UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Daukaus Betting Preview & Best Bets

We were treated to a night of wild knockouts, submissions, and most importantly, profits last week in London. Now we head to Colombus, Ohio for a fight card that doesn't offer the blaring value and superstar names we've had the last few weeks but there are plenty of opportunities for another profitable Saturday. Let's dive in.

UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Daukaus Best Bets

Bryan Barberena (-108, FanDuel) Over Matt Brown

Banger alert. When I think of Bryan Barberena and Matt Brown, I think of one thing; two for one. What this means is that both men are fine taking two shots to get their one. Matt Brown is an old-school UFC fighter where strategy didn't exist and these guys just beat the living hell out of each other until one went to sleep. At the age of 41, having retired multiple times, Brown might not be able to keep that same pace these days. He has the chops on the ground to take Barberena down and drag this one out but I fully expect him to go out with the true Matt Brown style of "you punch, I punch".

Bryan Barberena, like Brown, is much better than his record shows at 16-8 but they just love wars and that doesn't typically translate well once you face elite competition. Barberena averages 5.44 strikes per 15 minutes while absorbing 4.77 per 15, so the data tells you everything about his fighting style. He beats who he should and loses to who he needs to beat to advance in his career. He's a journeyman at this point looking to add a nice name to his resume and it will come in true Barberena fashion. At this stage of the game, I just can't see Brown keeping up the pace that they both love against a much more durable Barberena. Buckle up.

Risk: 1.08 units on FanDuel to win 1 unit.

Viacheslav Borshchev (-145, DraftKings) Over Marc Diakiese

Marc Diakiese can be a very frustrating fighter to watch. He has a slick ground game in his back pocket, he just refuses to use it. With a 14-6 record, he's lost five of his last seven fights, and it's almost as if he thinks he's above improving his overall game and implementing more than striking. Diakiese has faced some very solid competition over this time with a chance to switch things up. However, when he fought Rafael Fiziev two fights ago, who is as pure a striker as it gets and was fine with a fire-fight, I knew he was lost.

Viacheslav Borshchev enters with a 6-1 record with four straight wins by TKO. This is just his second fight in the UFC but he packs a very powerful punch and should understand Diakiese doesn't go to the ground. Without the threat of a takedown, it allows a fighter to solely focus on one aspect of his opponent's game and with that, Borshchev holds an advantage. If Diakiese opened up with a takedown or even a faint of one, it would then force Borshchev to defend both levels and you have to pull back on your aggressiveness and striking. However, I don't believe Diakiese starts the fight with that gameplan based on recent matchups and Borshchev brings too much heat in his stand-up to contend with.

Risk: 1.45 units on DraftKings to win 1 unit.

Aliaskhab Khizriev to Win by Submission (-120, Draftkings)

Not much to dig into on this one. Aliaskhab "The Black Wolf" Khizriev debuts in the UFC with a perfect 13-0 pro record. He's plowed right through some tough competition at the lower level with smothering grappling and serviceable striking. Fairly often you see the UFC just feed a touted prospect their first fight to get their feet wet and this fight certainly has that feel.

Denis Tiuliulin steps in on short notice, sporting a 10-5 record. Tiuliulin has five wins by knockout but his level of competition is bottom level and his grappling knowledge is near zero. Tiuliulin is the bigger fighter but there is a huge talent gap here and the clear path of victory for Khizriev is grappling. He uses a ton of ground and pound once he gets it there but I ultimately think the wild style of Tiuliulin will open up an arm or neck for Khizriev to grab and end this one early.

Risk: 1.2 units on DraftKings to win 1.

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