UFC 278 Fight Preview: Build DraftKings & FanDuel UFC DFS Lineups w/ Usman & Romanov (Saturday, August 20)

The UFC is heading to Salt Lake City, live from the Vivint Arena for UFC 278. The main event will future an exciting welterweight title bout between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards. Below are some MMA DFS picks with the help of Stokastic’s projections. Let’s see what’s on tap for UFC 278.

MMA DFS Picks: UFC 278 Usman vs. Edwards 2


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Amir Albazi $9,200 vs. Francisco Figueiredo $7,000

Amir Albazi

  • Age: 28
  • Height: 5-foot-5
  • Weight: 125 lbs.
  • Reach: 68 ins
  • Record: 14-1-0
  • Striking Accuracy: 50%
  • Betting Odds: -530

Albazi has entered the promotion on fire by securing wins over Malcolm Gordon and Zhalgas Zhumagulov. His only professional loss came at the hands of Jose Torres under the Brave CF banner. Albazi will bring heavy pressure early with his jab, mixing it up between the body and head before landing his dangerous left hook. Albazi has tremendous takedowns on the fence and will use his positional awareness to get his opponent to the canvas. He is landing 4.10 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 3.20 per minute. Albazi’s work rate, heavy pressure and solid jab should prevail, and the uglier the fight gets the more it will favor Albazi.

Francisco Figueiredo

  • Age: 32
  • Height: 5-foot-6
  • Weight: 125 lbs.
  • Reach: 68 ins
  • Record: 13-4-1
  • Striking Accuracy: 69%
  • Betting Odds: +360

Figueiredo is the younger brother of current divisional champion Deiveson Figueiredo and is looking to continue the momentum from his victory over Daniel da Silva in April. In that fight, Figueiredo secured a 78-second kneebar that earned him Performance of the Night. All but two of his wins have come inside the distance, eight of them via submission. Figueiredo has an 85% finish rate, including three via knockout, eight via submission and two via decision. The two fighters have shared one common opponent throughout their professional careers — Malcolm Gordon — with Albazi beating him via submission and Figueiredo losing by decision.

The DraftKings and FanDuel MMA pick is Albazi. His relentless pressure and tremendous takedowns off the fence should lead to an early finish via submission.

UFC DFS Pick: Amir Albazi via Second-Round Submission.


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Marcin Tybura $7,200 vs. Alexander Romanov $9,000

Marcin Tybura

  • Age: 36
  • Height: 6-foot-3
  • Weight: 248 lbs.
  • Reach: 78 ins.
  • Record: 22-7-0
  • Striking Accuracy: 60%
  • Betting Odds: +300

Tybura saw his five-fight winning streak snapped by Alexander Volkov last time out. He is one of the most consistent heavyweights in the UFC, shooting for takedowns and grappling his way to victory. Tybura has an 82% takedown defense, nine knockouts and six submissions. He has been one of the gatekeepers in the heavyweight division, but he is getting easier to hit and has four stoppage losses in his career. Tybura will come out fast to crack Romanov early, but expect Romanov to weather the storm and ragdoll Tybura on the canvas.

Alexander Romanov

  • Age: 31
  • Height: 6-foot-2
  • Weight: 236 lbs.
  • Reach: 75 ins.
  • Record: 16-0-0
  • Striking Accuracy: 44%
  • Betting Odds: -430

Romanov will be looking to keep his undefeated streak alive, and he can finish his opponent on the feet or the ground. He is a dangerous wrestler with tremendous grappling skills, scoring on 70% of his takedowns and averaging 6.50 takedowns per fight. Romanov will rely on his speed and strength to get his opponents to the canvas, where he is extremely aggressive and very effective. Romanov should establish his striking early in the fight since Tybura will be expecting the takedown and because Romanov is the more aggressive fighter.

The pick on DraftKings and FanDuel is Romanov. His cardio, speed, strength and takedown accuracy will be too technical for Tybura. Stokastic’s MMA DFS projections have Romanov as the fourth-projected fighter on the slate, with 78% win odds and 87.52 projected points on DraftKings.

UFC DFS Pick: Alexander Romanov via Second-Round KO/TKO.

Jose Aldo $8,000 vs. Merab Dvalishvili $8,200

Jose Aldo

  • Age: 35
  • Height: 5-foot-7
  • Weight: 136 lbs.
  • Reach: 70 ins.
  • Record: 31-7-0
  • Striking Accuracy: 50%
  • Betting Odds: +114

Aldo dominated the featherweight division early in his illustrious career, and he is considered one of the greatest MMA fighters in history. He now competes at bantamweight, where he is ranked third in the division. Aldo moved to bantamweight in December 2019 and holds a 3-2 record, including a title fight loss at the hands of Petr Yan via fifth-round knockout in July 2020. He is currently riding a three-fight winning streak, with unanimous decision wins over Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz and Rob Font. Aldo will look to use his superior boxing against Dvalishvili, taking advantage of openings and not rushing in for the finish.

Merab Dvalishvili

  • Age: 31
  • Height: 5-foot-6
  • Weight: 135 lbs.
  • Reach: 68 ins.
  • Record: 14-4-0
  • Striking Accuracy: 60%
  • Betting Odds: -146

Dvalishvili is currently ranked sixth in the bantamweight division and riding a seven-fight winning streak. His last fight against Marlon Moraes showed some holes in his game. Moraes hurt Dvalishvili early, but he was able to battle back and won via second-round knockout. Dvalishvili is one of the best grapplers in the bantamweight division, but as a striker, he may have a more fundamental skill set than Aldo. He throws in volume, and his jab, speed and combinations get the job done inside the Octagon. Dvalishvili will look to wear on Aldo early with his volume and pace then look to take him to the mat and grind out a decision.

The lean on DraftKings and FanDuel is Dvalishvili. His high-level grappling, volume, speed and elite cardio will be too technical for Aldo. Stokastic’s UFC DFS projections give Dvalishvili 56% win odds.

UFC DFS Pick: Merab Dvalishvili via Unanimous Decision.


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Kamaru Usman $9,100 vs. Leon Edwards $7,100

Kamaru Usman

  • Age: 35
  • Height: 6-foot-0
  • Weight: 169 lbs.
  • Reach: 76 ins.
  • Record: 20-1-0
  • Striking Accuracy: 64%
  • Betting Odds: -370

Usman is riding a 19-fight winning streak and is coming off an impressive unanimous decision victory over Colby Covington in November. He is a wrestling specialist with a gas tank that never runs empty. Once Usman started working under renowned boxing coach Trevor Wittman, he developed into a dangerous striker with huge power in his hands. He is 15-0 in the Octagon, with one his first wins coming against Edwards in 2015. Usman will rely on his striking, volume, power and durability on his way to finding a finish.

Leon Edwards

  • Age: 30
  • Height: 6-foot-2
  • Weight: 170 lbs.
  • Reach: 74 ins.
  • Record: 19-3-0
  • Striking Accuracy: 57%
  • Betting Odds: +265

Since losing to Usman in 2015, Edwards has won nine fights in a row, most recently a unanimous decision victory over Nate Diaz in June. Edwards has impressive victories over Rafael dos Anjos and Vincent Luque. He is a well-rounded fighter, with technical kickboxing, striking, wrestling and excellent clinch work. In their first meeting, Edwards was the better striker, but Usman has since developed a slick and powerful striking game. Both men should work more on the feet, as both have solid takedown defense.

The lean on DraftKings and FanDuel is Usman, whose volume, power, striking and durability will seal a decision victory. Stokastic projects Usman as the top projected fighter on the slate, with 86% win odds and 111.45 projected points on DraftKings.

UFC DFS Pick: Kamaru Usman via Unanimous Decision.


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