UFC Fight Night DFS Picks & Lineups: Usman vs. Buckley Cheat Sheet, 6/14

Published: Jun 13, 2025

Updated: Jun 13, 2025

UFC Fight Night: Usman vs Buckley takes place this Saturday live from Las Vegas, Nevada. The card kicks off with the Prelims at 7:00 PM EST on ESPN+, followed by the Main Card at 10:00 PM EST on ESPN+. Let's dive into the top UFC Fight Night DFS Picks & Lineups before the event gets underway.

Check out all the latest UFC on ESPN odds, stats, predictions, and matchup breakdowns for the entire fight card below. Use this UFC Fight Night Cheat Sheet to build your own winning lineups. Always feel free to reach out to me in Discord or on X/Twitter at @MikeIannoneDFS. Now let's look at some UFC Fight Night DFS Picks & Lineups for Saturday's event. Good luck with your MMA daily fantasy lineups!

UFC Fight Night DFS Picks & Lineups: Usman vs. Buckley Cheat Sheet, 6/14

A fight to determine the next champion at 170 lbs takes place Saturday when former champion Kamaru Usman takes on rising prospect Joaquin Buckley. Buckley is known for his KO of the year highlights and massive power, while Usman will look to use his wrestling to wear down Buckley. Let's break down my top UFC Fight Night DFS Picks & Lineups below.

Main Event UFC DFS Picks

Main Event
Fighter(s)	Price	Opponent	Risk	Odds	ITD
Kamaru Usman vs Joaquin Buckley	7200/9000	-	Stackability: Low	230/ -200	450./130.
Both of these men are eyeing a title shot as Buckley looks to keep his winning streak going and Usman looks to get back on track and prove he still has the skills to compete at the top. At his best Usman dominates this fight but his knees have been failing him lately and his explosiveness seems gone. Buckley has the power advantage but he isn't proven to go 5 hard rounds so if he can't end the fight early it gets greasy. At the massive dog odds, I'll be taking a shot on Usman especially with his wrestling upside if he gets it on track.

Expensive UFC DFS Picks

Expensive
Fighter(s)	Price	Opponent	Risk	Odds	ITD
Ricky Simon	8700	Cameron Smotherman	Somewhat-Safe	-520	#N/A
Simon is facing a late replacement so he is -520 and not very expensive. He should be able to wrestle and outwork Smotherman with his pace. If he keeps the fight standing that would be a mistake, but even so he should still win it.
Malcolm Wellmaker	9700	Kris Mountinho	Somewhat-Safe	-2,100	-575
He is in the same tier as Simon but he is almost $1000 more. He is -575 to win inside the distance, getting a short notice replacement that sees him standing at a -2100 favorite. His striking his better, he's faster, more athletic, and has more power. Outside of gassing out going for a finish he should dominate this fight.
Mansur Abdul-Malik	9600	Cody Brundage	Somewhat-Safe	-800	-400
Another massive favorite and on most cards, he would be a must play but he's a similar play to Wellmaker. His wrestling upside gives him a little more safety if the fight gets into the second round, but against Brundage he should be able to outmuscle him and dominate the fight early either with his power or wrestling.
Oumar Sy	9500	Alonzo Menifield	Moderate	-700	-175
Sy has good wrestling and a great jab, but Menifield can be tough to wrestle with especially early. Out of the high-priced fighter this is the most dangerous opponent since Menifield has a ton of power so I would put him in a tier below the other top priced fighters.
Edmen Shahbazyan	8800	Andre Petroski	Moderate	-180	-110
He isn't a -500 or more favorite like the others in this range but if Edmen wins it's likely going to be in Round 1 or 2 so he has the ceiling we need. Petroski is a good wrestler so Edmen should just use his speed, foot work and striking to keep him at bay early.

Mid-Range UFC DFS Picks

Mid-Range
Fighter(s)	Price	Opponent	Risk	Odds	ITD
Cody Durden	7600	Jose Ochoa	Moderate	160	400.
Durden can wrestle and Ochoa is still pretty green so he can take advantage of some holes in his game. With such huge favorites this week the mid-range is going to be a spot to target dogs.
Phil Rowe	7800	Ange Loosa	Moderate	110	300.
Rowe is long for the division and has decent ground and submission skills. He'll have to keep Loosa on the outside, but if he can mix in some grappling whenever Loosa closes the distance he has a good chance of winning.
Cody Garbrandt	7700	Raoni Barcelos	Somewhat-Risky	164	330.
He is very low volume, but he has the KO power to knockout almost anyone in this division, and a nearly 40-year-old Raoni Barcelos is someone that he can definitely KO. Cody is defensively worlds ahead of Raoni but it all comes down to if his chin can hold up.
Ange Loosa	8400	Phil Rowe	Somewhat-Risky	-130	650.
Loosa might be able to just bully Rowe against the cage which would lead to a good score if he does get takedowns. I won't be using any favorite $8400-8600 in my single-entry lineups this week.
Raoni Barcelos	8500	Cody Garbrandt	Somewhat-Risky	-198	200.
Barcelos has better volume and he can wrestle a little but Cody has good defensive wrestling. Barcelos is at his best when he can control the pace of the fight which is hard to do against Cody unless you clip him.
Jose Ochoa	8600	Cody Durden	Somewhat-Risky	-192	165.
He had a tough debut and one way I'm trying to get better this year is not targeting fighters off of a "good loss". Ochoa lost his debut while only landing 50 significant strikes in a fight that mostly took place on the feet. If he only lands 50 significant strikes in 15 minutes on Saturday, he won't be getting his hand raised against someone like Durden.

Paydown UFC DFS Picks

Pay-Downs
Fighter(s)	Price	Opponent	Risk	Odds	ITD
Andre Petroski	7400	Edmen Shahbazyan	Somewhat-Risky	150	380.
I'm betting on him to get KO'd early but he is one of the few dogs who can actually win his fight. His wrestling is good and if this gets to the later rounds he could finish the fight with his grappling.
Miranda Maverick	7100	Rose Namajunas	Somewhat-Risky	195	850.
She has grappling upside and Rose is so hit or miss from fight to fight. This will be a 3 round fight so in cash games I think she is a really strong play. In tournaments most weeks she would be a fade, but with how big of underdogs these other fighters are even a 65pt win might be enough to get on the optimal lineup.
Court McGee	7000	Michael Chiesa	Risky	275	700.
Chiesa is so low volume on the feet that Court wins this fight by just staying upright. Chiesa will get the takedowns, but if Court can avoid getting his back taken he has a clear path to winning.
Paul Craig	6900	Rodolfo Bellato	Risky	320	500.
Craig has always been submission or bust so he has a high ceiling and Bellato is a bit of a low level striker. Craig as a dog is always in play but he needs to get the fight to the ground and moving back up to 205lbs that might be a tough task for him.
Alonzo Menifield	6700	Oumar Sy	Risky	500	800.
Menifield is another dog this week with a path to a finish, but no real ability to win the minutes of the fight. He is either going to land a massive overhand punch or he is going to get controlled for fifteen minutes. At his price he is worth a shot but I'm trying to stick to the dogs who are closer to +250 this week.
Cody Brundage	6600	Mansur Abdul-Malik	Risky	550	750.
Brundage is a master of taking a strike to the back of his head and getting the fight called (someetimes a DQ sometimes a cancelled fight). He has good wrestling but it probably won't work against Mansur so I'm fading him.
Cameron Smotherman	6500	#N/A	Risky	390	#N/A
Natividad can win this fight if the hesitant version of Turcios shows up, but if that is the case I don't think a win is going to score enough to make it worht your while. I'll be playing higher upside fighters in this range

UFC DFS Optimizer: Sample UFC Fight Night Lineup

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AI-generated content may be incorrect.

MMA DFS Strategy: Live Dogs

Kamaru Usman
Miranda Maverick
Cody Durden
Phil Rowe

Usman vs. Buckley UFC Fight Night Picks & Stats

Check out my full UFC Fight Night best bets and predictions for Saturday's fight card. Here's a sampling with a Usman vs. Buckey pick for the main event.

Best Bet: Usman to Win

This line is great value for someone who has proven to win minutes and moments in fights. Compare that to Buckley, who can only win by landing power. Usman by decision at +550 is another long-shot bet that I like. But in case Buckley really gasses out late, taking Usman by Moneyline is the safer play.