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Once again, taking place from inside the UFC APEX, Fight Night will feature some exciting bouts. In the Main Event, Alistair Overeem will take on Augusto Sakai, with both men looking for a potential title shot somewhere down the line. Ovince Saint Preux and Alonzo Menifield will also square off in a much anticipated light heavyweight battle.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy MMA lineup picks for FanDuel for UFC Fight Night on 9/5/2020. You can check out our DraftKings 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 FanDuel.
Give me a follow on Twitter @DennisMClausen. Good luck.
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FanDuel MMA Heavyweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Augusto Sakai, $19 - vs. Alistair Overeem
As more and more legendary competitors hang up their gloves for good, Overeem remains active despite being north of 40. When it is all said and done, he will go down as one of the greatest heavyweights of all-time. He is a former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, a former DREAM Heavyweight Champion, and K-1 World Grand Prix Champion. He has handled some of the sport's most formidable competitors throughout the past few decades.
Heading into his last bout against Walt Harris back in May, "The Demolition Man" had only won two of his previous five contests. As the world expected Harris to slug his way to a decisive victory and force Overeem into retirement, the veteran shocked mostly everyone by convincingly taking down "The Big Ticket" and winning via TKO to walk away with an impressive 133 fantasy points. With a significant win such as that in the rear-view mirror, Overeem will look to score another win, this time against Augusto Sakai.
Sakai isn't a slouch either, nonetheless. With only one defeat to his name, which occurred back in 2017 against the infamous Cheick Kongo (split decision), he continues to make a name for himself by knocking his opponents silly. Since that loss, he has won his previous six fights, with four of those due to KO/TKO.
Although Overeem has gotten knocked out numerous times throughout his career, he has demonstrated that he can hang with some legit bangers. He also owns the experience edge over Sakai, and if the veteran can take him to the mat, that will be his best chance at winning. However, taking this battle south won't be easy as Sakai sports a takedown defense of 83 percent. The 29-year-old is also a head hunter and loves to throw significant strikes. If Sakai can keep this fight verticle against the future Hall of Famer, which may likely end up being the case, he will walk away with the win.
FanDuel MMA Featherweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Brian Kelleher, 18 - vs. Kevin Natividad
Kelleher will be fighting for the fourth time this year. He started the year hot by submitting Ode Osbourne--courtesy of a guillotine choke--at UFC 246 before following that performance up with an impressive knockout over Hunter Azure back in May. He then lost to Cody Stamann by decision only a few months ago and will look to get back on track on Saturday night.
After Kelleher's original opponent, Ricky Simon, was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19, he will now go toe-to-toe with newcomer Kevin Natividad. Natividad will undoubtedly be participating in the most important fight of his career after posting a 9-1 professional record since 2016. "Quicksand" had stops in several promotions throughout his tenure as a professional and has developed a nasty reputation with his hands, winning five of those nine victories by either KO or TKO.
Without a doubt, Natividad will come out and hope to make a favorable impression. He also should look to keep this fight standing in hopes of scoring a stoppage. However, with Kelleher's experience edge, this bout may end with the veteran using his grappling skills and scoring a submission victory.
FanDuel MMA Light Heavyweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Alonzo Menifield, $18 - vs. Ovince Saint Preux
Menifield has taken the mixed martial arts world by storm since making his professional debut in 2015 at Bellator 146. He is an imposing presence and is a bigger, more powerful fighter than most others in his weight class. He thoroughly enjoys hitting people and usually looks to finish things quickly. Menifield appeared to be well on his way toward becoming a future challenger for the 205 belt; however, those plans seemed to be put on hold after losing his first career fight to Devin Clark in June at UFC 250.
While Menifield's career still looks to be trending positively despite the loss, Saint Preux is attempting to remain relevant after 12 years of service and losing four fights out of his previous six stemming back to February of 2018.
Both combatants match up well. While Saint Preux is leaner, more athletic, and will likely be in better shape on the cardiovascular end, Menifield can quickly end things with a single punch. Look for the Haitian to attempt to take this one to the mat to utilize his submission game on the larger opponent. However, Menifield should be able to out-muscle Saint Preux wherever things end up, potentially resulting in a quick knockout somewhere early in the contest.
