This article is part of our Drake's Takes series.
Stephanie Egger (7-3-0) v. Ailin Perez (7-1-0)
Stephanie Egger - Height: 5'6" - Reach: 78" - Orthodox
~ Low volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 6 finishes in 7 wins
Ailin Perez - Height: 5'5" - Reach: N/A – Switch
~ Moderate volume
~ Decent wrestling/grappling
~ 5 finishes in 7 wins
DFS Perspective: Perez is making her debut and could surprise if she can keep the fight upright. Egger is taking this fight on short notice and will have a considerable advantage on the mat. She has fought far better competition, and I expect her to get this down early and either control or snare a sub. Perez makes for an extreme dart throw for GPP contests with her finishing ability, but Egger should take this.
UFC Paris Pick: Egger
Khalid Taha (13-4-0, 1NC) v. Cristian Quinonez (17-3-0)
Khalid Taha - Height: 5'5" - Reach: 69" - Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Minimal wrestling/grappling
~ 11 finishes in 13 wins
Cristian Quinonez - Height: 5'7" - Reach: 70" – Orthodox
~ High volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 12 finishes in 17 wins
DFS Perspective: Taha should have the advantage in power and could record a knockout at any time. Quinonez is making his debut after a strong win on the DWCS. He will hold an edge in volume and would likely dominate if he takes it to the mat. I worry about his cardio the longer the fight goes on, but he makes a solid punt play for cash and GPP contests and is my pick to win.
UFC Paris Pick: Quinonez
Benoit Saint-Denis (9-1-0, 1NC) v. Gabriel Miranda (16-5-0)
Benoit Saint-Denis - Height: 5'11" - Reach: 73" - Southpaw
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 9 finishes in 9 wins
Gabriel Miranda - Height: 5'11" - Reach: N/A – Orthodox
~ Low volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 16 finishes in 16 wins
DFS Perspective: I expect this fight to primarily take place on the mat with Saint-Denis working takedowns and keeping control. Miranda is making his debut on short notice and will not offer much outside a hail-mary submission. Saint-Denis should make quick work of the debuting fighter and is one of the safer cash plays on the slate.
UFC Paris Pick: Saint-Denis
Nassourdine Imavov (11-3-0) v. Joaquin Buckley (15-4-0)
Nassourdine Imavov - Height: 6'3" - Reach: 75" - Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus grappling
~ 9 finishes in 11 wins
Joaquin Buckley - Height: 5'10" - Reach: 76" – Southpaw
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling
~ 11 finishes in 15 wins
DFS Perspective: Imavov makes his way back to the Octagon with another step up in competition in Buckley. If Imavov uses his wrestling and controls on the mat, I expect he cruises to a decision win. However, if this fight stays on the feet, I expect Buckley to find another early knockout. Imavov has shown a tendency to want to strike, and I think that is bad news for him, making Buckley a solid play for cash and GPP contests.
UFC Paris Pick: Buckley
Fares Ziam (12-4-0) v. Michal Figlak (8-0-0)
Fares Ziam - Height: 6'1" - Reach: 75" - Orthodox
~ Low volume
~ Minimal wrestling/grappling
~ 9 finishes in 12 wins
Michal Figlak - Height: 5'10" - Reach: N/A – Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Minimal wrestling/grappling
~ 4 finishes in 8 wins
DFS Perspective: We have yet to see the best version of Ziam, and if he does not figure it out soon, he will be facing the chopping block. That said, I expect him to have the advantage with technical striking and keep this fight at range. Figlak is making his debut after a successful run on Cage Warriors. He has solid striking but does not offer much outside of volume. I think the step up in competition will be too much for Figlak, and I expect Ziam to win a slow-paced decision.
UFC Paris Pick: Ziam
Abus Magomedov (24-4-1) v. Dustin Stoltzfus (14-4-0)
Abusupiyan Magomedov - Height: 6'2" - Reach: 78" - Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 19 finishes in 24 wins
Dustin Stoltzfus - Height: 6'0" - Reach: 75" – Orthodox
~ Low volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 7 finishes in 14 wins
DFS Perspective: Magomedov is making his UFC debut after successful runs in multiple other promotions. He gets a big step up in competition against a well-rounded Stoltzfus and will need to use all of his tools to take this. Stoltzfus earned a much-needed win in July and is back, looking to continue moving forward. He would be wise to initiate takedowns and work for control before Magomedov finds it. Magomedov can finish the fight anywhere and makes a solid play for cash and GPP. However, Stolzfus has fought the better competition, which could make this difficult for the newcomer.
UFC Paris Pick: Magomedov
Charles Jourdain (13-5-1) v. Nathaniel Wood (18-5-0)
Charles Jourdain - Height: 5'9" - Reach: 69" - Switch
~ High volume
~ Minimal wrestling/grappling
~ 12 finishes in 13 wins
Nathaniel Wood - Height: 5'6" - Reach: 69" – Orthodox
~ High volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 14 finishes in 18 wins
DFS Perspective: Potential Fight of the Night in what should be a high-paced striking affair. Jourdain is one of the toughest fighters in the UFC and loves to turn everything into a brawl with power and volume. Wood throws with volume and power but also has an impressive ground game. It will be his second UFC fight at featherweight, so his wrestling is still a bit of a question mark. This should be a banger and could go either way. I would use them for GPP unless you feel strongly about one of them.
UFC Paris Pick: Wood
John Makdessi (18-7-0) v. Nasrat Haqparast (13-5-0)
John Makdessi - Height: 5'8" - Reach: 68" - Orthodox
~ High volume
~ Minimal wrestling/grappling
~ 9 finishes in 18 wins
Nasrat Haqparast - Height: 5'10" - Reach: 72" – Southpaw
~ High volume
~ Minimal wrestling/grappling
~ 9 finishes in 13 wins
DFS Perspective: If Makdessi comes out striking like his last fight a year and a half ago, I expect him to win a volume-based decision. Though he is 37, he has won four of the last five and looked to still have plenty left in the tank. On the other hand, Haqparast has lost two in a row and has looked as dull as ever in his last four fights. He will have the reach advantage, but if Makdessi applies forward pressure and stays in the pocket, I do not think it will matter. This fight is likely headed for a low-scoring decision and is best left for GPP contests.
UFC Paris Pick: Makdessi
Alessio Di Chirico (13-6-0) v. Roman Kopylov (8-2-0)
Alessio Di Chirico - Height: 6'0" - Reach: 74" - Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 10 finishes in 13 wins
Roman Kopylov - Height: 6'0" - Reach: 75" – Southpaw
~ Low volume
~ Plus wrestling
~ 7 finishes in 8 wins
DFS Perspective: I see this fight going one of two ways. Both guys hit the ground running, throwing volume and power until someone goes down, or they play it a little safer, and we get a boring decision. I will side with the former and expect someone to go down early. Di Chirico has struggled with lefties in the past, so I have a slight lean towards Kopylov. It is a 50-50 fight, and either guy could pull this off.
UFC Paris Pick: Kopylov
Robert Whittaker (24-6-0) v. Marvin Vettori (18-5-1)
Robert Whittaker - Height: 6'0" - Reach: 73" - Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling
~ 14 finishes in 23 wins
Marvin Vettori - Height: 6'0" - Reach: 74" – Southpaw
~ High volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 11 finishes in 18 wins
DFS Perspective: Whittaker should have the striking and takedown defense to make this fight a nightmare for Vettori. He is better technically, faster and excellent against southpaws. Vettori has much-improved striking, but it is not on the level of Whittaker, nor does he have the power to knock him out. If he manages to find success with takedowns and control, he could surprise, but I do not see it happening. Whittaker is safe for cash and GPP contests.
UFC Paris Pick: Whittaker
Ciryl Gane (10-1-0) v. Tai Tuivasa (15-3-0)
Ciryl Gane - Height: 6'4" - Reach: 81" - Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 7 finishes in 10 wins
Tai Tuivasa - Height: 6'2" - Reach: 75" – Southpaw
~ Moderate volume
~ Minimal wrestling/grappling
~ 13 finishes in 14 wins
DFS Perspective: Gane will have the advantage everywhere outside of power. For him, it will be that easy. As long as he avoids the massive power or Tuivasa, he wins easily. Tuivasa has surprised during his rise to this point, and his path to victory will come from enticing Gane into a brawl. Gane has an extremely high fight IQ and will not take the bait. I expect him to finish Tuivasa after he tires out eventually. Gane is expensive but safe for cash and GPP.
UFC Paris Pick: Gane
For more MMA DFS-specific content, check out our DraftKings MMA preview, or play around with your favorite combinations of fighters on our DFS MMA Lineup Optimizer.
FANDUEL MMA SCORING
Moves Scoring
Significant Strikes = 0.6 pts
Takedown = 6 pts
Takedown Defense = 3 pts
Knockdown = 12 pts
Submission Attempt = 5 pts
Fight Conclusion Bonuses
1st Round Win = 100 pts
2nd Round Win = 75 pts
3rd Round Win = 50 pts
4th Round Win = 35 pts
5th Round Win = 25 pts
Decision Win = 20 pts
Scoring Notes
- Significant Strikes are distance strikes or clinch/ground strikes that are considered "power strikes" by official scorers.
- A knockdown is awarded to a fighter who knocks his/her opponent down due to debilitation for what the official scorers consider a substantial time.
DRAFTKINGS MMA SCORING
Moves Scoring
Strikes: +0.2 pts
Significant Strikes (SS): +0.2 pts
Control Time: +0.03 pts/Second
Takedown (TD): +5 pts
Reversal/Sweep (REV): +5 pts
Knockdown (KD): +10 pts
Fight Conclusion Bonuses
1st Round Win (1rW+): +90 pts
2nd Round Win (2rW+): +70 pts
3rd Round Win (3rW+): +45 pts
4th Round Win (4rW+): +40 pts
5th Round Win (5rW+): +40 pts
Decision Win (WBD+): +30 pts
Quick Win Bonus: +25 pts
(fight is finished in 60 seconds or less)
Scoring Notes
- Significant Strikes are any distance strikes or clinch/ground strikes that are considered "power strikes" by official scorers.
- A Significant Strike will count as both a strike and a significant strike and will be worth a total of 0.4 pts.
- Control Time is the time spent in the dominant position on the ground or in the clinch. +0.03 points are awarded per second.
- A Knockdown is awarded to a fighter who knocks his/her opponent down due to debilitation for what the official scorers consider an appreciable time.
- A Quick Win Bonus is awarded to the winning fighter if they win in the first round in 60 seconds or less.
