RADIO
Fight Island is already way behind us, and this marks the second card in a row that will be taking place inside the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. All things considered, it is the sixth event ever held at the venue, and this time it comes packed with a bunch of high-stakes fights. A few of these bouts feature potential contenders looking to make a statement before truly putting their names among those with real chances at snatching some belt here or there down the road.
UFC Vegas 6 is headlined by a heavyweight fight between no. 4 Derrick Lewis and no. 10 Aleksei Oleinik. No matter what happens here, it is hard to see any of those two getting a fight for the title next (Curtis Blaydes and Francis Ngannou are above them in the ranks) but Lewis would definitely get into the conversation for a potential bout against any of those two could-be-champs pretty soon. The co-main event will see all-timer Chris Weidman trying to get back on the winning track against UFC-undefeated Omari Akhmedov at the middleweight division. Will Weidman break his current two-fight skid and hang the first L on Akhmedov? We'll definitely be watching.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy MMA, UFC lineup picks for DraftKings for UFC Vegas 6: Lewis vs. Oleinik on 8/8/20. You can check out our FanDuel MMA DFS picks as well. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced fighters and value picks on DraftKings. Give me a follow on Twitter @chapulana. Good luck!
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DraftKings MMA Heavyweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Aleksei Oleinik, $7500 - vs. Derrick Lewis
If you can't think of a main event featuring more combined experience I wouldn't blame you. Both of these men made their UFC debuts more than six years ago all the way back in 2014 and are still active and fighting for a chance at the belt. Lewis got one in 2018 but dropped the ball facing Daniel Cormier. Oleinik is still looking for his.
Since 2019 Oleinik is 2-2 having won his last two fights, while Lewis is 2-1 and on a similar two-fight winning streak. Lewis is the man to scout here, as he's the no. 4 contender and although winning this one won't instantly put him in a title bout that could definitely put him only one other fight away from a chance at the gold.
It'd make sense to favor Lewis here--he's the clear odds favorite--but I just love Oleinik ground game. He's submitted foes in three of his last four wins, and although he was KO'd a couple of times in 2019, Lewis only knocked out one rival in his last five fights and it happened 11 seconds from the final whistle. Oleinik comes as an underdog but he carries the higher floor and the upside of an early stoppage via submission.
DraftKings MMA Middleweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Chris Weidman, $8000- vs. Omari Akhmedov
If the main event oozes experience, what about the co-main!? Weidman entered the Octagon for the first time in 2011 and went on to win nine straight, currently having a career 10-5 record. That's right. After that monster run, he flopped a lot and is 1-5 in his last six, including back-to-back losses in his last two between 2018 and 2019. Akhmedov started his UFC-life in 2013 but he followed the opposite arc: shaky start and a 5-0-1 record in his last 6 bouts with three wins in a row.
Obviously, the fact that he has scored himself some Ws gives Akhmedov the edge in this fight in terms of fantasy floor over Weidman's, but Akhmedov seems to know no other way of winning than going to the judges' scorecards. Weidman, on the other hand, has always been a finisher. He's also been finished early in all of his last five losses, though. Even with that, I'm betting on a final comeback from "The All-American". He's got better numbers career-wise in both striking and grappling and although he's way past his peak I'm sure he still has something in him.
DraftKings MMA Middleweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Maki Pitolo, $7600- vs. Darren Stewart
While not a grizzled veteran, Stewart has seven UFC fights in his belt with an even 3-3-1 record in them going back to 2016. Pitolo, on the other hand, is just entering the Octagon for the third time since he debuted in late 2019, dropping his first one and winning his last fight. In both bouts, Pitolo showed both good-volume striking (51% accuracy) and takedown-prowess attempting two and three respectively and landing all three in his only win.
Stewart is on a four-fight winning streak and entering this bout as the favorite, which makes all of the sense. He's a much lower-volume hitter, though, and his ground game is shaky at best with just one TD attempt in his last four fights. If it wasn't for his early-stoppage (he's won two times via KO) bonus fantasy points, his floor would be much much lower than Pitolo's--even in defeat. That's why I'm going with the underdog for this one, even more considering the $1K savings in salaries this pick affords.
DraftKings MMA Women's Bantamweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Yana Kunitskaya, $8800- vs. Julija Stoliarenko
Kunitskaya lost her last fight against Aspen Ladd back in December 2019, but other than that she had won a couple before that one throwing an average of 167 SS and landing 62% of them. For this one, she'll be facing UFC-debutant Julija Stoliarenko, who is 9-4-1 in her career but most recently (last March) won an Invicta FC belt.
All of that might scare you off Yana, but she comes with the third-highest betting line of the card (main and under) and Vegas is giving her more than 70 percent chances of winning this fight. We have watched our fair share of debutants put on true shows lately inside the Octagon, but as you see odds are not that much with Julija on this one. Given that Kunitskaya has shown both ability to throw volume and also land takedowns (62% on 4.3 attempts per fight in three bouts), I'm going with the heavy favorite here. Bad luck for Julija landing such a strong opponent for her debut, I guess.
DraftKings MMA Lightweight- UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Scott Holtzman, $7100 - vs. Beneil Dariush
In keeping with the tale of the vets, both Dariush and Holtzman first stepped inside an Octagon in 2014 and 2015, which means they are more than five years into this thing and truly know how it works. This fight looks very promising, with Dariush on a four-fight winning streak and Holtman having won his last two fights.
Dariush has finished three of his last four opponents (two submissions, one KO) all inside the first two rounds, and Holtzman has a second-round KO and a decision to his name. These two rack up fantasy points on very different ways. Dariush is all about grappling, averaging 4.5 takedowns per fight and landing 56% of them, although he only averages 43 SS attempts per fight. Holtzman, on the other hand, throws 130+ SS toward his foes while only averaging 1.25 TD attempts per bout landing around half of them. Grappling is good for fantasy, but I can't pass on Holtman's incredible striking volume and the fact that he comes $2K (!) cheaper than Dariush while still having 40% chances of getting the W per Vegas.
