UFC 318 Best Bets | DraftKings Sportsbook

UFC 318 Picks

Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway 3

Poirier and Holloway have fought twice previously, once in 2012 at featherweight and most recently in 2019 at lightweight in a bout for the interim lightweight title. This fight will be at lightweight, which is notable given how their 2019 fight went. In that fight, Poirier clearly had a power and size advantage and managed to wobble Holloway multiple times, which was especially impressive at the time given Holloway’s iron chin.

Holloway is coming off one of the best wins of his career in his last fight at lightweight, where he recorded an epic knockout of Justin Gaethje with just one second left in the fight. However, Holloway was brutally knocked out by Ilia Topuria in his most recent fight, which was at featherweight. This is especially notable because once an iron chin gets cracked, the ability for the brain to take a punch can diminish. Poirier landed a lot of power shots to Holloway’s head in their 2019 fight, and it’s fair to wonder if Holloway will still be able to absorb those strikes from Poirier after suffering such a brutal KO loss nine months ago. 

Despite being 36 years old and on the verge of retirement, Poirier is still a high-level fighter and has gas left in the tank. Poirier is coming off a title-fight loss to No. 2 ranked pound-for-pound fighter Islam Makhachev in a fight where Poirier put on a respectable showing. Prior to that, Poirier knocked out Benoit Saint Denis with a vicious lead right hook, which is Poirier’s signature strike. 

Poirier’s power and size advantage should give him the edge in this fight again, which makes the Poirier Moneyline appealing at +120. The Poirier Alternate Point Spread of -5.5 gives a higher plus-money payout at +175, which could be useful in the event Poirier wins a decisive decision. Taking Poirier to win by KO/TKO/DQ at +330 is also a higher-paying option given Poirier’s power advantage combined with Holloway’s recent KO loss. 

Pick: Dustin Poirier Moneyline (+120)

Other bet to consider: Dustin Poirier -5.5 Alternate Point Spread (+175)

Read about UFC Point Spread betting at DraftKings Network: How to Bet UFC Point Spreads on DraftKings Sportsbook

DraftKings Fantasy UFC

Poirier is affordable at $8,000 in this week’s DraftKings fantasy UFC contest, and Poirier could provide good value at that price tag. Poirier lands more striking volume than average, landing over five significant strikes per minute, and he recorded over seven significant strikes per minute in his last fight vs. Holloway due to the fast pace of the fight. If this is another fast-paced fight, Poirier will be well-positioned for striking volume and the win, which translated into over 100 DraftKings fantasy points for Poirier in their 2019 matchup. 

The main DraftKings fantasy UFC tournament has a huge prize pool of $700,000 this week, with the winner getting $200,000. Enter the contest for only $25 here.

DraftKings UFC Pick6

UFC Pick6 is a new peer-to-peer fantasy UFC contest where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of at least two fighters and select whether or not you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Listed stat projections include significant strikes, takedowns, control time, knockdowns and more. For each fighter, simply select if you think they’ll have MORE or LESS than their listed stat projection. Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ cash prizes!

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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.