Two experienced UFC heavyweights meet in the Octagon this Saturday to determine which fighter moves into championship contending position. #5 Alistair Overeem (47-18) has competed in the UFC since his debut victory against Brock Lesnar in December 2011. #6 Alexander Volkov (32-8) steadily climbed the heavyweight rankings after his UFC debut victory over Timothy Johnson in 2016. Both fighters aim to make a final run at the heavyweight title and need a victory on Saturday to continue their quest.
UFC Vegas 18 DraftKings DFS Picks
Cory Sandhagen – $9,400
The 28-year-old American fighting with Elevation Fight Team out of Colorado is one of the UFC’s top bantamweight prospects. ‘The Sandman’ recently dominated Brazil’s Marlon Moraes in October of 2020 and hopes to continue this success against UFC legend Frankie Edgar. Since transitioning from featherweight to bantamweight, Edgar is undefeated in his new division after a hard-fought win over Pedro Munhoz. Despite that, this is a great matchup for Sandhagen. Lay the steep price confidently and earn big points with a knockout victory from ‘The Sandman’.
Timur Valiev – $9,300
Both fighters in this matchup seek their first career UFC victory. Martin Day is a tough matchup for anybody, but I do not think he walks away Saturday with the elusive UFC victory. Valiev is slightly better in all aspects of mixed martial arts, and I predict he finishes Day before the judges can make their decision.
Alexandre Pantoja – $8,300
The Brazilian prospect Alexandre Pantoja is the fifht ranked flyweight in the UFC and welcomes Manel Kape, who is making his UFC debut on Saturday. Pantoja submitted Japanese fighter Ulka Sasaki in 2018, one month before Sasaki dominated Kape in Rizin Fighting Federation 14. Pantoja’s only two losses in recent memory have been to the champion Deiveson Figueiredo and Russia’s Askar Askarov. I expect the Brazilian’s experience and skillset to be too much for Kape to handle in the first fight of his UFC career.
Beneil Dariush – $8,000
Diego Ferreira’s first loss in his MMA career came against Dariush in October of 2014. He is more than ready to avenge that loss in this rematch and continue his six-fight win streak. Unfortunately for Ferreira, Dariush has only gotten better since their first fight six years ago. Dariush is one of the most well-rounded fighters you will find in the UFC and I think he handles Ferreira with ease on Saturday.
Alistair Overeem $7,600
Overeem would be riding a five-fight win streak if not for the unfortunate result against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, where he dominated the fight for 24 minutes and 56 seconds. I love this spot and price for Overeem to get the job done against Alexander Volkov on Saturday. If needed, Overeem can rely on his wrestling background to take Volkov to the ground and avoid constant striking from the Russian.
Clay Guida – $7,400
Clay Guida (35-17) is a very experienced UFC lightweight with tremendous ground control. I love this matchup for him against a formidable fighter in Michael Johnson. Guida’s advantage in the wrestling department should allow him to keep the fight on the mat for the majority of the fight. This is a pure stylistic pick, and I think Guida finishes Saturday with a submission victory.
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