UFC Fight Night: Marlon Vera vs Cory Sandhagen 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.
It is worth noting that the Genesis Standard, Genesis Premium, and Genesis CORE Add-On packs are all still available for purchase. These packs contain top UFC fighters and a random distribution of most of the fighters stepping into the octagon this weekend.
The UFC Fight Night: Marlon Vera vs Cory Sandhagen event set is sold out.
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: Vera vs Sandhagen event.
Cory Sandhagen ($2.25 - Event Set)
This weekend’s brawl between Cory Sandhagen and Marlon Vera should be exciting and high-scoring on DraftKings Reignmakers. Sandhagen is the better fighter technically speaking, and he should find a knockout or decision victory on Saturday. But Vera is continuously upsetting opponents with his aggressive style. In his last three fights, he has 308 strikes landed and 457 strikes absorbed. During those same three fights, he knocked his opponents down seven times and got knocked down zero times. Sandhagen is aware of Vera’s strong chin, and he should conserve his energy for the later rounds in this one.
Vinicius Salvador ($1.25 - Event Set)
Vinicius Salvador and Victor Altamirano are two of the fastest fighters on the card this weekend, landing 8.43 and 7.04 strikes per minute in their short UFC careers. Neither fighter is particularly inclined to slow down and defend, and Altamirano will likely shoot for takedowns. Salvador has a 100 percent takedown defense in his UFC career, and even if he does end up on the ground, at the flyweight division, he should get up rather quickly. Salvador is only a minor favorite via DraftKings Sportsbook, which makes him an undervalued piece of the lineup construction process for UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen.
The Bad
Below are the worst fighters to roster for the upcoming UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen event.
Note: UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen only has a few fights with -200 or greater favorites and zero fights with -300 or greater favorites. Due to the closeness of these bouts and the upside associated with most fighters participating in the event this weekend, there is only one “bad” fighter to avoid this week.
Andrea Lee ($0.52 - Event Set)
The only fight this weekend that seems exceptionally cut and dry is Maycee Barber vs Andrea Lee. Both Barber and Lee have takedown ability, but Barber’s clinch game is exceptional. She is a -250 betting favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook and for good reason. Lee is going to find it difficult to fight off the fence, and Barber is going to continue to pressure until the fight is over or Lee decides to give up. The fight is expected to go all three rounds, which suggests Lee could score points, but again, she is going to be controlled against the fence most of the fight.
The Obvious
Below are the most obvious fighters to roster for the upcoming UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen event.
Tucker Lutz ($4.80 - Event Set)
There are no true “obvious” plays this weekend at UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen, but Tucker Lutz is close. He’s 3-1 in his UFC career, and he’s fighting Daniel Pineda, who has an atrocious 42 percent takedown defense. Lutz should find a takedown or two and start to unload on Pineda from the top. The fight is -180 to finish inside the distance, and the most likely outcome is a Lutz knockout. Even if Pineda survives, he likely ends up on his back, not scoring points, while Lutz cruises to a decision victory.
