UFC Singapore left us with two wins and a loss in terms of the picks in this article, but Nakamura was an extreme let down, so it was more on the bad side than the good in my opinion. Ryan Spann should have won his fight had he exerted himself in the second or at least fought with any sense of urgency in the third, but he didn’t and then lost a split decision. For UFC Paris I debated not even writing this article because the fight just don’t excite me, but I like when Angelo pays me – so here we are.

Once again with one of the international events we will be seeing plenty of local talent that is being called up from the regional scene, but unfortunately for UFC Paris, much of the card is making their UFC debut and that just doesn’t move the needle except for the French people that want to support their fighters. There are a couple fights that should produce fireworks though, so let’s dive into them.

Below you will see my recommended fights to target on the FanDuel slate for UFC Paris. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to tweet @WeWantPicks on Twitter and they will get back to you ASAP. 

FIGHT #1 TO TARGET (-500 FDNGTD)

VOLKAN OEZDEMIR ($18) vs. BOGDAN GUSKOV ($11)

This fight is actually only the second most likely fight to finish on the slate, but I believe that this one has a much higher ceiling than the one that has the more favored line when it comes to their fantasy scoring potential on FanDuel. On one side of this fight we have UFC veteran Volkan Oezdemir who has been kicking around the UFC for quite some time now, and on the other side we have UFC newcomer Bogdan Guskov making his debut in the promotion.

Volkan Oezdemir is a well rounded fighter that leans more towards the striking side of things, but has shown a somewhat questionable chin through periods of his time in the UFC. He possesses the skills to wrestle a bit as well, but rarely uses that skill set, instead opting to fight a much more upright type of fight. 

Standing across the cage is a UFC debutant that appears to be packing quite a bit of power. Guskov also has the ability to achieve takedowns against the cage and maintain top control once he secures it. The only true question here on the Guskov side is how his regional wins will stack up once the level of competition is raised to someone of the caliber of Volkan Oezdemir.

I really don’t have a position on this fight myself, its a coin flip in my opinion. That generally means that I would think the better value is the dog side, but when it comes to this one I would base nearly any decision I made on ownership. For smaller contests I will ride with the more popular fighter and for larger contests I would take my chances on the lessor owned fighter.

FIGHT #2 TO TARGET (-550 FDGTD)

CIRYL GANE ($21) vs. SERGHEI SPIVAC ($17)

This is the main event for UFC Paris and features two very well known prospects at heavyweight. On the favorite side we have France’s own Ciryl Gane and standing across from him is Serghei Spivac who has been making a nice little push in the division.

Many people are off of the Ciryl Gane train, and I get it. After seeing the poor performance against Francis Ngannou followed up by the one punch attempt effort against Jon Jones it is hard to see Gane getting the win here for many. Personally, I am not ready to abandon Gane just yet though. Prior to those two very dismal performances, Gane was able to surgically destroy three very heavy handed heavyweights. It is worth noting that those were striking matches where Gane excels though, and his losses were due to poor wrestling defense, which is where this opponent is very strong.

Serghei Spivac has come in and dismantled his last three opponents while compiling 12 takedowns total in those fights. Those strikers were nowhere near the caliber of Ciryl Gane though, and the last time he fought one of a similar level he was flatlined for his only loss out of his last seven fights. This gives me just enough pause to resist saying that Spivac should be the favorite here.

All things considered, I am still riding for Ciryl Gane. I think he will be able to use his footwork and striking advantage to keep Spivac off of him, or at least delay him long enough to get into an area of the fight where he may no longer have the tank to be a dominant grappler. Of course it could easily go the other way and Spivac treats him much the same as he has his last handful of opponents. Whoever wins this one is going to look like they should have been a massive favorite here as I don’t see a world where this fight is close.

FIGHT #3 TO TARGET (-165 FDNGTD)

BENOIT SAINT-DENIS ($16) vs. THIAGO MOISES ($14)

This is one of my favorite fights on the slate. On one side you have someone who has produced massively entertaining fights for the fans including finishing a massive favorite his last time out and making it look easy. On the other side you have one of the more technically sound fighters in all of the UFC in my opinion in Thiago Moises. Moises is only limited by his lackluster athleticism and somewhat low volume.

I am very down the middle on this fight as well, which by now seems to be the theme for this slate, but I could see this fight ending via submission in either direction. If my arm was being twisted to make a selection I would choose Moises as I think he is a big step up for Benoit Saint-Denis.

GOOD LUCK THIS WEEKEND

Good look to all heading into this event. If you are watching it at home, follow along with @WeWantPicks on YouTube for live bets on the fight companion. Also, tweet your winning lineups at us and we will do our best to recognize your greatness. 

Enjoy the event, and make sure to keep it locked on We Want Picks for tons of great MMA content.