We get a makeshift main event this Saturday at UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs Blanchfield (aka UFC Vegas 69), but it may be an even more intriguing matchup than the original. Young grappling wizard Erin Blanchfield goes up against former champion Jessica Andrade in a women’s flyweight bout at the top of the card. But the rest of the lineup? Blech. To make things interesting, I’ve put together a winning UFC Vegas 69 DraftKings lineup. If we’ve got to watch this event, we may as well make some money.
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UFC Vegas 69 DraftKings Picks, Fantasy UFC
Clayton Carpenter – $9,300
It’s not often my top pickup is a debuting fighter, but Clayton Carpenter is much better than Juancamilo Ronderos in this flyweight fight which is opening up Saturday’s card. Carpenter impressed on the last season of Dana White’s Contender Series, is a perfect 6-0 as a pro, has a way better resume than Ronderos, and is bigger and younger. And he hasn’t failed a drug test for cocaine.
Zac Pauga – $9,200
Zac Pauga might have lost his UFC debut, but that was at heavyweight, and he was dominating the fight until he got caught. Now down at a more natural light heavyweight, he should have no problem with Jordan Wright. ‘The Beverly Hills Ninja’ has been finished in three straight fights, so the opportunity for a big fantasy point night is there for our boy Zac.
Nazim Sadykhov – $8,600
We’ve got a lot of ‘deep cuts’ on this week’s lineup, but it’s not exactly a star-studded fight card. Nazim Sadykhov, like Carpenter, is another fighter making his UFC debut on Saturday after impressing on DWCS. He’s won seven straight fights – four straight via finish – and is just plain better than this week’s opponent, Evan Elder.
Jamall Emmers – $7,900
Underdog time. Jamall Emmers is slept on a bit since his UFC record is only 1-2 (1-3 if you count his DWCS fight), but he’s had a very tough “strength of schedule”. Much tougher than his opponent on Saturday, Khusein Askhabov, who has fought in smaller promotions his whole career and hasn’t seen any action in three years. Emmers is worth a roll of the dice here.
Erin Blanchfield – $7,700
Getting one half of the main event, Erin Blanchfield, for only $7,700 is a steal. She’s averaging 114.9 fantasy points per fight, including 124 in her last fight. She’s earned between 95 and 126 points in all four of her UFC fights. Yes, Jessica Andrade is the toughest test she’s faced in her young career, but Andrade is taking this fight on about a week’s notice, will probably have a tough weight cut, and showed up for press today with a wrap on her hand. Hmm.
Jim Miller – $7,300
Getting Jim Miller for $7,300 is also a steal. I don’t care if he’s turning 40 this year and has been in the UFC since 2008. He also has finished three straight opponents, and isn’t just catching people with submissions now – he’s knocked out two of those three. Alexander Hernandez is nothing special, and I think Miller can handle him on the feet or on the ground on Saturday.
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