So UFC 223 provided a lot in the way of pre-fight drama, but the card itself was a little… meh.
Luckily, the UFC plans to wash that bad taste out of our mouths on BIG FOX this weekend with a card full of bangers, headlined by professional violent men Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Carlos Condit, and Alex Oliveira.
The main card kicks off at 8pm eastern on FOX, while the prelims start at 6pm, also on FOX. The six fight early pre-lim card kicks off at an early 3:30pm on FightPass (oh yeah time for some day drinking!).
I use DraftKings for my UFC daily fantasy fix, so if you don’t have an account you can sign up here (and get a 50% bonus on your initial deposit). Also, you can check out the scoring criteria here.
Now let’s get down to business.
Value Picks
- It would be really hard to write one of these article without mentioning Justin Gaethje ($7,800). His first professional loss, and finish, occurred in his last fight. And against the former champ Eddie Alvarez he still managed a whopping 122 DFS points. Why is that? Because of his style. The man throws power, and only power, and has the chin to go long enough to wrack up those points even if he loses. I’m not betting on a win here, but I am betting on a barn burner of a fight to make that below average price worth it.
- Israel Adesanya is a hyped prospect, and deservedly so. But he gave up several takedowns against sub-par competition in his UFC debut. Marvin Vettori ($7,100) is not sub-par UFC competition, and has the strength, wrestling, and BJJ chops to make Adesanya pay for that poor takedown defense. Vettori smothers the prospect, not allowing him to show off his striking acumen, and finishes him on the ground. Book it.
Avoid
- Yushin Okami ($8,200) used to be a contender in the UFC, but his style never leant itself to building a huge fan base, or wracking up DFS points. He’s now older, back from a sojourn in the land of Bellator, and why in the world would you put that kind of cash on him? Yeah, he has a nice matchup and is the favorite to win, but he has a very low ceiling. If you need a cheap fighter, go with upside somewhere else.
- Arjan Bhullar ($9,200) is the third most expensive fighter on the card this weekend, basically because he is a big favorite. And yes, he will probably win, but his method of victory is pinning his opponent against the cage and wearing him down. Takedowns score points, but actual takedowns might be rare in this contest, and I have a hard time seeing him finishing his opponent, Adam Wieczorek, who has decent grappling of his own. This one is going to be ugly, so avoid it for DFS purposes.
BROEST BROS YOU KNOW 