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What a card we witnessed a few weeks ago. After an exciting evening of fights took place at UFC 260, the main event didn't disappoint, with Francis Ngannou defeating Stipe Miocic, one of the greatest big men of all time, to win the UFC heavyweight title. As the countdown toward UFC 261 begins, which will be the first card with fans in over a year, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will keep things going with another Fight Night from the Apex. The card is solid from top to bottom, featuring several up-and-coming combatants along with some other names worth keeping an eye on moving ahead.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy MMA lineup picks on FanDuel for UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Holland on 4/10/2021. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced fighters and value picks on FanDuel. You can check out our DraftKings MMA DFS picks as well.
Give me a follow on Twitter @DennisMClausen. Also, be sure to join me and my tag team partner, Brady Grove, for “Tap That,” a weekly podcast dedicated to MMA news and fantasy analysis. This article will be updated before the UFC Fight Night Prelims, so be sure to check back for some last-minute additions to help round out your lineup.
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FanDuel MMA Middleweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Julian Marquez, $19 - vs. Sam Alvey
Although Fight Night's main event will feature a pair of ranked middleweights, Julian Marquez will look to crack the top-15 but will need to get through Sam Alvey to do it.
"The Cuban Missile Crisis" is as legit as they come. A 30-year-old from, you guessed it, Kansas City, Missouri, he has begun to establish himself as a more well-rounded fighter. Before making his debut in the UFC, he made a name for himself due to his heavy hands, defeating five opponents by either KO or TKO.
During Dana White's Contender Series, he demonstrated a more diverse skill set by submitting Darren Stewart by guillotine. "Coconut Bombz," Maki Pitolo also tapped to Marquez, succumbing to an Anaconda Choke in his most recent bout. Now, just a little over a month removed, Marquez will square off with Sam Alvey, a fighter who has been a mainstay in the promotion, albeit he has been a punching bag for many.
"Smile'n" hasn't done much of that throughout his tenure as a mixed martial artist, holding a mediocre record of 10-9-1 inside the octagon. While he has been around for a long time, MMA fans shouldn't expect much out of him on Saturday night. Alvey may be able to go the distance with his opponent; however, it wouldn't be a surprise if he was finished early as well. Look for Marquez to come away with the win and be the one smiling, especially if a victory leads to a date with Miley Cyrus.
FanDuel MMA Middleweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Kevin Holland, $17 vs. Marvin Vettori
We are going to stick with the middleweight division as Marvin Vettori will take on Kevin Holland, who was a late replacement after the collarbone injury of Darren Till.
Holland put together one of the most dominant calendar years in UFC, finishing 2020 with five wins under his belt, tying him for the most wins within a 365-day span. With such a display of dominance and momentum behind him, many thought that he would walk through Derek Brunson on his way up the middleweight rankings. However, that didn’t transpire, and the 28-year-old found himself on the losing against Brunson.
Size was a significant factor in that fight. Brunson, who is considerably larger, was able to make weight leading up to the fight. Holland, on the other hand, not only made weight, but he was a few pounds less than the 185-pound cutoff. Many people implored him to make the natural progression down to welterweight; however, that doesn’t appear to be in the cards as he will take another fight in less than a month removed from the Brunson loss.
Vettori will be entering Saturday night, having won his previous four bouts dating back to July of 2019. While he wasn’t as active as Holland, he still has remained relatively busy. He has won three of his last four by unanimous decision and will attempt to hold on to his No. 6 ranking desperately.
Doing that against a fighter as skilled as Holland will not be an easy task by any means. Although his theatrics can get him into trouble, Holland’s potential is no laughing matter. With both men possessing a submission background, it wouldn’t be surprising if this clash went to the mat, giving each man their fair share of control time. There may also be some submissions attempted as well, but in the end, Vettori shouldn’t be able to submit Holland or hold him down, leaving Holland the victor by unanimous.
FanDuel MMA Middleweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Kyle Daukaus, $14 - vs. Aliaskhab Khizriev
In yet another middleweight bout, Kyle Daukaus will mix it up with Aliaskhab Khizriev. Both men are relatively new to the promotion and will be using Fight Night as a platform to showcase their skills.
The Russian is entering this contest as a -135 favorite. He is undefeated in the sport, winning all 13 of his professional fights. Khizriev is the complete package, a fighter capable of winning in a variety of ways.
However, he will undoubtedly have one of his toughest challenges to date against Kyle Daukaus, an up-and-coming competitor out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who has just one defeat to his name, losing to Brendan Allen back in June of 2020. Since then, he has gotten pack on the winning path, most recently defeating Dustin Stolzfus in November of last year.
A specialist in both BJJ and kickboxing, Daukaus has heavy hands and various submissions in his arsenal, including a nasty D’Arce Choke responsible for five of his career victories. Although the 28-year-old is a risky option in cash formats, especially since Khizriev is the favorite, Daukaus shouldn’t be dismissed by any means. As a result, he should be considered a viable option for those in need of salary relief. The upside is there for sure, but remember, the downside is there as well.
FanDuel MMA Featherweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Arnold Allen, $13 - vs. Sodiq Yusuff
For those hesitant in rolling with Kyle Daukaus, which is understandable, Arnold Allen has just as big, if not bigger, of an upside on Saturday night. Allen, the No. 10 ranked combatant in the UFC featherweight division, will mix it up with Sodiq Yusuff, ranked one spot behind him.
Allen, who is the +120 underdog, has had an impressive run inside the confines of the octagon. He hasn’t lost since 2014 and has won all seven of his appearances under the UFC umbrella.
Sodiq has been just as impressive. He has won his last six fights, most recently defeating Andre “Touchy” Fili in January of 2020. A standout in Dana White’s Contender Series, “Super” is looking to climb his way toward a title shot.
Sodiq has a significant edge in some categories and averages nearly double the number of landed significant strikes per minute. However, Allen is more versed on the ground, averaging 1.36 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Both men match up more evenly than the odds suggest. Although Allen is priced significantly lower than his opponent, make no mistake, this shouldn’t be a one-sided contest by any means. As a result, fantasy managers in larger GPP formats can gain a significant advantage if Vegas is wrong about its pick for the winner. At only $13, Allen has the potential to provide adequate salary relief for those looking to get the more concrete competitors in their lineup.
Also Consider: Impa Kasanganay ($23), Yorgan De Castro ($21), Joe Solecki ($20), Daniel Rodriguez ($19), Mackenzie Dern ($16), Mike Perry ($12-GPP Only)
