Dana White’s Contender Series Picks & Predictions (Week 10)
Season 9 of the Dana White Contender Series (DWCS) wraps up Tuesday night, but the show is going out with a bang by rolling out a loaded six-fight card. Below, I've narrowed in on two of the tilts from a sports betting angle. Here are my best bets for Week 10 of the DWCS.
Get instant alerts when a line reaches your target via the BettingPros App >>
Dana White's Contender Series Picks: Week 10
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Azamat Nuftillaev (-140) vs. Jovan Leka (+110)
The second fight on Tuesday's card comes in the Heavyweight division, with Uzbekistan's Azamat Nuftillaev squaring off against Serbia's Jovan Leka. The oddsmakers are expecting a good one, as the 17-1-1 Nuftillaev is a slim -140 favorite against his 10-2-0 opponent (+110).
I'm riding with the favorite in this one. Nuftillaev is an impressive 17-1-1, with the lone loss coming against Slim Trabelsi. Trabelsi is a formidable opponent with Bellator and PFL experience, so it's hard to hold that against him at this stage of his career. The Uzbek brawler has rattled off five straight finishing wins, with the most recent being a title fight in the Octagon promotion.
The ground game is where I believe Nuftillaev gains the edge in this bout. He has three ground-and-pound wins during his current 6-1-0 run, as well as four career submissions. With his aggressive grappling-heavy approach, he should manage to get Leka to the canvas early and go to work. Let's ride with Nuftillaev to secure the victory in this Heavyweight showdown.
Bet: Azamat Nuftillaev Moneyline (-140)
Freddy Vidal (+120) vs. Levi Rodrigues (-154)
All roads lead to a battle of unbeaten brawlers, with 4-0-0 Freddy Vidal taking on 5-0-0 Levi Rodrigues in a Light Heavyweight clash. Vidal just fought in Week 5 of the DWCS and notched a win (SUB - Rear Naked Choke) over Felipe Franco as a +360 moneyline underdog. He'll be in the underdog role again on Tuesday, sitting at +120 against Brazil's Levi Rodrigues (-154).
I'm taking a flier on Freddy Vidal to pull off another upset. Neither of these fighters have lost across their amateur or professional careers. They've both had similar levels of competition, at least according to UFC's Since Score metric (both rated with Since Scores of 0), which used to gauge "strength of schedule." So, I think you could make the argument that this fight should be closer to a pick 'em.
Perhaps Rodrigues is favored simply due to his finishing ability. However, maybe the fact that he has never had a fight go to the judges' scorecards could also be his weakness. If Vidal avoids an early exit and drags this fight into the later rounds, his cardio could easily be the difference maker. Let's ride with the Ray Longo-coached brawler at plus-money.
Bet: Freddy Vidal Moneyline (+120)