This article is part of our DraftKings MMA series.

The UFC makes their first appearance in the state capital of New York in a rare Friday card from Albany.

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:

(Please note that DraftKings has altered their scoring system. The new point values are listed below and the rosters will now expand from 5 to 6 fighters).

Moves Scoring
Significant Strikes (SS): +0.5 PTS
Advance (ADVC): +3 PT
Takedown (TD): +5 PTS
Reversal/Sweep (REV): +5 PTS
Knockdown (KD): +10 PTS

Fight Conclusion Bonuses
1st Round Win (1rW+): +90 PTS
2nd Round Win (2rW+): +70 PTS
3rd Round Win (3rW+): +45 PTS
4th Round Win (4rW+): +40 PTS
5th Round Win (5rW+): +40 PTS
Decision Win (WBD+): +30 PTS

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

Now, on to the fights...

Main Event – Heavyweight

It's crazy to think that Lewis has worked his way into the main event of a UFC card, but when you give the people what they want -- entertaining fights that end in a knockout -- you get rewarded. In his two and a half years with the company, Lewis has had nine fights. He is 7-2 with six knockout wins, two knockout losses, and a split-decision win over Roy Nelson in his last fight in July. Lewis has insane power, and while the rest of his game is lacking and will be exploited if he starts facing the best fighters in the world, he has been able to get away with his style of fighting thus far.

Abdurakhimov is 2-1 in the UFC, and it will have been just over two months in between fights when he steps into the octagon on Friday. The 35-year-old has developed a reputation as a strong mat wrestler, although we haven't seen any of that during his brief time with the company. The Russian is giving away three inches in reach to Lewis, so if he was thinking about getting into a slugfest with The Black Beast, that's just another reason for Shamil to implement a different game plan.

Look, Lewis' long-term ceiling is limited. A fighter cannot climb their way to the top of any division as a one-trick pony. That being said, the type of opponents who are going to give him trouble are the ones who can constantly threaten him with the takedown and limit Lewis' ability to throw power shots. Abdurakhimov hasn't proven that over the course of his UFC run. His current takedown accuracy stands at just over 9 percent, which just isn't going to get the job done. The good times are going to come to an end for Lewis in the near future, but Abdurakhimov's strengths make it unlikely that he will be the man to stop the run of The Black Beast.

THE PICK: Lewis

Co-Main Event – Heavyweight

Every single one of these heavyweight fights come with an asterisk next to them, because all of the fighters hit so hard that any man can finish the other one at any given moment. I would be borderline shocked if this fight saw the final bell.

Ngannou has earned three-straight KO/TKO wins since making his UFC debut a little less than a year ago. A truly massive human being, Ngannou also has above-average submission skills, although he hasn't had to use them in his brief UFC career.

Similar to Ngannou, Hamilton's primary weapons are his fists. He throws more than Ngannou, but he also gets hit nearly twice as much, which is something that could be catastrophic in a fight such as this one. Hamilton is a good wrestler, but given the pure strength of Ngannou, it's hard to believe that the Freight Train will be able to drag him to the mat on a consistent basis.

I think Ngannou has a realistic chance to turn into a top-10 heavyweight at some point, but needs more reps against quality fighters. Hamilton is more roster depth than anything else, but he hits hard enough that he can end any fight in an instant. These heavyweight fights make for good DK plays because they rarely go the distance. It's easy to see why Ngannou is favored, but there are worse ideas out there than putting Hamilton in your lineup and letting him swing for the fences. That type of salary relief can make room for multiple favorites.

THE PICK: Matthews

Other Bouts

Light Heavyweight

Light Heavyweight

Light Heavyweight

Women's Strawweight

Welterweight

Middlweight

Middleweight

Featherweight

Lightweight

Middleweight

Women's Strawweight