MMA DFS Expert Survey: UFC Fight Night - Whittaker vs. de Ridder

by Andy Means (meansy53) Last Updated 2025-07-25 21:19:51 Premium Content Part of the product MMA Premium

Our panel of experts is here to give you their MMA DFS advice for this week’s contests by answering a handful of questions to help you make crucial lineup-building decisions. Want to know Billy Ward’s favorite value play? Or h3budda’s top fighter for tournaments? Find out below!

MMA DFS Picks: DraftKings Expert Survey for UFC Fight Night – Whittaker vs. de Ridder

Who is your favorite fighter to spend up for in cash games?

h3budda: Blackshear
Moneyball16: Aslan
Bward586: Leal
LiamPicksFights: Leal

Editor’s Note: Looking for more places to play? Check out our Underdog Fantasy promo code and PrizePicks promo code, two of the best DFS sites available today.

What are your thoughts about stacking the 5-round fight in cash games?

h3budda: There’s not a lot of value, so it makes the main-event stack in play. You are looking at a fight that is a near pick’em to go 3 rounds. Locking in the safety of 5 rounds on this slate will be important. There should be volume striking over those rounds with some takedown upside.

Moneyball16: I don’t think either of these fighters are elite cash plays, but I think both are solid cash plays, and I think it’s a stack. It doesn’t have great odds to go the full 5 rounds, but the pace should be fine, and who knows who wins this fight. Just take the floor and move on.

Bward586: This is a tough spot in that it’s hard to project a solid floor for either man. A quick submission by de Ridder or a quick knockout by Whittaker are both firmly in the cards. That also means it’s hard to predict which of the two will be a cash game must, so rather than take a stand, I’ll be stacking it and hoping for at least one elite score.

LiamPicksFights: Both of these guys have shown an ability to score 100+ DK points, but given the inherent style contrast and the lack of consistent scoring from Whittaker, it is enough to make me prefer choosing one piece from the main event in the majority of lineups. I think if you’re running multiple lineups, stacking the main event could pay off if the fight goes deep or hits the scorecards, but if RDR dominates with takedowns or Whittaker KO1’s RDR, one fighter’s scoring potential will be killed off. So approach with caution.

Which fight are you most likely to avoid and why?

h3budda: Yan/McGhee – Both of these fighters are very durable and lack the inside-the-distance odds that you would like to see on this slate. You are relying on volume striking to pay off either of their salaries.