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After an event last weekend in which we got to watch all of zero title fights, this weekend will mimic the last one in that front but with an asterisk attached to its main card. Sure, there won't be any title fight on this one, but it comes packed with two TUF Finals from the 29th edition pitting Featherweight and Middleiweght foes including an injury replacement. Oh, and the headliners are definitely an exciting pair, to say the least.
We're talking about no. 9 Edson Barboza facing no. 10 Goga Chikadze for a push up the FW contender's ladder in which Alexander Volkanovski sits on top as the reigning champ. This won't be the last step these two have to make before a shot at the title goes their way, but they'll be definitely trying to inch closer to it. Über-veteran Kevin Lee is back at it after almost a year and a half out of the Octagon, a pair of MWs will open the main card, and the night will also feature four men fighting for TUF titles. Quite a Saturday to close August's UFC schedule, this one.
In this article, I will be providing you with my fantasy MMA lineup picks for UFC Vegas 35: Barboza vs. Chikadze on 08/28/21. Give me a follow on Twitter @chapulana. Good luck!
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DraftKings MMA Featherweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Giga Chikadze, $8000 - vs. Edson Barboza
With 30 fights under his belt already but no actual shot at wrapping any golden stripe around his waist, Barboza is trying to string three Ws in a row for the first time since 2017. He won the last two via decision and KO, getting back to his early-finish, knockout-prowess days. Chikadze, though, has looked like an unstoppable force in his short yet incredible UFC tenure to date: six fights, six wins, and two first-round KOs in his last two fights adorn his tasty resume.
Barboza has a clear edge on experience, having debuted all the way back in 2010, but that's pretty much it. The vet is 3-3 since Dec. 2018 and his best days are clearly in the rearview mirror now. Giga, on the other hand, has molly-blasted foes left and right and is clearly on an ascending path toward a title fight. Chikadze throws more volume of SS, attempts the odd takedown, and comes with a nice potential boost in the shape of early-win bonus DKFP. Can't fade the 6-0 man.
DraftKings MMA Middleweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Bryan Battle, $8600 - vs. Gilbert Urbina
This fight shouldn't be happening this Saturday, but this is what injuries can make to your MMA cards. Tresean Gore, expected to face Bryan Battle this weekend got injured and that opened the door for Mexican fighter Gilbert Urbina to fill that absence and fight Battle. The latter is coming off consecutive wins against early-TUF 29 contenders Andre Petroski and Kemran Lachinov. Urbina's path to the Final saw him defeat Micheal Gillmore before falling to Tresean Gore via KO in the semis. He'll now be the replacement even though he got rocked in the second round of his last TUF bout.
Gore's injury and withdrawal from this fight mean there will be four fighters from Team Volkanovski fighting for the chip this weekend. If only because, well, he actually won his two fights in the earlier rounds, Battle enters this fight as the favorite compared to Urbina's 1-1 record on his way toward the Final. The difference is not huge in salaries nor winning probabilities, but this has 1) Battle looking better and 2) realistic chances of not reaching the final buzzer. Not hating that Battle + early finish bonus FP combination, folks.
DraftKings MMA Bantamweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Ricky Turcios, $8700 - vs. Brady Hiestand
The other TUF Final on Saturday, this one to declare the best BW, will pit Ricky Turcios and Brady Hiestand against each other. Turcios reached the final round after dealing with Daniel Argueta and Liudvik Sholinian thanks to consecutive unanimous decisions from the judges of those bouts. Hiestand, on the other hand, had to wait for a tight split decision on his first W against Joshua Rettinghouse before knocking Vince Murdock out in the semis.
Turcios almost doubles Hiestand's experience with 13 fights and an 11-2 record as a pro compared to Hiestand's 6-1 in his seven bouts. In a similar case to Battle's (read above) Turcios enters Saturday as the odds-on favorite to score himself a W, though there is a consensus thought of this fight most probably reaching its final point and getting decided via decision. For the low distance in salaries here, and if you're forced to pick between one of these two, I'd go with the favorite in Turcios. If possible, though, I'd fade both.
DraftKings MMA Welterweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Daniel Rodriguez, $7700 - vs. Kevin Lee
Kevin Lee had a chance at getting the WW title back in 2017, but all he could do was staying alive for 14 minutes after getting subbed by Tony Ferguson in the third round of that fight. It's been a tough run for Lee since that day, as he's 2-3 entering the weekend carrying an L in his most recent fight--also via sub. Rodriguez, on the other hand, has won two in a row and is 5-1 in the UFC since debuting only a year and a half ago.
Rodriguez has done everything in his short UFC span. Debuted with a sub win, scored himself two decisions, and also dropped two foes via KO (including Preston Parsons in his latest outing). Kevin Lee hasn't attempted even 100 SS in any of his last three fights, with the only positive coming in the TD department: Lee has gone 8-of-19 in takedowns in that span. Rodriguez doesn't rely on grappling, though it's not that he's been defeated in that fashion while he's been able to get a win that way, though. Lee seems to be going down while Rodriguez is building a strong resume that should keep growing this weekend with his third W in a row.
DraftKings MMA Middleweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Makhmud Muradov, $9300 - vs. Gerald Meerschaert
The only thing we know about this fight is that it won't reach the 15-minute mark. Far from it. These two have fought 14 times total between them in the UFC, and only three times did they go the distance. Muradov is 3-0 with a decision and two KOs in his last two fights. Meerschaert is somehow still hanging and fighting in the promo, but that might not last long; Meerschaert is 5-6 in the UFC and has always finished his foes in his Ws while losing three times via KO, one via sub, and two via decision.
It is true that Gerald will step into the Octagon having won his last fight in just two minutes (submission) but it's also true that he got KO'd in his prior two (both of them in 2020) without even making it to the 1:30-minute mark in those fights. Muradov, on the other hand, is perfect so far and has done it all: 175+ SS attempted per fight, landing rates around 45%, and 1-of-6 on takedowns. This fight will hand a nice bonus in DKFP to whoever ends finishing his opponent, and if I had to bet I'd put my money on Muradov keeping his winning streak going.
