Cooper Albers breaks down his DraftKings Pick6 selections for UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs. Prates
Top-ranked welterweights take it to the Outback Saturday night, as Australia’s own Jack Della Maddalena faces Brazilian Carlos Prates in the main event of UFC Perth.
The odds are dead-even on DraftKings Sportsbook, with both contenders sitting at -110 on the moneyline.
Along with traditional sports betting and daily fantasy, you can now have more action than ever for UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs. Prates. Check out DraftKings UFC Pick6 for my favorite picks for Saturday’s UFC event.
Brazilian Carlos Prates (23–7) rarely needs more than 56.5 significant strikes to end a fight. He’s fallen below that total in six of his seven UFC bouts — all of which ended in a knockout. However, the 32-year-old Fighting Nerds member was unable to finish fellow top-ranked contender Ian Machado Garry, who walked through 63 significant strikes en route to a unanimous decision win in April 2025.
Saturday night’s main event will likely follow a similar, drawn-out script, with Prates pitted against former welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena (18–3). The durable Aussie, 29, hasn’t been knocked out since his professional debut in 2016. Over the last few years, Della Maddalena chewed up and spat out more than 120 significant strikes from the likes of Kevin Holland (127) and Belal Muhammad (132).
Veteran lightweight Beneil Dariush (23–7–1) has hobbled toward the finish line of his UFC career. While still a decorated jiu-jitsu specialist, the 36-year-old American has become increasingly vulnerable to rapid strikers. Dariush has lost three of his last four bouts, all by first-round knockout.
Enter surging prospect — and hometown favorite — Quillan Salkilld (11–1). The former Dana White’s Contender Series standout, 26, has looked right at home inside the Octagon, breezing to a 4–0 mark with a pair of first-round knockouts. Expect Salkilld to test his opponent’s eroded chin — and pass with flying colors.
Australian flyweight Steve Erceg (13–4) enters Saturday night with a golden opportunity to record back-to-back wins, taking on grizzled veteran Tim Elliott (22–13–1). The American southpaw, 39, is known for his relentless grappling and thrives in chaotic scrambles. That type of strategy should get neutralized by the 30-year-old Erceg, who boasts calculated striking, sound takedown defense, and a notable size advantage.
Expect “Astroboy” to control the tempo and assert himself on the feet, but don’t necessarily count on a finish. Erceg’s measured approach has produced just one stoppage inside the Octagon — a flash knockout of Matt Schnell back in March 2024.
Shamil Gaziev (14–2) is coming off a first-round knockout at the hands of Waldo Cortes-Acosta in November. At 36, the Bahraini heavyweight would be wise to mix some grappling against fellow stoppage artist Brando Pericic (6–1). The 31-year-old Australian owns a 100% career finish rate and has won his first two UFC fights by knockout in under two minutes.
Gaziev has eclipsed 1:30 control time in three of his first five trips to the Octagon. Facing Don’Tale Mayes in August 2024, he landed a pair of takedowns for a whopping 11:58 of control on his way to a 30–27 consensus.
There’s a strong likelihood that fan-favorite Tai Tuivasa (15–9) is fighting for his UFC future on Saturday. “Bam Bam,” 33, has dropped six straight bouts since September 2022. Still, he’s well-positioned to bounce back — facing an extremely favorable opponent in his own backyard.
English heavyweight Louie Sutherland (10–5) remains winless inside the Octagon, losing his first two fights by first-round stoppage. Tuivasa should lean on his near-decade worth of UFC experience and score his 15th career knockout over the novice contender.
The Octagon has not been kind to Junior Tafa (6–5). The former kickboxer, 29, has gone a disastrous 2–5 since joining the UFC in April 2023. Making matters worse, he’s winless in two bouts since dropping to light heavyweight. Both defeats came by second-round submission and yielded no more than 25.4 fantasy points.
It seems increasingly far-fetched that the Australian turns things around against Brazil’s Kevin Christian (9–3). Despite coming off a loss in his UFC debut in November, the 31-year-old striker boasts a 100% finish rate and a towering size advantage.
Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of 2+ players and select whether or not you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Enter your Pick Set in Pick6 contests to compete against other users. Get enough picks correct and win a share of cash prizes.
Create a Pick Set by choosing 2+ players from the same sport and Pick Group (a set of picks available from a group of set competitions). For each player, simply select if you think they’ll have more or less than their listed stat projection. In each Pick Set, you can not pick the same player twice, and you must pick players from at least two different teams.
Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.
When the games go live, use the My Picks tab to follow your picks in real time to track how your players are performing against their projections and how they stack up against other users.
Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ guaranteed prizes. Any prizes won will be credited to your DraftKings account after contests are finalized.
Play at DraftKings Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Must be at least 18 years or older. Higher age limits may apply in some states. Eligibility restrictions apply. Valid only in states where DraftKings Pick6 operates. Void where prohibited. For entertainment purposes only. Winning a contest on DraftKings depends on knowledge and exercise of skill. See terms at pick6.draftkings.com.
此内容由惯性聚合(RSS阅读器)自动聚合整理，仅供阅读参考。 原文来自 — 版权归原作者所有。