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Dana White's Contender Series
Dana White’s Contender Series Picks: Week 1 | DraftKings Sportsbook
Tim Finnegan of DraftKings Breaks Down This Week’s Episode Of Dana White’s Contender Series
The new season of Dana White’s Contender Series is set to get underway at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas on Tuesday, August 13. This show features prospects who hope to earn UFC contracts by showcasing their skills inside the octagon. The most notable graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series is UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, who has emerged as one of the biggest stars in the UFC. The show has produced several fighters who currently sit in the Top 10 in the official UFC Athlete Rankings, including Jamahal Hill, Jack Della Maddalena, Marina Rodriguez and Jailton Almeida. Last season most notably produced Payton Talbott, who has been dominant in the UFC in 2024 and is one of the most exciting up-and-coming fighters in the bantamweight division.
A DraftKings Sportsbook bettor had a big win at the recent UFC Abu Dhabi event, turning $100 into over $13,000 with a huge 13-leg UFC Parlay Bet featuring the following picks:
- Deiveson Figueiredo Moneyline
- Umar Nurmagomedov Moneyline
- Michael Chiesa Moneyline
- Mackenzie Dern Moneyline
- Shamil Gaziev Moneyline
- Kaue Fernandes Moneyline
- Jai Herbert Moneyline
- Joel Alvarez Moneyline
- Shara Magomedov Moneyline
- Guram Kutateladze Moneyline
- Azamat Murzakanov Moneyline
- Sedriques Dumas vs. Denis Tiuliulin Over 1.5 Total Rounds
On Tuesday night, the next wave is here 🌊#DWCS returns August 13th LIVE on @ESPNPlus 📺 pic.twitter.com/4Mw0AAxywa
— UFC (@ufc) August 12, 2024
As a result of all of these outcomes hitting in the Parlay Bet, the UFC bettor took home $13,505.62.
Dana White’s Contender Series airs on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+. Week 1 features a fight that could end up being the best fight of the entire season: a flyweight bout between electrifying prospects An Tuan Ho and Lone'er Kavanagh. Both Ho and Kavanagh are considered to be UFC-ready and this fight is highly anticipated.
Dana White’s Contender Series Odds: Week 1
- Mansur Abdul-Malik (-345) vs Wes Schultz (+275)
- Meng Ding (-180) vs Rami Hamed (+150)
- Bruno Lopes (-198) vs Mikheil Sazhiniani (+164)
- Jose Delgado (-285) vs Ernie Juarez (+230)
- An Tuan Ho (+160) vs Lone'er Kavanagh (-175)
Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app or check out Dana White’s Contender Series Odds Page!
An Tuan Ho vs Lone'er Kavanagh
An Tuan Ho is a dynamic striker who has showcased huge knockout power. Three of Ho's six pro wins are by KO/TKO, he’s put his opponents’ lights out with his hands and legs in brutal fashion. Ho’s knockout of Kendrick Latchman was a beautiful left hook that Ho wrapped around Latchman as Latchman reached with his right hand, exposing his chin on Ho's left side. Latchman was brutally knocked out, and it’s rare to see this degree of starching KO power at flyweight, where smaller frames and less mass make it more difficult to produce huge KO power.
Ho also has an excellent kicking game. Ho uses a front-snap kick that is good for attacking the midsection and winding opponents while maintaining a safe distance, and he also has a variety of kicking attacks to the legs, body and head. Ho’s biggest highlight-reel KO was a devastating head kick that Ho landed by taking advantage of his opponent ducking his head to the open side, which was right into the power of the kick.
How To Watch DWCS In Your Region
Defensively, Ho has good distance management, which helps him evade strikes as he either positions himself outside of his opponent’s striking range or absorbs the tail end of the strike, which has less power. However, Ho's defensive wrestling has been leaky and he has been susceptible to being taken down. Ho has also had his back taken on the ground.
Ho has initiated offensive grappling and has hunted submissions. In his fight against Enkhjargal Banzaragch, Ho immediately shot a single leg in the opening seconds after refusing to touch gloves and then turned the corner to get back exposure, where he climbed on Banzaragch's back with one hook and dragged the fight to the mat. Ho ended up winning that fight by submission, and it was off a rolling kneebar, which is not a finish you see very often in MMA. Ho went for the kneebar to counter a single-leg takedown by tucking and rolling from a standing position, then getting a 2-on-1 on his opponent's leg and hyperextending his hips into the knee joint.
Lone'er Kavanagh has blazing speed and has showcased excellent timing and accuracy in his striking, which was best on display in his KO win over Ryan Morgan. From an open stance, Kavanagh led with his right, got out of range when Morgan returned fire, and then blasted Morgan when Morgan overextended.
Kavanagh actively switches stances to create different attack angles. Kavanagh is very potent offensively, and four of his six pro wins are by KO/TKO, including a turning sidekick KO that Kavanagh threw as his opponent ducked into Kavanagh‘s closed side.
Kavanagh has capable offensive wrestling, and in his most recent fight, he was able to secure multiple takedowns through upper and lower body entries, including multiple body lock takedowns from the clinch and multiple double-leg takedowns.
Kavanagh’s one glaring flaw is that he has a tendency to leave his chin stationary and exposed in striking range. Kavanagh got dropped in his fight against Ander Sanchez off a left hook where Kavanagh’s arm was near his waist and his chin was upright and stationary. This is OK to do when outside of range, but it is very dangerous to do when inside boxing range. Kavanagh recovered from getting dropped and ended up winning a decision, but this could be an issue against a striker as explosive as Ho, especially given the power Ho has in his left hook.
Week 1 Weigh-In Results | Fight Card Preview
If Kavanagh chooses to engage in a striking match with Ho, he is capable of winning, but he will likely be at a disadvantage. Kavanagh's best path to victory is probably by taking Ho down and working from top. By putting Ho on his back and making Ho work from the bottom, Kavanagh can negate Ho's biggest strength, which is his striking. Ho has not displayed strong takedown defense, and Kavanagh's offensive wrestling looks good enough to get Ho to the ground consistently.
Both Ho and Kavanagh are explosive, electrifying prospects, and both will likely be in the UFC at some point. Ho's defensive wrestling still appears to need some development, though, which opens a path for Kavanagh to win this fight on the back of takedowns and top game.
Prediction: Lone'er Kavanagh To Win By Decision
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
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