DraftKings MMA: UFC Singapore Preview

DraftKings MMA: UFC Singapore Preview

This article is part of our DraftKings MMA series.


If you're a fan of MMA with your breakfast, then you're in luck. The UFC kicks off at 4:30 A.M. ET with a Fight Pass event live from Singapore, featuring former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm. Lock in your lineups before letting your head hit the pillow Friday night.

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 - Women's Bantamweight

Holly Holm (10-3-0) v. Bethe Correia (10-2-1)
DraftKings Salaries: Holm ($9,600), Correia ($6,600)
Vegas Odds: Holm (-550), Correia (+425)
Odds to Finish: -155

As difficult as it is to believe, Holm hasn't won a fight since she upset Ronda Rousey for the UFC Bantamweight Championship in November 2015. The fact she was choked out by Miesha Tate was one thing, but the fact she was obliterated in back-to-back fights by pure strikers in Valentina Shevcehnko and Germaine de Randamie is far more concerning. There is no reason to believe that Holm, at age 35, is going to make significant advances in the other aspects of her game. She is well conditioned and obviously a terrific athlete, but she has shockingly little power for a woman who was a World Champion kickboxer.

Correia's DraftKings salary hasn't been this low since she met up with Ronda Rousey back at UFC 190. Simply put, she hasn't been all that much better than Holm of late. The Brazilian is 1-2-1 in her last four fights, and the lone victory was a split decision against the perennially overrated Jessica Eye. After talking her way into that title shot against Rousey, it has been downhill since. While Holm at least has one elite skill under her belt (striking), Correia has nothing to hang her hat on. Perhaps I'm overreacting, but I think there's a better than even chance she isn't a top-15 fighter in the UFC's 135-pound women's division.

While I remain bearish on Holm's future potential, I sure as heck hope that she has enough left in the tank to beat Correia. I don't expect it to be glamorous, and if Holly has issues hitting the Brazilian with regularity then she has a monumental problem. This won't be textbook dominance, but Holm should win. The real question is whether her striking volume (career 3.08 significant strikes landed/minute) can justify a massive DraftKings salary. One might even be able to make a case for "punting" this fight with a Correia selection, which would allow a DraftKings player to use five sizable favorites to fill out the rest of their lineup.

THE PICK: Holm

Co-Main Event - Heavyweight

Andrei Arlovski (25-14-0, 1NC) v. Marcin Tybura (15-2-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Arlovski ($7,500), Tybura ($8,700)
Vegas Odds: Arlovski (+200), Tybura (-240)
Odds to Finish: -285

The loser of four fights in a row, this is last call for the 38-year-old Arlovski. It's difficult to get on a fighter who has suffered setbacks against Francis Ngannou, Josh Barnett, Alistair Overeem and current UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic, but Arlovski's four-fight winning streak prior to the current losing streak appeared to be a fluke. The Pit Bull used to have a ton of power. The issue now is that he doesn't have the hand or foot speed to get into position to land those strikes. He is also getting hit more than ever. It's a dangerous combination for a professional cage fighter.

The 31-year-old Tybura has earned back-to-back KO wins after dropping a unanimous decision to Timothy Johnson in his UFC debut 14 months ago. His early numbers with the company are solid across the board. Tybura does a good job of protecting himself on the feet (just 1.79 significant strikes absorbed/minute) and he takes advantage of openings that the opposition provides. He has the look of a respectable, if not top-flight, heavyweight.

Fantasy owners have no choice but to pick Tybura here because Arlovski appears to be completely washed up. Perhaps the recent slide is the result of facing quality opponents, but he is going to have to prove that to me. Since most heavyweight fights end quickly, I think Tybura is a solid DraftKings play. Arlovski is likely going to need to land one huge punch if he plans on winning.

THE PICK: Tybura

Welterweight

Dong Hyun Kim (22-3-1, 1NC) v. Colby Covington (11-1-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Kim ($7,700), Covington ($8,500)
Vegas Odds: Kim (+265), Covington (-325)
Odds to Finish: +170

Kim is going to have the support of the crowd since he is from nearby South Korea. More importantly than that, he is a very talented fighter. He has three career losses and they have come against current UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley, number one middleweight contender Demian Maia, and former UFC Welterweight Champion and WEC Champion Carlos Condit. The one criticism of Kim is that he has had problems finishing off opponents at times. He does everything well, but he doesn't fight with a sense of urgency, especially when it comes to seeking a stoppage. Most importantly for this fight, his takedown defense (80 percent) is exceptional. If you can't stay off of your back, you have no chance of beating an elite wrestler like Covington.

Covington has averaged nearly 6.8 takedowns per fight despite the fact his takedown accuracy is an average 54 percent. Covington's striking is a work in progress. His standup game will never be on the level of his grappling, but he can be a real threat in the UFC's welterweight division if he can just get his striking to an average level. Covington lands little and gets hit little since he is generally on the mat. He possess the upper-body strength to dominate fights in the clinch.

Kim is supremely underrated. He isn't very marketable, but he has been one of the best welterweights in the world for years. Combine that with the crowd advantage and he is my pick. I'm also not crazy about Covington from a DraftKings perspective because any win of his figures to be of the slow, grinding variety.

THE PICK: Kim

Welterweight

Rafael Dos Anjos (25-9-0) v. Tarec Saffiedine (16-6-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Dos Anjos ($9,000), Saffiedine ($7,200)
Vegas Odds: Dos Anjos (-265), Saffiedine (+225)
Odds to Finish: +185

This will mark the 170-pound debut of RDA and it's shocking how little attention this fight is receiving. Dos Anjos was on a stretch of 10 wins in 11 fights that culminated with his winning the UFC Lightweight Championship from Anthony Pettis and then successfully defending it against Cowboy Cerrone in 66 seconds. RDA then lost his title to Eddie Alvarez and followed that up with a unanimous decision loss to number-one contender Tony Ferguson. After those consecutive setbacks, Dos Anjos decided to move up a weight class, but I'm not sure if I like the move. Both divisions are very deep, so I think that is a wash. RDA will be short (5-foot-8) for the welterweight division and his power may play down a bit against bigger opponents. He is still nearly certain to be an effective fighter -- he just has too many skills not to be -- but there are concerns.

Saffiedine, who was the final Strikeforce Welterweight Champion, is currently riding a two-fight losing streak and his only win in the last three and a half years came against Jake Ellenberger. His biggest issue has always been the lack of finishing power in his hands. Saffiedine has just one career win by knockout, and while he has five submission wins under his belt, you don't want to be getting into repeated ground exchanges against RDA. He is a competent welterweight, but not a high-end guy.

I would advise owners to be weary of this fight because I always try to stay away from fighters that are debuting in a new weight class for the first time. Some men handle it like they have been fighting there for their entire lives, and others experience a multitude of immediate issues. If I was forced to wager I would guess that Dos Anjos will be OK, and thus win the fight, but no one knows for certain.

THE PICK: Dos Anjos

Other Bouts

Lightweight

Takanori Gomi (35-12-0, 1NC) v. Jon Tuck (9-4-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Gomi ($7,400), Tuck ($8,800)
Vegas Odds: Gomi (+260), Tuck (-320)
Odds to Finish: -300
THE PICK: Tuck

Heavyweight

Cyril Asker (8-2-0) v. Walt Harris (9-5-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Asker ($7,000), Harris ($9,200)
Vegas Odds: Asker (+280), Harris (-345)
Odds to Finish: -365
THE PICK: Harris

Featherweight

Alex Caceres (12-10-0, 1NC) v. Rolando Dy (8-4-1, 1NC)
DraftKings Salaries: Caceres ($9,100), Dy ($7,1000)
Vegas Odds: Caceres (-325), Dy (+265)
Odds to Finish: -105
THE PICK: Caceres

Flyweight

Justin Scoggins (11-3-0) v. Ulka Sasaki (19-4-2)
DraftKings Salaries: Scoggins ($9,300), Sasaki ($6,900)
Vegas Odds: Scoggins (-500), Sasaki (+400)
Odds to Finish: +100
THE PICK: Scoggins

Welterweight

Li Jingliang (12-4-0) v. Frank Camacho (20-4-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Jingliang ($9,400), Camacho ($6,800)
Vegas Odds: Jingliang (-420), Camacho (+35)
Odds to Finish: -240
THE PICK: Jingliang

Bantamweight

Kwan Ho Kwak (9-1-0) v. Russell Doane (14-7-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Kwak ($8,600), Doane ($7,600)
Vegas Odds: Kwak (-125), Doane (+105)
Odds to Finish: +110
THE PICK: Doane

Flyweight

Naoki Inoue (10-0-0) v. Carls John De Tomas (6-0-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Inoue ($8,900), John De Tomas ($7,300)
Vegas Odds: Inoue (-275), John De Tomas (+235)
Odds to Finish: -135
THE PICK: Inoue

Women's Bantamweight

Ji Yeon Kim (6-0-2) v. Lucie Pudilova (6-2-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Kim ($8,000), Pudilova ($8,200)
Vegas Odds: Kim (+110), Pudilova (-130)
Odds to Finish: +135
THE PICK: Pudilova

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Jon Litterine plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: JLitterine.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jon Litterine
Jon Litterine is RotoWire's lead MMA Writer and MMA Editor. He has covered numerous MMA events live. He's also RW's NHL Prospect Analyst. Jon has been writing for RotoWire since 2005. He is a graduate of U Mass-Lowell.
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