This year’s annual Noche UFC has arrived, and it features a highly anticipated Featherweight bout at the top of the card between No. 2 Diego Lopes vs. No. 10 Jean Silva.
Along with traditional sports betting and daily fantasy, you can now have more action than ever for UFC Fight Night: Imavov vs. Borralho. Check out DraftKings UFC Pick6! Here are my favorite picks for Saturday’s Noche UFC card.
Jean Silva Less Than 57.5 Significant Strikes
Even though Jean Silva is competing in his first five-round UFC fight, the total of 57.5 significant strikes for him is still too high. That is a testament to his elite finishing ability and how quickly he has defeated his opponents in his first five fights in the UFC. In the UFC, Silva has two first-round finishes, two second-round finishes, and one third-round win by stoppage.
Will Silva continue his streak of finishing opponents in the first three rounds? That will be hard against a tough opponent like Lopes. But still, Lopes shouldn’t need to top 57.5 significant strikes to beat Lopes.
Diego Lopes More Than 49.5 Fantasy Points
As I previously stated, Lopes is coming off a down performance, but it doesn’t take away what he previously accomplished. Lopes has a tough test in front of him, but he has the fourth-lowest total in fantasy points in this contest.
Before scoring 37 fantasy points against Alexander Volkanoski, Lopes recorded 83.8, 70.2, 122, and 105.3 points. He has elite upside, and a significant advantage he has over Silva in this fight is experience. Lopes has fought four fighters ranked inside the UFC’s top 15 for the Featherweight division. If Lopes can be active in the first few rounds and avoid Silva’s power on the feet, reaching 50 fantasy points is doable.
Kelvin Gastelum More Than 48.5 Significant Strikes
Kelvin Gastelum did miss weight once again on Friday morning, but his scheduled fight against Dustin Stoltzfus will still happen. Gastelum has been up and down recently, but has still finished with at least 80 significant strikes in three of his last five contests.
After facing Joe Pyfer, Daniel Rodriguez, and Sean Brady, Gastelum will take a step down in competition. Gastelum averages 0.53 more significant strikes per minute than Stoltzfus. When Gastelum is aggressive and moves forward, he can still be effective, as shown in the past.
Alexander Hernandez More Than 65.5 Fantasy Points
Alexander Hernandez has had a revelation lately, winning three straight fights while picking up a knockout in his last bout. Now he takes on long-time UFC veteran Diego Ferreira at Noche UFC. Hernandez recently scored 107.1 fantasy points while recording 63-plus points in his previous three contests.
Hernandez needs to overwhelm Ferreira with his power and quickness on the feet. If he does so, it will be hard for the 40-year-old to keep up as his career is nearing its end.
Tatiana Suarez More Than 3.30 Control Time
Tatiana Suarez is coming off a loss to Champion Zhang Weili. But that was only Suarez’s first defeat of her career, and that was her first bout in 18 months. It is good to see Suarez stepping right back in the Octagon to stay active. She will face fellow top-five contender Amanda Lemos at Noche UFC. Lemos is coming off a victory against Iasmin Lucindo at UFC 313 in March.
Suarez is still talented and has a good matchup against Lemos. In this fight, Suarez has a one-inch advantage in height (5’5″ vs. 5’4″) and reach (66″ vs. 65″). On the ground, she averages 3.51 more takedowns per 15 minutes than Lemos. 3:30 of control time might seem like a lot, but Suarez has hit that mark in four of her previous five fights. If Suarez has a faster start than she did in her last fight, she should be able to control Lemos throughout this bout.
Zachary Reese More Than 21.5 Significant Strikes
Zachary Reese is facing Sedriques Dumas on the Prelims in a three-round Middleweight bout. Dumas is 2-2 in his last four fights, while Reese is 3-1 in that same period. This is a favorable matchup for Reese, who has the advantage over Dumas in strikes landed per minute, striking accuracy, takedowns average, and takedown accuracy.
After recording 50 significant strikes in his previous bout, it was surprising to see his total set at 21.5 against Dumas. Reese has been inconsistent striking, but has surpassed this total in two of his last three contests. Totaling 50-plus strikes is difficult, but it shouldn’t be a tall task to ask Reese to hit 22 significant strikes on Saturday.
What is DraftKings Pick6?
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.
Play at DraftKings Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!
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