This article is part of our DraftKings MMA series.
UFC Singapore takes place Saturday, and Jon Litterine is back to break down the top fights, plus offer his DFS picks and predictions for the key matchups on the card.
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, including a $750k UFC 292 Special with $200k to first place. Players get a $50,000 budget to select six fighters, and the scoring rules are noted at the bottom of the column. Let's get to the action...
Main Event - Featherweight
Max Holloway (24-7-0) v. Chan Sung Jung (17-7-0)
DK Salaries: Holloway ($9,700), Jung ($6,500)
Vegas Odds: Holloway (-850), Jung (+520)
Odds to Finish: -175
This is the latest in a long string of fights in which Holloway has nothing to gain and everything to lose. The unquestioned second-best featherweight in the world, Max is 17-3 in his past 20 fights at 145 pounds, with the three defeats coming against current champion Alexander Volkanovski. It's that last part that's the issue, as the UFC won't be rushing to book a fourth bout between the two, forcing Max to accept matchups such as this one, in which he will be well compensated but won't see his status in the division impacted.
Now 36 years of age, The Korean Zombie has alternated wins and losses in his past four fights. The victories came over an aging Frankie Edgar and Dan Ige, while the defeats were against Volkanovski in a title fight and Brian Ortega. Jung is a highly-respected veteran with a submission win over Dustin Poirier on his resume, but his athleticism was waned over the years, and he's absorbing far too much damage on the feet these days.
In the Zombie's past three bouts (Volkanovski, Ige, Ortega), he has absorbed 345 significant strikes while landing just 190. Now, he's facing an opponent in Holloway that has some of the best boxing in the division and is known for the volume with which he throws, and lands. It's a nightmare matchup for Jung from a stylistic standpoint and one that appears to be almost impossible to overcome.
If that's not bad enough, Max will enter with a four-inch edge in height, helping to negate the three-inch edge in reach that Jung possesses.
There's a case to be made no fighter on the UFC roster is better equipped for a five-round fight than Holloway. He's been competing in them for years and has some of the best cardio in the history of the sport. He's never solved Volkanovski, but neither has any other 145-pounder.
I get wary when I see main event lines this lopsided, but this one seems perfectly valid. I don't see a way Jung keeps this competitive, let alone wins. He might see the final bell because he's tough as nails, but he's going to absorb far too many shots in the process, something that unfortunately has become commonplace for him.
$9,700 is about as high of a DraftKings price as I can ever remember seeing, but Max is a volume guy on the feet and Jung has taken a beating on countless occasions and still hung around. Holloway might very well be worth it.
UFC SINGAPORE PICK: Holloway
Co-Main Event - Light Heavyweight
Anthony Smith (36-18-0) v. Ryan Spann (21-8-0)
DK Salaries: Smith ($7,900), Spann ($8,300)
Vegas Odds: Smith (+100), Spann (-120)
Odds to Finish: -650
This is a rematch of a September 2021 fight which Smith won via rear-naked choke submission in just under four minutes. In fact, that was Smith's last victory of any kind.
Smith is 3-4 in his past seven bouts dating back to May 2020. It's absolutely worth noting that the four defeats came against far stiffer competition (Glover Teixeira, Aleksandar Rakic, Magomed Ankalaev, Johnny Walker) than the three victories (Spann, Jimmy Crute, Devin Clark). Smith is still reasonably effective when you take into account he's 35 years of age with more than 50 professional fights under his belt, but the company needs to be careful regarding who it matches him up against moving forward.
Spann has fought three times since the first fight between the two. He submitted Ion Cutelaba and knocked out Dominick Reyes before being submitted by Nikita Krylov in a 215-pound catchweight bout this past March. Spann is the rare big man that is far more reliant on his ground game than his striking. He has six career wins via knockout and a dozen via submission.
Smith submitted Spann the first time around, but also knocked him down twice in the brief bout. I don't love Anthony's chances in prolonged striking battles considering how many wars he has been in over the years, but Spann isn't the type of opponent to take advantage of that potential weakness.
Then there's the fact seven of Spann's ten UFC bouts have ended in Round 1, including each of his last five. Even if he starts quickly and clearly wins the opening frame I still trust Smith's ability to fight through a difficult situation and turn the tide.
We're at the point in Smith's career that I'm actively looked to bet against him if possible, but this doesn't feel like the spot to do so. Spann's wins have all come against lesser competition, and while "Lionheart" is on the back-nine of his career, I imagine he still has more than enough left in the tank to get past Spann for a second time.
UFC SINGAPORE PICK: Smith
Featherweight
Giga Chikadze (14-3-0) v. Alex Caceres (21-13-0, 1NC)
DK Salaries: Chikadze ($9,000), Caceres ($7,200)
Vegas Odds: Chikadze (-245), Caceres (+200)
Odds to Finish: +130
Chikadze burst on to the scene with victories in his first seven UFC bouts. His first four wins came via decision (two split, two unanimous) while the last three were via knockout, including wins over Edson Barboza and Cub Swanson. Giga was then elevated to a main event spot against Calvin Kattar in January 2022 and was routed from bell-to-bell in a unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-44) defeat. He was due to face Sodiq Yusuff last September before withdrawing due to injury, so he's looking at well over a year-and-a-half on the sidelines by the time this one rolls around.
Caceres enters having won seven of eight, with his lone setback during that span being a unanimous decision defeat to the previously mentioned Yusuff. While the streak looks great on paper, all seven of the wins have come against lesser competition (Daniel Pineda, Julian Erosa, Seungwoo Choi, Kevin Croom, Austin Springer, Chase Hooper, Steven Peterson). "Bruce LeeRoy" is tough and entertaining, but it would be a stretch for him to hang in there against the best the company has to offer at age 35.
As a former professional kickboxer, Chikadze is a legitimate, high-end striker. I'm not sure the rest of his game is good enough for him to make a run at the top five at 145 pounds, but this sets up as an exceptionally good matchup for him.
Neither of these two rely on their grappling much, with both averaging less than a takedown per 15 minutes.
Assuming the fight stays standing, Caceres is probably in trouble. He defends himself well from a striking perspective (2.87 significant strikes absorbed per minute), but his greatest attribute is his size. Alex is 5-foot-10 and massive for 145 pounds. Problem is, Chikadze is 6-foot and will also enter with an inch edge in reach.
The time away is concerning for a long-term perspective, but Giga should be refreshed and ready to go here, and I think he cruises past Caceres via decision.
UFC SINGAPORE PICK: Chikadze
Women's Flyweight
Taila Santos (19-2-0) v. Erin Blanchfield (11-1-0)
DK Salaries: Santos ($7,700), Blanchfield ($8,500)
Vegas Odds: Santos (+115), Blanchfield (-135)
Odds to Finish: +180
These two were due to headline a Fight Night card this past February. Santos withdrew after her cornermen were denied visas, prompting Jessica Andrade to step in on short notice, leading to a dominant Round 2 submission win for Blanchfield.
No fighter in the female flyweight division has as much helium as Erin these days. The 24-year-old New Jersey native is yet to be challenged in five UFC bouts, winning the first two via unanimous decision and the last three via submission, including the victory over Andrade. She obviously won't continue to dominate at this pace, but everything we've seen from Blanchfield thus far suggests she has massive long-term upside.
Santos had a four-fight winning streak snapped in a split decision loss to Valentina Shevchenko in a title fight last June. Valentina's dominance isn't what it once was, but few people (myself included) gave Santos any chance of competing in that fight, let alone winning. It was a very encouraging performance on all fronts despite the setback.
Both of these women are heavily reliant on their wrestling game for success. Santos is averaging 2.29 takedowns per 15 minutes, while Blanchfield is up at 3.76 per 15 minutes. Talia is bigger and stronger, but Erin is the more explosive athlete, particularly in short bursts.
This is a particularly difficult fight to assess because you're essentially getting both women at their highest point to date.
I'm more than willing to listen to an argument Santos is the better DK play given the fact she's $800 cheaper, but if Blanchfield is truly as good as many seem to think, this could potentially be the last time in a while you can get her at any sort of discount (yes, $8,500 is a potential discount given the skill set she has displayed thus far).
Give me the favorite in a close fight.
UFC SINGAPORE PICK: Blanchfield
Other Bouts
Bantamweight
Rinya Nakamura (7-0-0) v. Fernie Garcia (10-3-0)
DK Salaries: Nakamura ($9,600), Garcia ($6,600)
Vegas Odds: Nakamura (-800), Garcia (+550)
Odds to Finish: -400
UFC SINGAPORE PICK: Nakamura
Heavyweight
Junior Tafa (4-1-0) v. Parker Porter (14-8-0)
DK Salaries: Tafa ($8,600), Porter ($7,600)
Vegas Odds: Tafa (-150), Porter (+125)
Odds to Finish: TBD
UFC SINGAPORE PICK: Porter
Heavyweight
Waldo Cortes-Acosta (9-1-0) v. Lukasz Brzeski (8-3-1, 1NC)
DK Salaries: Cortes-Acosta ($9,100), Brzeski ($7,100)
Vegas Odds: Cortes-Acosta (-250), Brzeski (+205)
Odds to Finish: TBD
UFC SINGAPORE PICK: Cortes-Acosta
Bantamweight
Toshiomi Kazama (10-3-0) v. Garrett Armfield (8-3-0)
DK Salaries: Kazama ($7,500), Armfield ($8,700)
Vegas Odds: Kazama (+140), Armfield (-115)
Odds to Finish: -190
UFC SINGAPORE PICK: Armfield
Middleweight
Chidi Njokuani (22-9-0, 1NC) v. Michal Oleksiejczuk (18-6-0, 1NC)
DK Salaries: Njokuani ($8,000), Oleksiejczuk ($8,200)
Vegas Odds: Njokuani (-105), Oleksiejczuk (-115)
Odds to Finish: TBD
UFC SINGAPORE PICK: Oleksiejczuk
Welterweight
Song Kenan (19-7-0) v. Rolando Bedoya (14-2-0)
DK Salaries: Song ($7,000), Bedoya ($9,200)
Vegas Odds: Song (+260), Bedoya (-325)
Odds to Finish: TBD
UFC SINGAPORE PICK: Bedoya
Bantamweight
Billy Goff (8-2-0) v. Yusaku Kinoshita (6-2-0)
DK Salaries: Goff ($7,800), Kinoshita ($8,400)
Vegas Odds: Goff (+115), Kinoshita (-135)
Odds to Finish: -275
UFC SINGAPORE PICK: Goff
Women's Flyweight
JJ Aldrich (11-6-0) v. Na Liang (19-6-0)
DK Salaries: Aldrich ($9,400), Na ($6,800)
Vegas Odds: Aldrich (-520), Na (+390)
Odds to Finish: TBD
UFC SINGAPORE PICK: Aldrich
Featherweight
Seungwoo Choi (10-6-0) v. Jarno Errens (13-4-1)
DK Salaries: Choi ($8,800), Errens ($7,400)
Vegas Odds: Choi (-175), Errens (+145)
Odds to Finish: -140
UFC SINGAPORE PICK: Choi
Note: All odds accurate as of time of posting, and taken from the DraftKings Sportsbook, if available, before searching elsewhere. Stay up to date for UFC Singapore with more MMA betting content.
DraftKings MMA Scoring
Note: Scoring has been updated as of early-2021! Please review the scoring changes below.
Moves Scoring
Strikes: +0.2 PTS
Significant Strikes (SS): +0.2 PTS
Control Time: +0.03 PTS/SECOND
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
Quick Win Bonus: +25 PTS
(fight is finished in 60 seconds or less)
Scoring Notes
- Significant Strikes are any Distance Strike or Clinch/Ground Strikes that are considered "Power Strikes" by official scorers.
- A Significant Strike will count as both a strike and a significant strike and will be worth a total of 0.4 Pts
- Control Time is the time spent in the dominant position on the ground or in the clinch. +0.03 points are awarded per second.
- A Knockdown is awarded to a fighter who knocks his/her opponent down due to debilitation for what the official scorers consider an appreciable amount of time.
- A Quick Win Bonus is awarded to the winning fighter if they win in the first round in 60 seconds or less.
