UFC 261 DraftKings Picks

UFC 261 DraftKings Picks

Pay-Per-View action returns this Saturday for UFC 261 featuring the highly anticipated rematch in a welterweight title fight between the “Nigerian Nightmare” Kamaru Usman and Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal. This stacked UFC card also includes the women’s flyweight and strawweight title fights as Valentina Shevchenko and Zhang Weili defend their belts respectively. Usman defeated Masvidal convincingly in July 2020, winning all five rounds on two of the judge’s scorecards. Despite taking that fight on one week’s notice to replace Gilbert Burns who tested positive for COVID, Gamebred looked sharp in the first round, clearly outstriking Usman. With almost one year to prepare for the rematch, the question remains if a full camp gives Masvidal the necessary time to build stamina and execute his own plan of attack.

UFC 261 DraftKings Picks:

Zhang Weili – $9,000

Arguably the greatest Chinese fighter in the history of the UFC, a win against Thug Rose this weekend would cement her legacy in the women’s strawweight division. Weili has not lost since her mixed-martial-arts debut in November 2013. The arsenal of sharp kicks and devastating punches with top grappling technique makes her such a complete fighter. Namajunas skillset will present a unique challenge, however, Weili is simply at another level. Lay the steep price and enjoy watching one of the best strawweight’s of all time put on another spectacular title fight performance.

Jimmy Crute – $8,900

The 25-year-old Australian returns to the Octagon for the most high-profile fight in his UFC career. He faces a very dangerous opponent in Anthony Smith, who finally revisited the win column after defeating Devin Clark last November. In that victory for Smith, we saw tremendous jiu-jitsu attacks off his back, ending with a triangle choke submission. Regardless, I think stylistically this matchup heavily favors Crute, who will be pressuring Smith nonstop with relentless takedowns and sharp striking. I am banking on Crute to avoid submission troubles and rack up control time for his biggest win in the UFC.

Randy Brown – $8,700

The 6’3” Jamaican welterweight looks to bounce back from his most recent loss to Brazilian Vicente Luque this Saturday. To do so he must overcome a challenge from the Brazilian cowboy Alex Oliveira. Oliveira is one of the most experienced fighters in the UFC, making his twentieth appearance in the Octagon on Saturday. Similar to the Crute pick, I love this matchup stylistically for Brown. His combination of length and wrestling is tough preparation for any opponent. I predict Brown will control the fight from the start and potentially finish Oliveira with his third knockout in the UFC.

Brendan Allen – $8,400

Brendan “All in” Allen suffered his first UFC loss to top middleweight Sean Strickland in November 2020. Prior to that defeat, Allen showcased why he is one of the top young prospects in the division. He possesses a complete armory with tremendous striking ability and submission attacks. Roberson is coming off a recent loss to Italian Marvin Vettori. Both fighters enter with something to prove, but I believe Allen is slightly better in all facets of mixed martial arts. I expect fireworks from each fighter, however, Allen should be able to dictate pace and positioning. Grab Allen at a more than fair price with confidence to get a finish before the final bell.

Chris Weidman – $7,900

“The All-American” Chris Weidman looked highly impressive in his return to the Octagon against Russian Omari Akhmedov. While facing a top grappler in Akhmedov, Weidman controlled the entire fight, showing why he is one of the best wrestlers in UFC history. Uriah Hall rides a three-fight win streak into this bout with just as much to fight for as fellow 36-year-old Weidman. Although Hall walked away with a split decision victory against Antonio Carlos Junior in 2019, the Brazilian exposed deficiencies in Hall’s wrestling defense, accumulating over 10 minutes of control time. I expect similar numbers from Weidman on his way to his second straight victory, opening up big fights to end his fantastic UFC career.

Jorge Masvidal – $6,800

Regardless of the opponent, this price for Masvidal is way too low to not pick in my lineup. Kamaru Usman’s grab and hold strategy in the first fight showed me he wanted to avoid any potential striking match with Masvidal. As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, I believe this strategy worked well because of Masvidal’s lack of time to prepare cardio for a five-round title fight. With almost one year to focus on this rematch, I expect Masvidal’s takedown defense to play a much larger factor in keeping the fight standing and engaged where Gamebred is dangerous. Masvidal is the best striker Usman has faced so far in his career. Take him in this spot at such a low price and watch Masvidal showcase why he is the top contender in the welterweight division.