggressive from start to finish, he has a great chance to provide your lineup with elite value with his versatile skillset.
Ulanbekov has recorded at least 100 points in two of his previous three bouts. He is a more well-rounded fighter than Maksum and is an elite submission artist. Ulanbekov has eight submissions in his MMA career.
Ignacio Bahamondes ($8,200)
Bahamondes has won six of his previous seven fights but will now face Rafael Fiziev, the most formidable opponent of his career. He is coming off three finishes and most recently submitted Jalin Turner in March.
Although Fiziev is the more experienced fighter, Bahamondes has many advantages in this matchup. Bahamondes is six inches taller (6’3″ vs. 5’8″) and has a six-inch larger reach (75″ vs. 71″). Fiziev may have the edge in power on the feet, but Bahamondes is the all-around better striker. Bahamondes averages over seven significant strikes per minute (2.24 more than Fiziev), which is rare.
As I previously stated, Fiziev does have legitimate knockout power—he has eight of them in his career. But if Bahamondes can control the pace of this contest, he should not only be able to win the fight but also deliver an elite fantasy showing.
Value Play
Mohammed Usman ($7,600)
Like last week, I will take an Usman with my value play. Last week, I backed Kamaru Usman, who defeated Joaquin Buckley. This week, I will be backing his younger brother, Mohammed Usman, who is $7,600 on DraftKings.
Usman is coming off two losses to rising heavyweights, Mick Parkin and Thomas Petersen. He only scored 25 and 23 fantasy points in those fights. But he has a much more favorable matchup this Saturday against Hamdy Abdelwahab. Abdelwahab is 5-0 in his MMA career, but has had a weird start to his UFC career. His first UFC fight against Don’Tale Mayes ended via no contest, while his second bout was a split decision win against Jamal Pogues.
Usman is 11-4 in his career and is the more experienced fighter. He has nine more fights than Abdelwahab. Usman also has a massive seven-inch larger standing reach (79″ vs. 72″). When Usman gets in a groove and isn’t passive on the feet, he possesses a ton of upside. With Usman’s significant reach advantage over Abdelwahab, he is in a good position to return to his winning ways while making a fantasy impact. Usman scored 85, 79, and 81 fantasy points in his first three UFC fights.
Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $350K Throwdown [$100K to 1st]
