The first PPV of 2018 delivers two title fights, one between heavyweights Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou, and one between light heavyweights Daniel Cormier and Volkan Oezdemir. There rest of the card is missing some name value, but there are definitely some under-the-rader fights worth watching.
The main event starts at 10pm eastern on pay-per-view, while the pre-lim fights start on 8pm on Fox Sports 1. The Fight Pass early pre-lims begin at 7pm.
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Now let’s get down to business.
Value Picks
- Thomas Almeida ($8,200) can be hit or miss. The offensive talent is there in spades, but so are the defensive lapses. It’s as if he needs to get hit in the face a few times before he realizes that he’s in the octagon. Rob Font is no joke of an opponent, but Almeida’s firepower and offensive arsenal are hard to pass up at that price point. It might be a little scary in the opening moments of the fight, but you have to trust the process.
- Another under-looked fight on this card pits Shane Burgos ($8,400) against Calvin Kattar. Both fighters pack power in their punches, but the stylistic matchup between the two favors Burgos. Even if it goes the distance (which is doubtful), Burgos should be landing enough significant strike, and maybe a knockdown or two, to rack up those DFS points.
- Bonus Value Pick!!!!! I mean, come on. The heavyweight champion, the baddest man on the planet, is going for $7,300? Is there a good chance that Francis Ngannou knocks Stipe Miocic silly in the first round? Yes, but there’s also a good chance that Stipe avoids that power shot and lays his own brand of hurting on the challenger. This is heavyweight, folks, and that low price-tag is crazy for a fighter who could break the record of heavyweight title defenses on Saturday.
Avoid
- Gian Villante ($8,800) will probably win his fight, but unless he lands that lucky shot for a KO, his style does not lend itself to massive amounts of DFS points. Your cap space is better spend elsewhere.
- Islam Makhachev ($9,100) has a crushing wrestling style, and one that can result in DFS gold with all of the takedowns. However, his opponent this weekend is Gleison Tibau, who traditionally has done well withstanding that kind of pressure. Tibau is coming off of a two year break, and is getting up their in age, but $9,100 is a lot to bet on him having lost a step.
BROEST BROS YOU KNOW 