Dana White’s Contender Series Picks & Predictions (Week 6)
We've already reached the halfway point of this year's Dana White Contender Series (DWCS), and this season has featured countless thrilling fights. From a sports betting perspective, I've gone 3-1 with my best bets. I'm looking to stay hot and cash a couple of more tickets on Tuesday night's Week 6 event. Here are my top DWCS bets and predictions for Week 6.
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Dana White’s Contender Series Week 4
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Raphael Uchegbu (-188) vs. Cody Chovancek (+145)
The card opens up with a bantamweight clash between Raphael Uchegbu and Cody Chovancek. Despite being a perfect 8-0-0, the Canadian Chovancek comes in as a moderate +145 underdog. England's Uchegbu, who's 10-1-0, sits at -188 on the Moneyline.
I'm not anticipating an upset in this one, so I'm willing to lay the -188 vig that comes with Uchegbu. The 135-pounder has been superb throughout his career, going 10-1-0 with a 90% finish rate (four knockouts, five submissions). His diverse range of finishes signals to me that he's a well-rounded brawler.
On the other hand, I simply don't love the level of competition Chovancek has faced throughout his professional career. He's 8-0-0, but the combined record of his first five professional opponents was just 8-4. This will be a large step up in competition against Uchegbu, who has seen action on both the Bellator and Professional Fighters League (PFL) circuits throughout his career. Factor in that the Englishman is entering his athletic prime at the age of 30 and also has a slight height advantage (5-foot-10 vs. 5-foot-8), and he starts to check a lot of the boxes I look at when analyzing a fight. Give me Uchegbu on the Moneyline.
Bet: Raphael Uchegbu Moneyline (-188)
Tommy Gantt (-160) vs. Adam Livingston (+124)
The middle tilt on Tuesday's card features a lightweight bout between a couple of unbeaten Americans, as Tommy Gantt (10-0-0, one no contest) squares off against Adam Livingston (6-0-0). The 32-year-old Gantt is a decent-sized -160 Moneyline favorite, while the 24-year-old Livingston comes back at +124 to get his hand raised.
Let me just start by saying I have absolutely no interest in laying this type of juice with Gantt. I jeered at Chovancek's level of competition above, but Gantt's strength of schedule is much, much worse. The combined record of his 11 professional opponents at the time of the fights was 60-106. He has one fight against a combatant with a winning record who had more than three pro fights in Josh Henry (11-7).
Adam Livingston isn't the most battle-tested brawler either, but he does have a couple of Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) knockout wins on his resume. He has finished five of his six victories, with four of those wins coming by knockout.
Ultimately, I question how the untested Gantt will hold up as this fight moves into the second and third rounds - especially against a fighter with Livingston's knockout power. Will the favorite fatigue late? Can Livingston throw some more advanced combinations at him? And most of all, can Gantt grind out a win if this turns into an absolute dog fight? I'm willing to take a plus-money flier and say that Livingston can create some havoc and pull out a victory.
Bet: Adam Livingston Moneyline (+124)