Mixed martial arts is new to the DraftKings scene, but it won’t take long for fans to catch on to the newest fantasy sports twist. UFC 182 on Saturday from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas is a perfect event to push the fusion of MMA and the one-night fantasy sports experience.
Jon “Bones” Jones will defend his UFC light heavyweight title against Daniel Cormier. By most accounts, these two hate each other. Quite obviously, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden and Jeremy Botter wouldn’t have it any other way.
Whether you’re a casual fan or a diehard who has been down since UFC 1, the Jones-Cormier saga has made for entertaining television. It will all come to a head on Saturday night, and DraftKings might allow you a way to make a few coins off the main event and/or a mixture of the other scraps on tap.
Just like in DK football, basketball and hockey games, the athletes from a night of action are appointed a salary. That salary is based on the projected performance of each fighter.
The higher the probability for success, the more the fighter will cost players to spend through their salary cap. Instead of counting points and yardage, as is the case in football and basketball leagues, significant strikes, takedowns and other statistics are what generate fantasy points in the MMA version of the contests.
For those unaware, here’s how the points break down, per DraftKings.com:
Moves Scoring
- Significant Strikes: +0.5 PTS
- Advance: +1 PT
- Takedown: +2 PTS
- Reversal/Sweep: +2 PTS
- Knockdown: +3 PTS
Fight Conclusion Bonuses
- 1st Round Win: +100 PTS
- 2nd Round Win: +70 PTS
- 3rd Round Win: +50 PTS
- 4th Round Win: +40 PTS
- 5th Round Win: +40 PTS
- Decision Win: +25 PTS
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Scoring Notes
- Significant Strikes are any Distance Strike or Clinch/Ground Strikes that are considered “Power Strikes” by official scorers.
- Advances include:
- To Half Guard
- To Side Control
- To Mount
- To Back Control
With that established, here are my picks to click for Saturday night’s epic event. Just below the table is a look at two fighters I believe will score big.
Danny “Last Call” Castillo
I totally believe Jones will beat Daniel Cormier in the main event, but if you asked me which fighter I just had to select from Saturday night’s card, it would be Castillo. This is Last Call’s 20th fight with the UFC, and he’s serious about winning. He tweeted about the milestone on Monday.
The 35-year-old is hungry and desperate for one legitimate run up the lightweight ladder. He needs a win over Paul Felder to move in that direction. Felder is inexperienced, and Castillo has displayed one-punch KO power that will only serve to complement his wrestling skills.
Castillo put Charlie Brenneman down with one shot back in April. I wouldn’t discount the chances he could win in a similar fashion on Saturday. Felder is taking a big step up in competition, and I don’t believe he’s ready.
Even if Castillo doesn’t win by KO or TKO, his busy style should bring in a good number of fantasy points for significant strikes and takedown attempts.
Per Fight Metric, Castillo lands 2.48 significant strikes per 15 minutes, and he pursues takedowns 3.34 times.
Castillo will prove to be worth the price tag attached to him.
Jared Cannonier
To win at DK—especially in MMA—you have to pick the right underdog. Cannonier—who is making his UFC debut— is my choice from Saturday’s crop. He’ll be facing Shawn Jordan in a fight that is there for the taking for Cannonier.
Jordan isn’t much for defense, and he’s been stopped in two of his last three fights. In his UFC career, Jordan has only avoided 48 percent of the strikes aimed his way. Some, such as Adam Martin of MMA Oddsbreaker, think Cannonier is too small to beat Jordan, despite the latter’s recent performances.
At the weigh-in, Cannonier was 235 pounds and Jordan was a hefty 261 pounds, per Aaron Rich of KTSM in El Paso, Texas. The weight disparity will give Cannonier a little boost rather than hinder him.
Jordan will be looking to attack and finish early. If Cannonier looks to counter or is able to get this one into the second round, Jordan will likely be exhausted and Cannonier will take control.
If there was ever a great opponent for a guy fighting in his first UFC bout, it’s this one. Cannonier is undefeated and hungry. For just $8,900, he was screaming: “pick me.”
If you want to get an edge from an unexpected source, you should tab Cannonier as one of your low-cost selections.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com