This article is part of our DraftKings MMA series.
UFC history will be made Saturday, as the promotion's digital streaming service will feature a world championship bout for the first time ever. The unbeaten Joanna Jedrzejczyk has taken the UFC female strawweight division by storm, and on Saturday night in Berlin, the former Muay Thai champion will make her first title defense against Jessica Penne.
If you're hoping to turn the event into an opportunity to build your DFS bankroll, DraftKings.com has you covered with a full slate of contests. Players get a $50,000 budget to select five fighters, and the scoring is distributed as follows:
Moves Scoring:
- Significant Strikes (SS): +0.5 PTS
- Advance (ADVC): +1 PT
- Takedown (TD): +2 PTS
- Reversal/Sweep (REV): +2 PTS
- Knockdown (KD): +3 PTS
Fight Conclusion Bonuses:
- 1st Round Win (1rW+): +100 PTS
- 2nd Round Win (2rW+): +70 PTS
- 3rd Round Win (3rW+): +50 PTS
- 4th Round Win (4rW+): +40 PTS
- 5th Round Win (5rW+): +40 PTS
- Decision Win (WBD+): +25 PTS
Scoring Notes:
- Significant Strikes are any Distance Strike or Clinch/Ground Strikes that are considered "Power Strikes" by official scorers.
- Advances include: moving to half guard, side control, mount or back control.
Now, on to the fights...
Main Event – Women's Strawweight
(C) Joanna Jedrzejczyk (9-0-0) v. Jessica Penne (12-3-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Jedrzejczyk ($11,300), Penne ($8,300)
Vegas Odds: Jedrzejczyk (-700), Penne (+500)
Jedrzejczyk's most challenging fight to date was in December 2014 against Claudia Gadelha, where she won a controversial split decision that earned her a title shot. She took advantage of her opportunity in March by battering Carla Esparza to win the strawweight championship. A former five-time amateur Muay Thai champion, Jedrzejczyk's biggest advantage of anyone she faces is her punching power. It seems like she throws her strikes twice as hard as whoever she's facing. She battered Esparza to the tune of a 55-6 advantage in the total strikes department. But Penne is no pushover. She's the former Invicta atomweight (105 pounds) champion and is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Half of Penne's 12 career wins have come by submission. She won a split decision over Randa Markos in her first UFC bout in December. Penne should have a chance if a good portion of the bout is spent on the mat, but there's no way she can match Jedrzejczyk on the feet. There's no woman in the strawweight division who can. I think Jedrzejczyk will win, but Penne's DraftKings salary is very reasonable.
THE PICK: Jedrzejczyk
Co-Main Event – Featherweight
Denis Siver (22-10-0, 1NC) v. Tatsuya Kawajiri (33-8-2)
DraftKings Salaries: Siver ($10,300), Kawajiri ($9,100)
Vegas Odds: Siver (-170), Kawajiri (+150)
Nobody needs a bounceback effort more than Siver. He was battered by Conor McGregor in his last bout in January, a second-round KO loss. Siver made his UFC debut way back at UFC 70 in April 2007. This will be his 20th fight for the company, as he checks in with an 11-7 record with one no-contest in his first 19 bouts. Kawajiri is coming off a unanimous decision loss to the smothering Clay Guida back in April. Siver is one of the biggest and strongest fighters in the featherweight division, and he should have the advantage in terms of both striking power and wrestling. Kawajiri had won six fights in a row before his loss to Guida and he should have a clear advantage in terms of the submission game. He has only lost twice since April 2011, to Guida and Gilbert Melendez. Both fighters are getting up there in age (Siver is 36, Kawajiri is 37), so it's unlikely we are going to see any new wrinkles from either fighter in this bout. Siver, despite being born in Russia, has trained in Manheim, Germany for many years, so he should have the crowd behind him. Siver is going to be in major trouble if he can't rebound against Kawajiri
THE PICK: Siver
Welterweight
Peter Sobotta (14-4-1) v. Steve Kennedy (22-6-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Sobotta ($10,900), Kennedy ($8,500)
Vegas Odds: Sobotta (-250), Kennedy (+210)
This has the makings of an underrated fight between two ground specialists. Sobotta made his return to the UFC in May 2014 after nearly four years away from the company, and defeated Pawel Pawlak by unanimous decision to pick up his first win with the promotion. Kennedy is making his UFC debut. A pro since 2008, nine of the Australian's 22 career victories have come via submission. It should also be pointed out that he hasn't faced anyone of note in his previous 28 professional MMA bouts. Not to be outdone, Sobotta has won nine of his 14 fights by submission. Kennedy is an unknown commodity, which makes him a risk, but with such a low DraftKings salary, he may be worth a shot if you need someone cheap to fill out your lineup.
THE PICK: Sobotta
Lightweight
Nick Hein (11-2-0, 1NC) v. Lukasz Sajewski (13-0-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Hein ($10,200), Sajewski ($9,200)
Vegas Odds: Hein (-165), Sajewski (+145)
Hein gets a spot on the main card because he's a native German. He lost his last bout to the underrated James Vick in November, but won his UFC debut back in May 2014 against Drew Dober. Sajewski will be making his first appearance for the promotion. This should be a battle between the judo skills of Hein -- he's a multiple-time European judo champion -- and the submission skills of Sajewski, who has won more than half of his fights by submission. The difference in this bout could be which fighter is more effective on their feet. Even though he's undefeated, Sajewski hasn't faced anyone in his career the caliber of Hein. Based on what I've seen of Hein in his UFC career, however, I haven't been terribly impressed.
THE PICK: Sajewski
Featherweight
Makwan Amirkhani (11-2-0) v. Masio Fullen (10-4-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Amirkhani ($10,600), Fullen ($8,800)
Vegas Odds: Amirkhani (-240), Fullen (+180)
Each of these featherweight fighters will be making their second appearances for the UFC. "Mr. Finland" (that's Amirkhani, despite the fact he was born in Iraq) steamrolled Andy Ogle via first-round TKO in his debut in January. Fullen scored a split decision victory over Alex Torres in April. Fullen would prefer the fight stay standing, while Amirkhani should have a clear advantage in the wrestling aspect, and even more so in the submission game. Fullen strikes me as a limited fighter who will struggle if this doesn't turn into a pure boxing match. I think Amirkhani has far more ways to win.
THE PICK: Amirkhani
Lightweight
Mairbek Taisumov (23-5-0) v. Alan Patrick (12-0-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Taisumov ($10,100), Patrick ($9,300)
Vegas Odds: Taisumov (-170), Patrick (+140)
Patrick has quietly been extremely impressive in his first two UFC bouts (both victories), while Taisumov is 3-1 in his first four bouts with the company. Patrick is the taller and lankier fighter, while Taisumov should have the strength advantage on fight night. I certainly like Patrick's ground game more than Taiusmov's, but I think Taisumov should be the better striker of the two. This seems like a fairly even fight to me. Even though I think Taisumov will win, Patrick's DraftKings salary is reasonable for a guy who has an undefeated record. I wouldn't hesitate to use him in order to fill out my lineup.
THE PICK: Taisumov
OTHER BOUTS
Featherweight
Alan Omer (18-4-0) v. Arnold Allen (9-1-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Omer ($10,400), Allen ($9,000)
Vegas Odds: Omer (-210), Allen (+160)
THE PICK: Allen
Featherweight
Niklas Backstrom (8-1-0, 1NC) v. Noad Lahat (8-1-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Backstrom ($10,500), Lahat ($8,900)
Vegas Odds: Backstrom (-225), Lahat (+175)
THE PICK: Backstrom
Middleweight
Scott Askham (12-1-0) v. Antonio dos Santos (6-2-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Askham ($10,700), dos Santos ($8,700)
Vegas Odds: Askham (-245), dos Santos (+175)
THE PICK: Askham
Lightweight
Piotr Hallmann (15-3-0) v. Magomed Mustafaev (11-1-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Hallmann ($9,900), Mustafaev ($9,500)
Vegas Odds: Hallmann (-125), Mustafaev (-105)
THE PICK: Mustafaev
Bantamweight
Taylor Lapilus (9-1-0) v. Ulka Sasaki (18-2-2)
DraftKings Salaries: Lapilus ($8,600), Sasaki ($10,800)
Vegas Odds: Lapilus (+205), Sasaki (-285)
THE PICK: Sasaki
