Dana White's Contender Series
Dana White's Contender Series Picks: Season 9, Week 3 | DraftKings Sportsbook
Tim Finnegan of DraftKings Breaks Down This Week’s Episode Of Dana White’s Contender Series
Season 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series continued last week at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, and five fighters earned a UFC contract: Ramiro Jimenez, Cam Rowston, Louis Lee Scott, Jose Delano, and Josh Hokit. Hokit went viral on social media after his win by cutting a personality-filled promo and putting the UFC heavyweight division on notice. Hokit has the skills and personality to develop into a future star in the heavyweight division.
A DraftKings Sportsbook bettor cashed in during last week's event, turning $700 into over $5,000 with a five-leg Dana White’s Contender Series Parlay Bet featuring the following picks:
- Ramiro Jimenez -3.5 Point Spread
- Josh Hokit vs. Guilherme Uriel under 1.5 Total Rounds
- Louis Lee Scott -3.5 Point Spread
- Cam Rowston Moneyline
- Jose Delano -3.5 Point Spread
As a result of all of these outcomes hitting in the Parlay Bet, the DWCS bettor took home $5,754.20.
Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series airs on Tuesday, August 26 at 8:00 pm ET on ESPN+. This week features a light heavyweight bout between rising prospect Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev and Alik Lorenz.
Dana White’s Contender Series Odds: Week 3
- Trent Miller (+295) vs. Ryan Gandra (-375)
- Cristian Perez (+230) vs. Manoel Sousa (-285)
- Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev (-950) vs. Alik Lorenz (+625)
- Damon Wilson (+300) vs. Marcio Barbosa (-380)
- Donte Johnson (-258) vs. Darion Abbey (+210)
Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app or check out Dana White’s Contender Series Odds Page!
Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev vs. Alik Lorenz
Yakhyaev is the light heavyweight champion in ARES Fighting Championship, a major MMA promotion based in France. Yakhyaev has a lot of strengths in his game that immediately jump out. Yakhyaev is a strong grappler and has displayed an excellent clinch and body lock, where he is able to control opponents and drag them to the ground from the clinch. Having strong upper-body takedowns is appealing for MMA because there is less risk of being countered with an uppercut or a knee, which can be an issue when fighters change levels and shoot for takedowns on the legs. This becomes even more notable at the heavier weight classes, where fighters have more mass and power behind their strikes. Yakhyaev is also good at changing levels, attacking the legs and finishing lower-body takedowns, and he is able to gain clean entries on lower-body takedowns by transitioning from the clinch to the legs to reduce the risk of being countered on the entry.
How To Watch Season 2 Of Dana White's Contender Series In Your Country
Given his strong clinch game, Yakhyaev is good at fighting in a close-range fight, which allows him to blend close-range striking directly into takedown attempts, keeping opponents off balance and guessing. Having a strong clinch also gives him a different option if he isn’t finding success with distance striking. Yakhyaev’s distance striking is still developing and he has been hit cleanly in fights, but his chin has been excellent and he’s absorbed many of these strikes without being significantly impacted. Yakhyaev has finishing skills when the fight gets to the ground and has finished five of his six pro MMA fights, including winning his most recent two fights by choke.
Yakhyaev enters this bout as a massive -950 favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook against Lorenz and is widely expected to win this fight. Look for Yakhyaev to drag this fight to the ground and finish Lorenz on the mat with a submission to secure a UFC contract, where he will instantly become an exciting prospect in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
Prediction: Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev to win by submission
Read about UFC Point Spread betting at DraftKings Network: How to Bet UFC Point Spreads on DraftKings Sportsbook
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.