UFC Fight Night DFS Picks & Lineups: Gamrot vs Salkilld Cheat Sheet, 8/8
UFC Fight Night: Gamrot vs Salkilld takes place this weekend on Saturday at 5:00 PM live from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is a classic matchup as one of the best grapplers in the lightweight division, Mateusz Gamrot, takes on rising striker Quillan Salkilld. Whoever wins this matchup will launch themselves towards the top 5 of the division and make a case that they should be part of the title picture in 2027. As always, head on over to our DFS ownership page for full ownership breakdowns of these fights MMA Ownership
Check out all the latest UFC on ESPN odds, stats, predictions, and matchup breakdowns for the entire fight card below, and always feel free to reach out to me in discord or on twitter at @MikeIannoneDFS. Now let's look at some UFC DFS top picks and plays for Saturday's event. Good luck with your MMA daily fantasy lineups!
MMA DFS Playbook for UFC Fight Night: Gamrot vs Salkilld
Main Event | |||||
Fighter(s) | Price | Opponent | Risk | Odds | ITD |
Mateusz Gamrot vs Quillan Salkilld | 7900/8300 | - | Stackability: Low | 120/ -150 | 275.0/130.0 |
Gamrot is the much better grappler, but he is giving up a lot of striking speed, age, and durability. For DraftKings, this is the ideal main event because either Salkilld keeps it standing long enough to win by KO, or Gamrot scores 100+ points by landing a ton of takedowns. I'm leaning towards the savvy vet in Gamrot, but this is an extremely tight fight that is going to launch one of these men towards a title shot in 2027. | |||||
Expensive Fighters
Expensive | |||||
Fighter(s) | Price | Opponent | Risk | Odds | ITD |
Yadier del Valle | 9600 | Darren Elkins | Somewhat-Safe | -800 | -250. |
This is a weird matchup considering Elkins looked like he should retire after his last fight. Del Valle was the center of controversy when many people suspected that Isaac Dulgarian fixed his match against him, but even if that is so, Del Valle is still a decent grappler. Elkins, at this stage of his career, is one good punch away from getting rocked and KO'd. It's sad to see "The Damage" go out like this in his last fight, but this likely isn't winnable for Elkins unless Del Valle does something stupid like pulls guard or attempts a guillotine and allows Elkins to land on top to control the fight. | |||||
Ty Miller | 9200 | Billy Ray Goff | Somewhat-Safe | -400 | -110. |
Miller throws quick and has a ton of power. Sometimes he looks for the perfect shot too much instead of taking what is there, but he is the far superior striker; I'm expecting a Round 2 KO. | |||||
Steven Asplund | 9000 | Guilherme Pat | Somewhat-Safe | -275 | 105.0 |
Asplund is going to push a hellacious pace for heavyweight, and eventually Pat is going to tire and fade. He isn't the cleanest striker or grappler, but he has a ton of heart and durability, and that is all you need at heavyweight in these lower-ranked matchups. | |||||
Alexia Thainara | 8800 | Amanda Lemos | Moderate | -275 | 240.0 |
Thainara is the more explosive athlete, and she knows that staying on her feet in this matchup is dangerous. She'll look to get the fight down early and often, and as long as she can rack up the control time that she needs, she should be able to score 90+ fantasy points even if this fight goes to decision. | |||||
Juliana Miller | 8900 | Ravena Oliveira | Moderate | -333 | -110. |
I have no confidence in Miller winning this fight, but she is similar to Thainara. If she wins this fight, it is because she got the fight to the ground, held position, or found the submission. She is the longer fighter, but her strikes are strictly there to set up the wrestling entrances. | |||||
Mid-Range Fighters
Mid-Range | |||||
Fighter(s) | Price | Opponent | Risk | Odds | ITD |
Miles Johns | 8600 | Gianni Vasquez | Moderate | -175 | 300.0 |
Johns is now taking on a new opponent on short notice. He is a fighter who, at his best, has power and can wrestle. It's tough to tell how in shape his opponent will be coming in on two days’ notice, but I expect Johns to be able to push a pace to win this fight. | |||||
Louie Sutherland | 8500 | Jose Montanha | Moderate | -188 | 140.0 |
Sutherland is similar to Aspland. He isn't going to be flashy, but he is strong and will mix in some wrestling as needed. I expect him to win by finish in the first two rounds. | |||||
Bruno Lopes | 7800 | Diyar Nurgozhay | Somewhat-Risky | 120 | 240.0 |
This is one of the lowest-level fights on the card. Both men have power, but I expect Bruno to be the quicker striker. This is a high variance fight, but the upside is worth the risk in tournaments. | |||||
Diyar Nurgozhay | 8400 | Bruno Lopes | Somewhat-Risky | -150 | 105.0 |
There are very limited mid-range items this week, but Diyar is another fighter like Lopes who I don't have confidence in, but he has the upside. Both of these men can also wrestle a little bit, so whoever ends up on top probably wins this fight. | |||||
Jose Montanha | 7700 | Louie Sutherland | Somewhat-Risky | #N/A | #N/A |
This is a low-level heavyweight fight, so it'll be wild as long as it lasts. Sutherland is hittable, and while I don't think Jose wins, he makes for an interesting underdog play due to his upside. | |||||
Paydown Fighters
Pay-Downs | |||||
Fighter(s) | Price | Opponent | Risk | Odds | ITD |
Billy Quarantillo | 7500 | Diego Ferreira | Somewhat-Risky | 140 | 225.0 |
Billy is known for pushing a pace, and against an aging veteran he should be able to land at more volume. His durability isn't great, but at this point in both of their careers, I don't think Diego has the power to KO Billy. | |||||
Amanda Lemos | 7400 | Alexia Thainara | Somewhat-Risky | 210 | 500.0 |
Lemos has the striking advantage and a ton of power, but she has lackluster wrestling defense. If she keeps it standing, she should win the fight. As a dog, any clear path to victory makes them an interesting play. | |||||
Richie Miranda | 7100 | Manoel Sousa | Risky | 250 | 400.0 |
Sousa has a ton of power, but Miranda has never been finished. If Miranda can get the fight down on the ground, he has a clear path to winning this fight. | |||||
Guilherme Pat | 7200 | Steven Asplund | Risky | 210 | 450.0 |
Pat is strong and in great-looking shape for a heavyweight, but he doesn't have the volume to keep up with Asplund. If he wins, it is going to be by early KO. | |||||
Gigi Canuto | 6900 | Carol Foro | Risky | #N/A | #N/A |
She has a big advantage on the ground, and her submission skills are much better. She's only 24 years old and is likely making huge improvements fight to fight, but she is behind on the feet. | |||||
Billy Ray Goff | 7000 | Ty Miller | Risky | 300 | 500.0 |
He is going to get outvolumed and outpowered, but if he can make it a great fight with cage control, he has a small chance. | |||||
Sample Lineup
Live Dogs
Gamrot, Quarantillo, Lopes, Miranda
Picks and Stats
Mateusz Gamrot | vs | Quillan Salkilld |
$7,900 | DFS Salary | $8,300 |
Record | ||
Knockouts | ||
Subs | ||
120 | Vegas Odds | -150 |
Billy Quarantillo | vs | Diego Ferreira |
$7,500 | DFS Salary | $8,700 |
Record | ||
Knockouts | ||
Subs | ||
140 | Vegas Odds | -175 |
Darren Elkins | vs | Yadier Del Valle |
$6,600 | DFS Salary | $9,600 |
Record | ||
Knockouts | ||
Subs | ||
500 | Vegas Odds | -800 |
Amanda Lemos | vs | Alexia Thainara |
$7,400 | DFS Salary | $8,800 |
Record | ||
Knockouts | ||
Subs | ||
210 | Vegas Odds | -275 |
Ty Miller | vs | Billy Ray Goff |
$9,200 | DFS Salary | $7,000 |
Record | ||
Knockouts | ||
Subs | ||
-400 | Vegas Odds | 300 |
0 | ||
Steven Asplund | vs | Guilherme Pat |
$9,000 | DFS Salary | $7,200 |
Record | ||
Knockouts | ||
Subs | ||
-275 | Vegas Odds | 210 |
Diyar Nurgozhay | vs | Bruno Lopes |
$8,400 | DFS Salary | $7,800 |
Record | ||
Knockouts | ||
Subs | ||
-150 | Vegas Odds | 120 |
Jose Luiz | vs | Louie Sutherland |
$7,700 | DFS Salary | $8,500 |
Record | ||
Knockouts | ||
Subs | ||
150 | Vegas Odds | -188 |
Manoel Sousa | vs | Richie Miranda |
$9,100 | DFS Salary | $7,100 |
Record | ||
Knockouts | ||
Subs | ||
-333 | Vegas Odds | 250 |
Miles Johns | vs | Gianni Vazquez |
$8,600 | DFS Salary | $7,600 |
Record | ||
Knockouts | ||
Subs | ||
-175 | Vegas Odds | 155 |
Juliana Miller | vs | Ravena Oliveira |
$8,900 | DFS Salary | $7,300 |
Record | ||
Knockouts | ||
Subs | ||
-333 | Vegas Odds | 250 |
Giovanna Canuto | vs | Carol Foro |
$6,900 | DFS Salary | $9,300 |
Record | ||
Knockouts | ||
Subs | ||
250 | Vegas Odds | -275 |
