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The final UFC Apex event of 2024 takes place this Saturday in Las Vegas. This marks the UFC's 100th visit to the Apex in Las Vegas, headlined by an electric bout in the welterweight division between UFC veteran Neil Magny and up-and-coming Carlos Prates. Originally, a flyweight bout between former two-time flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi was expected to headline UFC Vegas 100. However, the fight was moved to UFC Edmonton one week before this event.
Alongside this main event, the co-main features Ricky Turcios taking on Benardo Sopaj. On the main card of UFC Vegas 100, we have Gerald Meerschaert taking on former ONE Championship titleholder Reinier de Ridder in a middleweight bout. We’ll also see former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz try to fend off another hot prospect in Denise Gomes.
In this article, I will be providing you with my fantasy MMA lineup picks for UFC Vegas 100: Magny vs. Prates on 11/9/24. Give me a follow on X @sumpor5. Good luck!
DraftKings MMA Welterweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Carlos Prates, $9,600 - vs. Neil Magny
Up-and-coming Carlos Prates is scheduled to take on UFC veteran Neil Magny in the main event of UFC Vegas 100 on Saturday.
Magny will look to get back in the win column after losing his last bout to Michael Morales. In contrast, Prates won his last fight against Li Jingliang and will look to extend his win streak to four.
He's been unstoppable since he walked into the Octagon! 🔥
Carlos Prates looks to keep his undefeated streak alive this weekend at #UFCVegas100 pic.twitter.com/yztMrRqqb2
— UFC (@ufc) November 7, 2024
Prates joined the UFC in 2023 after his knockout win over Mitch Ramirez on "Dana White’s Contender Series" and had his first UFC fight in 2024 at UFC Vegas 86, where he knocked out Trevin Giles. He's on a 10-fight winning streak and has won each of his first three UFC bouts, all by knockout. Prates was last seen in action at UFC 305, where he became the first man to knock Jingliang out.
Magny is one of the longest-serving fighters on the UFC roster, having competed under the banner since February 2013. He's faced some of the biggest names in the division, from Robbie Lawler to Gilbert Burns, has fought across multiple generations of welterweight talent, and has the record for most wins in the UFC’s welterweight division. Magny has already fought twice this year, stopping Mike Malott via third-round TKO before being knocked out in the first round by Michael Morales this past summer.
Prates enters this fight with an MMA record of 20-6 and is 3-0 in the UFC. He's averaging 4.71 significant strikes per minute and his striking accuracy is 57%. Prates is absorbing 5.02 strikes per minute and his striking defense is 48%. His takedown defense is 80%.
Magny enters this fight as the underdog with an MMA record of 29-12 and is 22-11 in the UFC. He averages 3.44 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 46%. Magny absorbs 2.48 strikes per minute, with his striking defense being 51%. Regarding his grappling, Magny is averaging 2.15 takedowns every 15 minutes. His takedown defense is 54% and his takedown accuracy is 40%.
Prates is known for his scary knockout power, and Magny's durability is not what it used to be. Magny hasn't been what he once was, as he's been alternating wins and losses while Prates has been on a tear. My prediction is that Prates is going to knock Magny out early in the fight.
DraftKings MMA Middleweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Reinier de Ridder, $9,100 - vs. Gerald Meerschaert
Former ONE middleweight and light heavyweight champion Reinier de Ridder is set to square off against UFC veteran Gerald Meerschaert on the main card of UFC Vegas 100. In his last bout, de Ridder got back in the win column by defeating Magomedmurad Khasaev via first-round TKO. His opponent, Meerschaert, will look to extend his win streak to three.
De Ridder steps into the Octagon with an impressive record of 17 wins and two losses. He's a black belt in both judo and BJJ, and most of his wins have come by submission. Out of his 17 wins, de Ridder has won three times by knockout or TKO, two times by decision, and 12 times via submission.
Just like de Ridder, Meerschaert has won most of his fights via submission. Meerschaert holds the record for the most submission wins in UFC middleweight history, showcasing his elite-level grappling. 29 of his 37 career wins have come by submission, six by knockout/TKO, and two via decision. After his split decision loss to Andre Petroski, Meerschaert won back-to-back fights by finishing both Bryan Barberena and Edmen Shahbazyan.
Meerschaert enters this fight with an MMA record of 37-17. He's averaging 3.13 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 45%. His striking defense is 53% and he absorbs 3.47 strikes per minute. Regarding his grappling, Meerschaert is averaging 2.14 takedowns every 15 minutes and his takedown accuracy is 36%, with his takedown defense being 34%.
This almost seems like a perfect fight for de Ridder. De Ridder's ability to control the fight, whether on the feet or the ground, will be crucial against Meerschaert, who has shown vulnerabilities in striking exchanges. Both de Ridder and Meerschaert are submission specialists, but when it comes to striking and power, I just have to give an edge to de Ridder.
I expect de Ridder to stop takedown attempts by Meerschaert and I see him peacing up Meerschaert on the feet and eventually stopping him. I'm going for the favorite de Ridder on this one by second- or third-round TKO.
DraftKings MMA Middleweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Mansur Abdul-Malik, $9,300 - vs. Dusko Todorovic
UFC newcomer Mansur Abdul-Malik and Dusko Todorovic are scheduled to open up the UFC Vegas 100 main card on Saturday. Abdul-Malik secured his UFC contract by defeating Wes Schultz on the "Contender" series in his last bout and is looking for his first UFC win, while Todorovic hopes to get back in the win column.
Abdul-Malik enters this bout with an MMA record of 6-0. He's known for being a finisher, with five of his fights ending by knockout/TKO and one via submission. It should be mentioned that Abdul-Malik has finished all of his fights in the first round. With his wrestling background and vicious ground-and-pound, Abdul-Malik seems to be a new rising threat in the middleweight division.
His opponent, Todorovic, made his UFC debut in 2020. Like Abdul-Malik, Todorovic earned his UFC contract after his victory in the "Contender" series. Todorovic hasn't been active in a year after tearing his ACL in his last fight against Christian Leroy Duncan, which resulted in the fourth loss of his UFC career. He's gone 2-3 in his last five and has either knocked out or been knocked out in the last four.
Abdul-Malik averages 5.38 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 53%. He absorbs 5.16 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 54%. His takedown defense is 75%.
Todorovic enters this fight with an MMA record of 12-4 and is 3-4 in the UFC. He's averaging 5.54 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 57%. Todorovic absorbs 4.55 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 46%. Regarding his grappling, Todorovic is averaging 0.96 takedowns every 15 minutes. He has a takedown accuracy of 12% and a takedown defense of 45%.
Abdul-Malik's striking power and grappling background give him a significant edge against Todorovic, in my opinion. Todorovic has been finished in three of his four UFC losses, and unlike Todorovic, Abdul-Malik has the knockout power to finish the fight. My prediction is that Abdul-Malik is going to knock Todorovic out via TKO within two rounds.
