UFC Fight Night 6.17.23 DraftKings Reignmakers Breakdown

This week, DraftKings Reignmakers is offering up $125,000 in prizes between its five tiers of contests: CORE, RARE, ELITE, LEGENDARY, and REIGNMAKER.

All players from DraftKings’ Heatwave, UFC 281, UFC 282, and Genesis sets are eligible to compete in these contests.

With that said, this article breaks down the best fighters to consider adding to your team via the Reignmakers’ marketplace. All listed prices refer to CORE tier unless otherwise noted, but the recommendations can be agnostically applied to all other tiers.

The Good

Below are the best fighters to roster for the upcoming UFC Fight Night 6.17.23 event.

Jared Cannonier ($1.50 - FLOOR)

This weekend’s main event between Jared Cannonier and Marvin Vettori is going to be a close fight, but ultimately Cannonier has shown he can succeed against well-rounded strikers. He recently defeated Sean Strickland, Derek Brunson, Kelvin Gastelum, and Jack Hermansson, losing only to Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya for the UFC Championship. His takedown defense is solid and his striking is great, especially is power upside (four of his last six fights ended in knockout). Vettori is also a solid striker that tends to rely on his wrestling to mix it up in the octagon, and his only two losses in his last nine fights are also to Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya. If Cannonier stuffs the takedown attempts early and uses his reach effectively, he should find a decision victory at worst and a knockout at best.

Raoni Barcelos ($1.82 - FLOOR)

Raoni Barcelos is a solid favorite this weekend against Miles Johns, despite being nine years his elder. Barcelos has great Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which should cause Johns to be hesitant about his wrestling. If this fight stays standing, Barcelos has a small advantage. If Barcelos manages to pull Johns to the mat, he has a major advantage. He is also the higher volume striker, which is important in fights that are expected to be close. This should be a fun, engaging fight, and Barcelos has high upside on DraftKings Reignmakers. 

The Bad

Below are the worst fighters to roster for the upcoming UFC Fight Night 6.17.23 event.

Zac Pauga ($0.79 - FLOOR)

Zac Pauga is not a high-volume striker. He threw 32 strikes in his first UFC fight against Mohammad Usman before getting knocked out, and he threw 59 total strikes in a decision victory over Jordan Wright in February. This Saturday, he fights another fighter who hasn’t thrown more than 60 total strikes in any of his four UFC fights: Modestas Bukauskas. Bukauskas won a decision victory against Tyson Pedro in his last fight, throwing only 44 total strikes. This should be a snooze fest, and Pauga is expected to lose. Avoid him at all costs. 

The Obvious

Below are the most obvious fighters to roster for the upcoming UFC Fight Night 6.17.23 event.

Arman Tsarukyan ($6.99 - FLOOR)

Arman Tsarukyan is currently a -1050 favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook this weekend against Joaquim Silva. He is the most obvious choice on the fight card. The expected outcome of this fight is over 50 percent Tsarukyan knockout. His price tag is expensive but worth it on DraftKings Reignmakers. Don’t overthink this one.