2 years agoAfter back-to-back losses against very stiff competition, Shane Burgos (14-3) scored a unanimous-decision win back in November of last year. Proven to be a dangerous finisher and striker in his career, 10 of his 14 professional wins have come by the finish. He also lands a very high rate of strikes compared to his opponents, landing 7.95 significant strikes per minute. DraftKings sees Hurricane as the favorite on Saturday with a salary of $9,000. Throughout his UFC career, Burgos averages 82.6 fantasy points per contest. Though his opponent, Charles Jourdain, is on a two-fight winning streak, Burgos will bring dangerous striking to the Octagon as he looks to pick up a TKO/knockout win.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC

2 years agoFormer bantamweight champion Miesha Tate (19-8) will jump down to the flyweight ranks to meet Lauren Murphy on Saturday's main card of action. This marks the third time this bout has been scheduled within the last couple of months. After retiring from the sport in 2016, Tate returned almost five years later in July of last year to earn a third-round TKO win. Tate will be returning to the Octagon after a decision loss in November of last year. Tate averages 1.99 takedowns per contest compared to 1.03 for Murphy, so look for Tate to try and take control and dictate the pace. DraftKings sees Tate as the big favorite with a salary of $8,800. Throughout her career, Tate averages 57.3 fantasy points per contest.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC

2 years agoHoping their third scheduled meeting will actually happen, Lauren Murphy (15-5) will enter the Octagon for the first time in 2022 this Saturday. Typically a finisher in her career, nine of her 15 career wins have come by the finish, with eight of those via knockout/TKO. Since joining the UFC in 2018 after TUF 26, only two of her five victories have come by a finish. Murphy could hold an advantage over Miesha Tate, as Murphy will be the one welcoming Tate down a weight class from her norm in the flyweight ranks. DraftKings sees Murphy as the sizeable underdog with a salary of $7,400. Throughout her UFC career, Murphy averages 63.5 fantasy points per contest.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC

2 years agoIn the main-event battle of the Rafaels, Rafael Fiziev came out victorious over the former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos in Saturday's main event. In 20:18 of action, Dos Anjos tallied 54 significant strikes (90 total strikes) but had very little success in his wrestling/grappling game, only landing two of his 16 takedown tries on the night. The 37-year-old Brazilian is now 2-4 in his last six contests, and his best fantasy days may be behind him.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoContinuing his strong run since joining the UFC, Rafael Fiziev earned his biggest victory to date on Saturday by earning a fifth-round TKO over seventh-ranked Rafael Dos Anjos in the main event of action. In 20:18 of action, Fiziev tallied 64 significant strikes (92 total strikes) and stuffed 14 of Dos Anjos' 16 takedown tries on the night. Fiziev has now won six fights in a row. Prior to joining the UFC, Fiziev showed signs of having all the potential of being a future UFC champion and a knockout artist along the way. Continue to ride the wave.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoUnable to build off of his split-decision debut victory in February, Armen Petrosyan took a unanimous-decision loss against Caio Borralho in Saturday night's co-main event. Through 15 minutes of action, Petrosyan actually out-struck Borralho by landing 31 significant strikes (72 total strikes). The problem at the end of the contest in the wrestling/grappling game. Petrosyan was taken down on four of Borralho's five attempts and was in his control for over 10 minutes.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoAfter feeling slighted by the UFC for having to showcase twice on the Contender Series and because of the fact his opponent was able to debut before him, Caio Borralho took a unanimous-decision victory in Saturday's co-main-event showdown against Armen Petrosyan. In 15 minutes of action, Borralho only landed 12 significant strikes compared to Petrosyan's 31. Borralho's dominance came in the grappling game, where he scored four of his five takedowns and tallied a control time of 10:09. After his victory, Borralho called out newly ranked Dricus Du Plessis. Should this matchup come to fruition, it would be a very difficult task for Borralho.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoUnable to clinch his third straight win, Douglas Silva de Andrade suffered a decision loss to Said Nurmagomedov (27-30, 28-29, 28-29) on Saturday's main-card bantamweight showdown. In 15 minutes of action, Andrade was only able to land 28 significant strikes (44 total strikes) compared to the 46 significant strikes of Nurmagomedov. This was a win Andrade really needed to crack into the top 15. Assuming his next matchup is outside of the rankings, it's possible we see an Andrade rebound.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoThough he was unable to earn his third straight victory in under one minute of action, Said Nurmagomedov did earn his third straight win by defeating Douglas de Silva Andrade (27-30, 28-29, 28-29) on Saturday. In 15 minutes of action, Nurmagomedov only landed 42 significant strikes, but it was more than the 28 landed by Andrade. In the wrestling game, he actually only landed one of his five takedown tries on the night. The 30-year-old Russian called out a top-15 fighter for his next matchup. Fighting someone in the top 10 could greatly change the dynamic of Nurmagomedv's ability to be a big fantasy scorer.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoIn a must-win matchup for both fighters, Jared Vanderaa was on the losing end of Saturday's contest against Chase Sherman via third-round TKO loss. In 13:10 of action, Vanderaa was able to land 109 significant strikes but absorbed 137 significant strikes from Sherman. With the loss, Vanderaa is riding a four-fight losing streak and a record of 1-5 since joining the UFC after a Contender Series win. More than likely, we will not see Vanderaa again for a while, but if we do, it may be against another fighter on the fence.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoIn a must-win showdown, Chase Sherman was able to earn a third-round TKO victory in an exciting heavyweight showdown against Jared Vanderaa on Saturday. In 13:10 of total action, Sherman tallied 137 significant strikes (over 10 significant strikes landed per minute) en route to a career-saving win. The victory not only earned him a performance-of-the-night bonus, but also snapped a four-fight losing streak he was currently riding. Sometimes a big win like this is enough to turn around a fighter's fortunes.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoThough many fans and media did not see the bout the way the judges did, Jamie Mullarkey was awarded a close split-decision win over Michael Johnson on Saturday's main card of action. In 15 minutes of action, Mullarkey out-struck Johnson by landing 96 significant strikes. The win has moved Mullarkey to 3-1 in his last four bouts. The effort earned Mullarkey and Johnson fight-of-the-night honors. Mullarkey has shown knockout power in the UFC, so depending on the matchup, you may want to consider him for a Saturday start, especially after earning a tough win over a veteran this past weekend.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoIn what many considered a controversial split-decision loss, Michael Johnson landed 66 significant strikes (68 total strikes) in 15 minutes of action against Jamie Mullarkey on Saturday. With the loss, Johnson moves to 1-5 in his last six contests. The 36-year-old lightweight appeared to many to have won his bout. Johnson dropped Mullarkey in the first and had him reeling several times in the third round. The effort was enough to earn fight-of-the-night honors. Should we see Johnson continued to be matched up in such a manner, it's likely he'll earn a few more wins on fight nights.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoOne of the absolute most dangerous strikers in all of the UFC, Rafael Fiziev (11-1) will take to Saturday's main event when he faces Rafael dos Anjos. The Muay Thai veteran joined the UFC early in his career with a 5-0 record. Since then, he has gone 6-1, including a couple of highlight-reel-worthy knockouts. DraftKings sees Ataman as the favorite with a salary of $9,000. Throughout his UFC career, he averages 65.0 points per contest. Fiziev is looking to find his stride in MMA and could earn another huge knockout against the aging dos Anjos.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC

2 years agoHoping the third time is actually the charm, Rafael dos Anjos (31-13) is finally set to meet up with rising star Rafael Fiziev in the main event of Saturday's card. A veteran of the UFC since 2008, dos Anjos will step into the Octagon for his 45th professional contest. A former UFC lightweight champion, dos Anjos has earned finishes in nearly half of his contests (15), with 10 of those coming by submission. Facing such a dangerous striker in Fiziev, dos Anjos must get this one to the mat quickly. DraftKings sees him as the underdog with a salary of $7,200. Throughout his UFC career, he averages 77.4 points per contest.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC