Dana White's Contender Series
Dana White’s Contender Series Picks: Week 9 | DraftKings Sportsbook
Tim Finnegan Of DraftKings Breaks Down This Week’s Episode Of Dana White’s Contender Series
Season 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series continued last week at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, and five fighters earned a UFC contract: Jacobe Smith, Torrez Finney, David Martinez, Alberto Montes, and Diyar Nurgozhay. The week was highlighted by Nurgozhay's second-round head-kick knockout of Bartosz Szewczyk. Nurgozhay set up the head kick with a classic southpaw double-attack: initially showing a rear-left straight, which provoked Szewczyk to duck into the open side and into the power of the kick.
A DraftKings Sportsbook bettor cashed in during last week's episode, turning $25 into approximately $2,500 with a four-leg Dana White’s Contender Series Parlay Bet featuring the following picks:
- Jacobe Smith To Win By KO/TKO/DQ in Round 2
- David Martinez To Win By Decision
- Alberto Montes To Win And Over 1.5 Rounds
- Diyar Nurgozhay To Win And Over 1.5 Rounds
As a result of all of these outcomes hitting in the Parlay Bet, the DWCS bettor took home $2,492.32.
Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series airs on Tuesday, October 8 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+. This week features the DWCS debut of former GLORY kickboxing champion Artem Vakhitov.
Your #DWCS Week 9 fight card is locked!
— UFC News (@UFCNews) October 7, 2024
The fighters have all weighed in and are ready to collect those UFC contracts on Dana White's Contender Series!
Action begins Tuesday at 8pm ET / 5pm PT
Official Weights: https://t.co/hvnhRzIabe
How To Watch: https://t.co/eTsP3tY73u
Dana White’s Contender Series Odds
- Artem Vakhitov (-580) vs. Islem Masraf (+380)
- Chasen Blair (+190) vs. Kody Steele (-250)
- Lucas Camacho (+400) vs. Mario Pinto (-620)
- Vanilto Antunes (+380) vs. Islam Dulatov (-580)
- Anthony Drilich (+150) vs. Sean Gauci (-195)
Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app or check out Dana White’s Contender Series Odds Page!
Artem Vakhitov vs Islem Masraf
Vakhitov is a high-level striker with an elite striking background. Vakhitov is a former GLORY kickboxing champion and fought UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira twice in kickboxing. Vakhitov was the last person to beat Pereira in kickboxing before Pereira left kickboxing to pursue MMA. Vakhitov's history against Pereira is giving his DWCS appearance some hype, as Pereira has dominated the UFC's light heavyweight division and is one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC. Vakhitov has called Pereira out recently and claims he wants a trilogy fight against Pereira in the UFC.
Vakhitov doesn’t have the same degree of dynamite in his hands as Pereira, but he is a slick striker and is able to hurt opponents with body shots and low kicks. Vakhitov has folded opponents in kickboxing with stabbing left hooks to the liver, and his sharp low kicks have crippled the bases of opponents. Vakhitov won his most recent MMA fight with low kicks that left his opponent unable to stand.
Vakhitov has extensive combat sports experience due to his kickboxing background, but he does not have much MMA experience yet. Vakhitov has only fought three times in MMA and has gone 2-1. His loss was due to a freak injury where he injured his arm posting on the mat during a takedown.
Vakhitov’s DWCS opponent, Islem Masraf, also has limited MMA experience with only three pro fights, but he went viral recently for his bizarre win over Mickaël Groguhe. In that fight, Groguhe lazily walked to the center of the cage with his hands down like he was on a stroll in the park, and Masraf punished him with a head-kick knockout 10 seconds into the fight.
Masraf has won each of his last two MMA fights by KO/TKO due to distance striking, and he has showcased pop at distance. However, Masraf will likely have to initiate grappling to have a chance to beat Vakhitov, as choosing a distance striking strategy against a GLORY kickboxing champion is not a recipe for success.
Ultimately, Vakhitov's elite striking background should be the difference in this fight. Vakhitov will have a huge advantage when this fight is on the feet, and as long as he can keep the fight standing, he should be able to get a stoppage and enter the UFC as an intriguing up-and-coming fighter in the light heavyweight division.
Prediction: Artem Vakhitov to win by KO/TKO
Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app or check out Dana White’s Contender Series Odds Page!
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.