This article is part of our DraftKings MMA series.
One of the greatest fighters of all time and a surefire future Hall-of-Famer, Saturday is scheduled to be the final bout of Silva's long, storied MMA career.
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 $400k MMA Smack-o-Lantern with $100k to first place. Players get a $50,000 budget to select six fighters, and the scoring is distributed as follows:
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 - Middleweight
Anderson Silva (34-10-0, 1NC) v. Uriah Hall (16-9-0)
DK Salaries: Silva ($7,600), Hall ($8,600)
Vegas Odds: Silva (+190), Hall (-230)
Odds to Finish: -120
Silva is undoubtedly one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport, but he's just 1-6 (1NC) in his past eight fights and has but a single victory dating back to October 2012. Anderson is now 45 years old, and his movements across the board have slowed considerably. His strikes are coming at a much slower pace than ever before, and he is having difficulty getting out of the way of combinations thrown by his opposition. Silva's place in history is secure, but it's quite clear his time is up. MMA is a reactionary sport, and Anderson's ability to adapt to what is going on inside the Octagon has come and gone.
Hall has more gas left in the tank than Silva, but he has been just as inconsistent over the years. Hall has some impressive knockout wins on his resume but has generally struggled to emerge victorious against better competition. Hall tends to be too passive inside the Octagon. He has the power to finish fights but doesn't throw enough combinations. He's a really nice guy and has had difficulty with the mental aspect of fighting aggressively. The physical gifts are there, but I find it difficult to believe Uriah will suddenly change his style of fighting at age 36. He is what he is as a fighter.
This is actually a pretty difficult fight to predict considering how much experience both these guys have. On the surface, Hall seems like an easy pick and he's my choice, but I'm not as confident about it as I probably should be. He's considerably younger and has the power to give the stationary Silva trouble. On the other hand, Uriah has a questionable chin and has never been known as a fighter who rises to the occasion in big spots. Silva would presumably get a bit of a boost knowing he can empty the gas tank in his final fight, but any momentum he might have gotten from an arena full of screaming fans obviously won't be happening.
THE PICK: Hall
Co-Main Event - Featherweight
Bryce Mitchell (13-1-0) v. Andre Fili (21-7-0)
DK Salaries: Mitchell ($8,500), Fili ($7,700)
Vegas Odds: Mitchell (-145), Fili (+125)
Odds to Finish: +105
A young potential star at 145 pounds, Mitchell has been brilliant over the course of his first four UFC bouts. He's undefeated, including three decision triumphs and a rare submission via the "twister". Michell is a BJJ black belt who racked up a ton of submission wins on the regional circuit before joining the company. He also turned just 26 years of age earlier this month. The one big concern regarding Mitchell is that he has never beaten anyone of note. No one. Fili is as inconsistent as they come, but he will be the best opponent Mitchell has seen to date by a hundred miles. It's a smart booking. If Mitchell is as good as some people think he is, he should blow past Fili without issue.
Fili has been with the company for more than seven years. In that time, he has fought Max Holloway, Calvin Kattar, Yair Rodriguez and plenty of other big names. Fili's record with the UFC is 9-6-0, but he has always had difficulty defeating better competition. Fili is exceedingly durable, which is a necessity due to the fact virtually every fight in which he competes turns into a reckless brawl. The Team Alpha Male product will pull off an impressive victory here and there, but Fili doesn't have the knockout power to consistently emerge victorious in those previously mentioned brawls. I would be very surprised if we ever see Fili string together a long streak of victories. His style of fighting simply isn't conducive to prolonged success.
Mitchell has to be the pick here, but I think Fili has some value as a DK underdog. He's capable of putting together a strong effort every now and again. It's impossible to guess when those type of performances are coming, and that makes him nothing more than a dart throw, but I've spent $7,700 on far worse fighters in the past.
THE PICK: Mitchell
Heavyweight
Greg Hardy (6-2-0, 1NC) v. Maurice Greene (9-5-0)
DK Salaries: Hardy ($8,800), Greene ($7,400)
Vegas Odds: Hardy (-325), Greene (+265)
Odds to Finish: -260
Six fights into his UFC career, Hardy has been as advertised. That being, an elite athlete with a bunch of power who possesses rudimentary MMA skills and a poor gas tank. Hardy's record with the company is 3-2 (1NC), which is perfectly reasonable considering he had all of three professional fighters when he made his UFC debut in January 2019. Hardy is now 32 years old. He probably could had developed into a top-tier mixed martial artist had he picked up the sport earlier in life, but he was obviously busy playing in the NFL.
Greene seems to be a reasonable matchup for Hardy. A former Ultimate Fighter cast member, Greene is 4-2 in his first six UFC bouts. The competition level he has faced has been lousy but he is fresh off an impressive submission win over Gian Villante in June. Greene is 6-foot-7, but has just two career wins via knockout. By comparison, he has five career wins via submission. He's probably nothing more than valuable roster depth for a company that holds an event per week on average.
It's rare for Hardy to enter a fight in which he is the smaller man, but Greene will have a two-inch reach edge here. Beyond that, it's difficult to see any real advantages for "The Crochet Boss". Yes, Greene is much better on the mat than Hardy, but Hardy possesses such an advantage in both power and athleticism that I think Greene will have a difficult time generating consistent offense.
It will probably take a mistake from Hardy for Greene to win this fight. The odds of that happening are actually halfway decent but still less than 50/50.
THE PICK: Hardy
Lightweight
Thiago Moises (13-4-0) v. Bobby Green (27-10-1)
DK Salaries: Moises ($7,200), Green ($9,000)
Vegas Odds: Moises (+250), Green (-300)
Odds to Finish: +160
On the verge of being potentially released following a stretch which saw him go 1-5-1 from November 2014 to November 2019, Green has rebounded to pick up three unanimous-decision victories in less than a three-month span from this past June to September. If nothing else, Green has steadied the ship following a rough, rough stretch. The main concern for Green at this point are his age (34 years old) and the lack of stopping power in his hands. Green's last knockout victory came nearly seven years ago and that simply isn't going to work against better competition. Green's job is safe regardless of Saturday's result, but it's a stretch to consider him any type of contender despite his recent run of success.
An alum of Dana White's Contender Series Brazil, Moises has alternated wins and losses in his first four UFC bouts. His last fight was a second-round submission win over Michael Johnson this past May. Moises has youth on his side here -- he won't turn 26 years old until this coming March -- but he offers little in the stand-up game. He should have an advantage over Green on the mat, but he has to get the fight there first. The fact Moises absorbs 3.54 significant strikes per minute while landing just 2.68 strikes signifies his struggles in the striking game. It's difficult to believe, but an extended kickboxing match favors Green here.
Green's price tag here is substantial. I'm not particularly high on Moises, but I'd feel a lot better about Green if he was more in the area of $8500. He's an aging fighter with a limited offensive arsenal, and that makes me wary of paying up for him. Still, he should win.
THE PICK: Green
Other Fights
Middleweight
Kevin Holland (19-5-0) v. Makhmud Muradov (24-6-0)
DK Salaries: Holland ($8,200), Muradov ($8,000)
Vegas Odds: Holland (-140), Muradov (+120)
Odds to Finish: +140
THE PICK: Muradov
Lightweight
Chris Gruetzemacher (14-3-0) v. Alexander Hernandez (11-3-0)
DK Salaries: Gruetzemacher ($6,900), Hernandez ($9,300)
Vegas Odds: Gruetzemacher (+315), Hernandez (-380)
Odds to Finish: +110
THE PICK: Hernandez
Bantamweight
Adrian Yanez (11-3-0) v. Victor Rodriguez (4-2-0)
DK Salaries: TBD
Vegas Odds: Yanez (-360), Rodriguez (+300)
Odds to Finish: -245
THE PICK: Yanez
Middleweight
Sean Strickland (20-3-0) v. Jack Marshman (23-9-0)
DK Salaries: Strickland ($9,100), Marshman ($7,100)
Vegas Odds: Strickland (-335), Marshman (+275)
Odds to Finish: -115
THE PICK: Strickland
Welterweight
Cole Williams (11-2-0) v. Jason Witt (17-6-0)
DK Salaries: Williams ($7,900), Witt ($8,300)
Vegas Odds: Williams (+120), Witt (-140)
Odds to Finish: +125
THE PICK: Williams
Light Heavyweight
Dustin Jacoby (12-5-0) v. Justin Ledet (9-3-0, 1NC)
DK Salaries: Jacoby ($8,900), Ledet ($7,300)
Vegas Odds: Jacoby (-330), Ledet (+270)
Odds to Finish: -150
THE PICK: Jacoby
Women's Flyweight
Cortney Casey (9-8-0) v. Priscila Cachoeira (9-3-0)
DK Salaries: Casey ($8,700), Cachoeira ($7,500)
Vegas Odds: Casey (-240), Cacoheira (+200)
Odds to Finish: +170
THE PICK: Casey
Bantamweight
Miles Johns (10-1-0) v. Kevin Natividad (9-1-0)
DK Salaries: Johns ($8,400), Natividad ($7,800)
Vegas Odds: Johns (-160), Natvidad (+140)
Odds to Finish: +140
THE PICK: Johns
