Inside The Octagon: UFC DFS Picks For DraftKings + FanDuel UFC 268 Usman vs. Covington 2 | Tonight, 11/6/2021

The UFC is live in Madison Square Garden for an exciting welterweight title fight between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington. UFC 268 should be an action-packed card full of excitement. Here I will offer the fights that have the most upside for MMA DFS purposes. Let’s dig into some UFC DFS picks and analysis for UFC 268.

MMA DFS Picks for UFC 268: Usman vs. Covington 2

C.J. Vergara $7,500 vs. Ode Osborne $8,700

C.J. Vergara

  • Age: 30
  • Height: 5-foot-5
  • Weight: 135 lbs.
  • Reach: 68 in.
  • Record: 9-2-1
  • Striking Accuracy: 50%
  • Betting Odds: +145

Vergara defeated Bruno Korea via knockout in 41 seconds in his most recent fight in September. He is a high-volume striker, averaging 14.63 significant strikes landed per minute while absorbing 4.63 per minute. Vergara will be the less-skilled grappler and should look to keep this fight standing. However, Vergara’s one big weakness is leaving his chin exposed; if he does this against the power of Osborne, he will go to sleep in a hurry.

Ode Osborne

  • Age: 29
  • Height: 5-foot-6
  • Weight: 125 lbs.
  • Reach: 73 in.
  • Record: 9-4-0
  • Striking Accuracy: 52%
  • Betting Odds: -175

In Osborne’s last bout he faced off against Manel Kape, losing via flying knee to the body in Round 1. Osbourne will have a five-inch reach advantage over Vergara. An interesting statistic on Osborne is he has yet to see the second round in the Octagon, and that should not change in this fight against Vergara. Osborne’s last five wins have come inside the distance. Osborne will be able to take advantage of Vergara’s weak defense and suspect chin, finding the early finish in Round 1.

The preferred play on DraftKings and FanDuel is Osborne. Osborne’s power, toughness and grittiness will be too much for Vergara’s to withstand in this fight. For DFS, Osborne is a solid play due to his finishing ability.

UFC DFS Pick: Ode Osborne via First-Round KO/TKO.

Edmen Shahbazyan $7,700 vs. Nassourdine Imavov $8,500

Edmen Shahbazyan

  • Age: 23
  • Height: 6-foot-2
  • Weight: 185 lbs.
  • Reach: 74 in.
  • Record: 11-2-0
  • Striking Accuracy: 49%
  • Betting Odds: -105

Shahbazyan is a finisher with size, speed and dangerous stopping power. However, Shahbazyan is coming into this matchup off back-to-back losses against Derick Brunson and Jack Hermansson. This will be a bounce-back fight for Shahbazyan. It will not be an easy task against Imavov, but Shahbazyan will get the job done in the clinch. He is averaging 6.77 takedowns every 15 minutes, and he has a dangerous ground game if this fight hits the mat.

Nassourdine Imavov

  • Age: 26
  • Height: 6-foot-2
  • Weight: 185 lbs.
  • Reach: 75 in.
  • Record: 10-3-0
  • Striking Accuracy: 54%
  • Betting Odds: -115

Imavov is a solid boxer with big power, excellent cardio, and tricky foot work and head movement. He is a well-rounded fighter with precision striking and is fundamentally sound inside the Octagon. He is coming into this fight off an impressive second-round knockout over Ian Heinisch in July. Imavov will look to keep this fight standing and use his stick-and-move style to keep Shahbazyan guessing.

The lean on DraftKings and FanDuel is Shahbazyan. This fight should be an extremely close striking battle between two powerful strikers. For DFS, have both sides of this fight.

UFC DFS Pick: Edmen Shahbazyan via Unanimous Decision.

Justin Gaethje $8,900 vs. Michael Chandler $7,300

Justin Gaethje

  • Age: 32
  • Height: 5-foot-9
  • Weight: 155 lbs.
  • Reach: 70 in.
  • Record: 22-3-0
  • Striking Accuracy: 59%
  • Betting Odds: -225

Gaethje is an absolute animal inside the Octagon. He is always coming forward with high guard and pushes an insane pace. Furthermore, Gaethje has huge stopping power in his hands, as he will take big shots just to be able to counterstrike. That said, despite two knockout losses, he has an impressive chin. Gaethje was an All-American in college, but now he does not seem interested in making wrestling part of his game. The one weakness with Gaethje’s style he eats a lot of shots, roughly eight significant strikes per minute. This should be an all-out war, with Gaethje pushing forward with smothering pressure and landing heavy shots.

Michael Chandler

  • Age: 35
  • Height: 5-foot-7
  • Weight: 155 lbs.
  • Reach: 71.5 in.
  • Record: 22-6-0
  • Striking Accuracy: 50%
  • Betting Odds: +175

Chandler is a powerhouse with high-level wrestling and a right hand that could put anyone’s lights out. Chandler is a former Bellator champion who signed with the UFC as a free agent last year. He showed he is ready for this level with the brutal knockout in his UFC debut. He has one-shot knockout power and will come out pushing the pace with blitzing fury. Chandler has 10 wins via knockout, seven via submission and five via decision. That said, Chandler has been knocked out four times in his career. Chandler should come out with fury and hunt the early knockout. However, if Chandler makes one mistake, Gaethje’s power will put his lights out.

The lean on DraftKings and FanDuel is Gaethje. However, Gaethje will have a more reliable chin and land the more powerful shots when these two stand toe-to-toe. For DFS,  have both sides of this fight due to knockout upside, with Gaethje being owned around 80% for MME.

UFC DFS Pick: Justin Gaethje via Second-Round KO/TKO.

Rose Namajunas $8,800 vs. Weili Zhang $7,400

Rose Namajunas

  • Age: 29
  • Height: 5-foot-4
  • Weight: 115 lbs.
  • Reach: 65 in.
  • Record: 11-4-0
  • Striking Accuracy: 40%
  • Betting Odds: +100

Namajunas is now the two-time strawweight champion after knocking out Zhang with a head kick just one minute into UFC 261. She is a well-rounded fighter with excellent footwork and solid boxing skills. Namajunas has an extremely dangerous submission game. She has two wins via knockout, five wins via submission and three wins via decision. Namajunas will be the more skilled boxer and has the better ground attack, which makes her live for a submission if this fight hits the mat. Although, taking Zhang to the mat will be a huge task for Namajunas.

Weili Zhang

  • Age: 32
  • Height: 5-foot-2
  • Weight: 115 lbs.
  • Reach: 63 in.
  • Record: 21-2-0
  • Striking Accuracy: 45%
  • Betting Odds: -120

Zhang brings relentless pressure and huge power inside the Octagon. She is a brutal striker who hits with a lot of power. Namajunas’ boxing and solid counterstriking could cause Zhang some problems. Although, Zhang should have the power edge in this fight. Namajunas has showed in past bouts that she does have the ability to handle big power. Zhang has 10 wins via knockout, seven wins via submission and four wins via submission. To prepare for this title fight, Zhang has been training with former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo. Zhang will be motivated to make a statement after her devastating loss in their first meeting.

The lean on DraftKings and FanDuel is Namajunas. However, this is a highly anticipated fight, and it will be interesting to see which one of these dangerous strikers leaves the Octagon as the winner. For DFS, both sides of this fight are playable, but Namajunas should be the superior fighter here.

UFC DFS Pick: Rose Namajunas via Third-Round KO/TKO.


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Kamaru Usman $9,000 vs. Colby Covington $7,200

Kamaru Usman

  • Age: 34
  • Height: 6-foot-0
  • Weight: 170 lbs.
  • Reach: 76 in.
  • Record: 19-1-0
  • Striking Accuracy: 54%
  • Betting Odds: -350

Usman is riding a 19-fight winning streak. He is coming into this matchup fresh off a knockout against Jorge Masvidal. Usman’s standup game has continued to evolve fight after fight. He had only finished two of his first ten UFC opponents. Usman now has finished three of his last four, including Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal. Usman is a takedown artist and will smother his opponents when he gets top control. He is a phenomenal athlete who can bully his opponents and break their will entirely. Usman has nine wins via knockout, one via submission and nine via decision. Usman will bring heavy pressure and look to break Covington’s will early while testing his chin often.

Colby Covington

  • Age: 33
  • Height: 5-foot-9
  • Weight: 170 lbs.
  • Reach: 72 in.
  • Record: 16-2-0
  • Striking Accuracy: 38%
  • Betting Odds: +260

Covington will be looking to change some things up in this meeting. In their first bout, Covington stood strong in the battle until he got wobbled and stopped in the fifth round. His strategy is using the underhook to his advantage. It gives him the ability to change level and attack the lower body. Covington’s striking is on point, as he showed in the first meeting against Usman when he landed almost 600 strikes in five rounds. His best shot in this fight will be avoiding Usman’s jab and rely on his kicking attack to break Usman.

The lean on DraftKings and FanDuel is Usman. However, this should be a dog fight. Both fighters are equally matched in their skills. This is a stackable fight for cash games.

UFC DFS Pick: Kamaru Usman via Fourth-Round KO/TKO.

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