This Saturday, January 31, the UFC will be hosting UFC 183 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This card will feature several great fights, but none are more highly anticipated than the main event. Anderson Silva, considered by many to be the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, is taking on the always exciting Nick Diaz. The only way to make this fight even more exciting is by creating a Fantasy MMA lineup at DraftKings. Here are the contest details:
-$20,000 prize pool.
– First place wins $2,000
– $2 entry fee (FREE with first deposit)
– Top 2,300 finishing positions are paid.
– Starts Saturday, January 31st at 6:00 PM EST
– Salary Cap Style Drafting. $50,000 to select 5 players
– First time depositors at DraftKings receive a 100% bonus up to $600
Fighters to stay away from: McMann, Tate, Herman, McCall, Natal, Watson
McMann and Tate will be fighting each other in what should be a very competitive fight. That being said, this fight will probably go all three rounds and may turn into a grappling fight, quickly. If this does in fact happen, neither fighter will really rack up the fantasy points.
Herman has a relatively high decision percentage. He’s also fighting a better grappler that will look to grind out a decision win.
McCall is the favorite in his fight, however, his excellent movement and counter-striking won’t rack up the fantasy points.
Natal and Watson are both pretty average fighters that have a relatively high decision percentage.
Fighters with good values: Silva, Woodley, Lauzon, Lineker
Silva is arguably the greatest fighter of all time. Whenever he steps inside the cage, everyone knows that something amazing is going to happen. He averages 83.4 points a fight, and it’s no surprise considering his finishing abilities. As long as his chin holds up, he should be able to eventually get the KO/TKO win.
Woodley, Lauzon, and Lineker are all considered underdogs in their respected fights. However, all three of them have a high finishing rate. Woodley may very well end up the favorite by the time the odds close, so he is an absolute steal at $9,700. He is somewhat predictable, unfortunately. His gameplan is usually to backup, threaten the takedown, and throw several overhand rights. Even though he brings the same usual tools to the table, he should be faster and more explosive than his opponent.
Lauzon is a seasoned scrappy veteran who possesses very impressive submission skills. His opponent, Iaquinta, is the favorite and rightfully so. He has better stand up and he has good wrestling as well. However, Iaquinta has been caught in submissions before, especially during scrambles or transitions. With that bit of information, Lauzon priced at $9,200 could very well cash-out.
Lineker is also a sizable underdog. However, he does possess a great amount of power despite being a flyweight. Not saying he is invincible, but if this fight ends by KO, most likely, it won’t be Lineker going to sleep.
With all that said, here is a good lineup example:
Silva — $11,900
Woodley — $9,700
Lauzon — $9,200
Mein — $10,200
Lineker — $8,900
Sign up for DraftKings to try out this weekend’s MMA Tournament
A lot of these fights are going to be closely contested, however, I hope this article helps. Enjoy the fights Saturday.
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