Once again, we managed to hit on three optimal fights last week. Unfortunately I was on the wrong side of one of them (Beneil Dariush) which obviously hurt. The quest for three optimal and three winners continues this week though. This slate is actually very promising in my opinion, but admittedly I like it better for DraftKings than I do for FanDuel.

This week we have UFC Vegas 75 which is being headlined by a middleweight matchup with Marvin Vettori versus Jared Cannonier to see who gets to lose to Adesanya again in the near future. There are at least three or four really exciting fights on the undercard as well, which in my book makes this slate on par with a lackluster pay-per-view.

Below you will see my recommended fights to target on the FanDuel slate for UFC Vegas 75. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to tweet @WeWantPicks on Twitter and they will definitely get back to you ASAP. 

FIGHT #1 TO TARGET (-550 FDNGTD)

MANUEL TORRES ($17) vs. NIKOLAS MOTTA ($14)

When it comes to virtually guaranteed violence, no fight on the slate measures up to Manuel Torres versus Nikolas Motta. Both of these guys are going to be more than willing to stand and engage, which is surely going to be a treat for the fans.

Manuel Torres is a dynamic striker with plenty of power, but also one that possess a very impressive grappling game as well. Torres likes to march forward and let loose, and when he connects the person he hit seems to feel it more often than not. Torres is a bit green in the UFC but his future is bright. Exciting fighters are always in demand.

Nikolas Motta has two official fights himself in the UFC and both have been pretty exciting. Motta has proven to be a very solid counter puncher, and cemented that opinion with a dominate win over Cameron VanCamp from left hook damage. While his numbers don’t show it, I would also have a hard time believing that a Brazillian is not at least capable in the grappling department as well.

For me, I think Motta is getting way too much love when we really only have his performance against VanCamp weighing heavily in his favor. So I will be heavily on the Torres side of this one, but I can completely understand if you chose to save the money and ride out with Motta. Either way this fight goes, it is almost surely going to be exciting with a great fantasy score.

FIGHT #2 TO TARGET (-400 FDNGTD)

ARMAN TSARUKYAN ($23) vs. JOAQUIM SILVA ($8)

I must admit, I feel a bit ridiculous even writing this fight up. This has got to be one of the biggest steps down in competition for a fighter in the history of the UFC. Arman Tsarukyan has fought Islam, Gamrot, and Ismagulov prior to this fight against….Joaquim Silva. I hate to disparage Silva because any level UFC fighter is one badass fighter, but man this shouldn’t be a fight in my opinion. 

Arman Tsarukyan is one of the more skilled fighters in his division, currently ranked number 8 on the contender list, and should surely be contending for a title shot at some point in the near future. Unfortunately for him the top of lightweight is clogged with really good fighters that are never going to volunteer to give up their potential next title shot by risking their status on a dangerous guy like Arman. Arman’s wresling and grappling is next level, probably close to the same level of Islam, and seems to be a very capable striker as well.

Joaquim Silva is a middle of the road striker who has a few exciting victories on his UFC record, but also has some embarrassing loses as well. This loss won’t be embarrassing, but it will almost surely be a loss. I am not even going to bother going over what Silva does well, because Arman does it better anyway. Silva needs a prayer.

This should be pretty clear cut for anyone playing this fight, take Arman, don’t even think about it. The one thing that I think could have some merit in large tournaments is to pivot from Arman to someone like Bleda or Costa, and then hope for a slow boring fight from Arman. The contrarian angle is risky, but if it works out you would separate yourself from what will surely be very high ownership on Tsarukyan.

FIGHT #3 TO TARGET (-225 FDNGTD)

ALESSANDRO COSTA ($21) vs. JIMMY FLICK ($9)

This fight is interesting because Costa is getting loads and loads of love on the betting line and fantasy salaries. Speculations have been made that this is recency bias for Flick’s poor performance against Charles Johnson, but no one seems to be talking about how recency bias should be negatively affecting Costa’s price from his loss to Albazi.

Certainly Costa has the power to knockout anyone standing in front of him, but I think there is something to be said for Flick here as well. Exposure to both sides is the move in my opinion, but if I had to just take one, I would probably punt with Flick and hope that he only looked flat last time out due to cage rust.

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, make sure to 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.