This article is part of our Drake's Takes series.
Darian Weeks (5-2-0) v. Yohan Lainesse (8-1-0)
Darian Weeks - Height: 5'11" - Reach: 72" - Orthodox
~ High volume
~ Plus wrestling
~ 5 finishes in 5 wins
Yohan Lainesse - Height: 6'1" - Reach: 76" – Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 6 finishes in 8 wins
DFS Perspective: Weeks is taking this fight on short notice but should have the advantage in cardio. He will have an edge on the mat and should look to chain takedowns or keep Lainesse clinched against the cage. Lainesse should have a power advantage early, but if he does not find the early knockout, he likely fades late due to poor cardio. If Weeks had a full camp, I would probably be all for him winning this fight, but without it, it's closer to a 50-50. I would not trust either guy for cash, but both make solid GPP options.
UFC 279 Pick: Lainesse
Melissa Martinez (7-0-0) v. Elise Reed (5-2-0)
Melissa Martinez - Height: 5'2" - Reach: 64" - Southpaw
~ Moderate volume
~ Minimal wrestling/grappling
~ 6 finishes in 7 wins
Elise Reed - Height: 5'3" - Reach: 63" – Orthodox
~ Low volume
~ Minimal wrestling/grappling
~ 2 finishes in 5 wins
DFS Perspective: I expect this to be a 15-minute striking affair. Martinez is making her debut and looks to be a wild striker with decent power. She is still green and tends to leave herself open to straight shots. Reed is a technical striker and will have the edge in experience and precision. This fight could go either way, but I would lean the way of Reed, given that she has fought better competition and has the cleaner striking.
UFC 279 Pick: Reed
Chad Anheliger (12-5-0) v. Heili Alateng (15-8-1, 2NC)
Chad Anheliger - Height: 5'6" - Reach: 64" - Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus grappling
~ 10 finishes in 12 wins
Heili Alateng - Height: 5'5" - Reach: 66" – Orthodox
~ Low volume
~ Plus wrestling
~ 8 finishes in 15 wins
DFS Perspective: Anheliger should be better and can finish it anywhere this fight goes. He has solid power and is an excellent grappler. Alateng has the power to end this fight early but would need to land something clean, as Anheliger pressures forward. He could also grab an early takedown and keep top control to steal a round. I expect Anheliger to apply constant pressure and eventually record an early finish, making him a solid play for cash and GPP contests.
UFC 279 Pick: Anheliger
Norma Dumont (7-2-0) v. Danyelle Wolf (1-0-0)
Norma Dumont - Height: 5'7" - Reach: 67" - Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling
~ 2 finishes in 7 wins
Danyelle Wolf - Height: 5'5" - Reach: 76" – Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Decent wrestling/grappling
~ 0 finishes in 1 win
DFS Perspective: I do not anticipate much coming from this fight. Dumont tends to fight slowly and defensively. She would have a considerable advantage if she were to look for takedowns and control. Wolf is making her debut at 39 after winning on DWCS two years ago. She is a professional boxer with excellent striking but little MMA experience. A 15-minute striking affair would likely be close, with Wolf edging Dumont out with volume. I would expect Dumont to get this to the mat, where she could dominate with control. This is another fight where I would not trust either in cash, but both could make decent plays for GPP contests.
UFC 279 Pick: Dumont
Jake Collier (13-7-0) v. Chris Barnett (22-8-0)
Jake Collier - Height: 6'3" - Reach: 78" - Orthodox
~ High volume
~ Decent wrestling/grappling
~ 9 finishes in 13 wins
Chris Barnett - Height: 5'9" - Reach: 75" – Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Minimal wrestling/grappling
~ 17 finishes in 22 wins
DFS Perspective: I expect this to be a 15-minute striking match. Collier should have the advantage with volume and control time if it goes to a decision, taking it on the cards. Barnett is more likely to be the winner if there is an early stoppage. It is hard to trust either guy in cash. Collier may not score well enough in a decision to hit value, so Barnett would be the only play I would make.
UFC 279 Pick: Barnett
Denis Tiuliulin (10-6-0) v. Jamie Pickett (13-7-0)
Denis Tiuliulin - Height: 6'1" - Reach: 77" - Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Minimal wrestling/grappling
~ 8 finishes in 9 wins
Jamie Pickett - Height: 6'2" - Reach: 80" – Orthodox
~ Low volume
~ Plus wrestling
~ 9 finishes in 13 wins
DFS Perspective: Another fight I expect to stay on the feet for as long as it lasts. Either guy could wind up scoring a knockout, but Pickett would have the advantage with volume if it went to the judges. I will lean the way of Pickett for that reason, but Tiuliulin makes an excellent GPP play, as all but one of his knockout wins came in the first round.
UFC 279 Pick: Pickett
Jailton Almeida (16-2-0) v. Anton Turkalj (8-0-0)
Jailton Almeida - Height: 6'3" - Reach: 79" - Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 16 finishes in 16 wins
Anton Turkalj - Height: 6'4" - Reach: 78" – Orthodox
~ Low volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 7 finishes in 8 wins
DFS Perspective: This should be an absolute banger. Almeida has been nothing short of incredible since joining the promotion and will be looking to make it three in a row against the debuting Turkalj. Turkalj looked phenomenal in his DWCS fight, earning his contract, and will be looking to build off that. Both guys are exciting fighters, but I think Almeida is better everywhere and records another early finish. He is expensive, but an early finish should nail value. Turkalj makes a solid GPP dart play, given his finishing ability.
UFC 279 Pick: Almeida
Hakeem Dawodu (13-2-1) v. Julian Erosa (27-10-0)
Hakeem Dawodu - Height: 5'8" - Reach: 73" - Orthodox
~ High volume
~ Minimal wrestling/grappling
~ 7 finishes in 13 wins
Julian Erosa - Height: 6'1" - Reach: 74" – Southpaw
~ High volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 23 finishes in 27 wins
DFS Perspective: Dawodu put on a masterclass of striking in his last fight and will have another advantage in striking against Erosa. He has excellent volume but tends to lack the power to finish fights. Erosa is as tough as they come and is a fantastic striker in his own right, though a bit more wild. He will have a considerable advantage with grappling and will likely look to snare Dawodu's neck early and often. I think these odds should be closer, if not flipped entirely, making Erosa my favorite dog on the card. I like him in cash and GPP contests.
UFC 279 Pick: Erosa
Johnny Walker (18-7-0) v. Ion Cutelaba (16-7-1)
Johnny Walker - Height: 6'6" - Reach: 82" - Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Decent wrestling/grappling
~ 17 finishes in 18 wins
Ion Cutelaba - Height: 6'1" - Reach: 75" – Southpaw
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling
~ 14 finishes in 16 wins
DFS Perspective: This could easily go down as one of the more exciting fights on the card. Neither guy has been performing exceptionally well over their last five fights, so both should come in hot. Walker will have an obvious size advantage and should look to keep this fight at range. He is a wild striker, which tends to get him caught, but he throws with a ton of power and records a lot of knockouts. Cutelaba has power in his own right but will have a considerable advantage on the mat if he looks to use his wrestling early. Either guy could wind up with a finish here, but I will side with Cutelaba, with his wrestling making the difference. I like Cutelaba for cash and GPP contests, but Walker makes a solid GPP target, as this fight likely does not see the bell.
UFC 279 Pick: Cutelaba
Irene Aldana (13-6-0) v. Macy Chiasson (9-2-0)
Irene Aldana - Height: 5'9" - Reach: 68" - Orthodox
~ High volume
~ Decent wrestling/grappling
~ 10 finishes in 13 wins
Macy Chiasson - Height: 5'11" - Reach: 72" – Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 4 finishes in 8 wins
DFS Perspective: Aldana is one of the top fighters in the division and has used her excellent striking to record two knockout wins in her last three fights. She throws a lot of volume and uses solid defense to avoid getting hit and keeping the fight on the feet. Chiasson is slowly making her way up the UFC rankings and is now receiving her toughest test. She is a decent striker but likes to pressure fighters into the clinch and look for trip takedowns for control on the mat. I see Aldana keeping this fight upright and eventually overwhelming Chiasson to an early finish. Aldana is a solid play for cash and GPP contests.
UFC 279 Pick: Aldana
Kevin Holland (23-7-0, 1NC) v. Daniel Rodriguez (16-2-0)
Kevin Holland - Height: 6'3" - Reach: 81" - Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus grappling
~ 19 finishes in 23 wins
Daniel Rodriguez - Height: 6'1" - Reach: 74" – Southpaw
~ High volume
~ Decent wrestling/grappling
~ 12 finishes in 16 wins
DFS Perspective: Holland has the reach advantage over just about everyone, and this fight is no different. He will likely fight from a distance, throwing jabs down the middle and lobbing kicks everywhere. On the other hand, Rodriguez is a banger and loves to fight in the pocket nose to nose. He will likely pressure forward and force a fight Holland is uncomfortable with. I expect this to be a highly entertaining, back-and-forth battle between both fighters. Holland could look to mix in some takedowns, but I do not think he will find success with them. Many people will be backing Holland, but I like D-Rod in this spot and think he either finds a knockout or crushes Holland with volume. Rodriguez is one of my favorite dogs on the slate.
UFC 279 Pick: Rodriguez
Jingliang Li (19-7-0) v. Tony Ferguson (26-7-0)
Li Jingliang - Height: 6'0" - Reach: 71" - Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling
~ 14 finishes in 19 wins
Tony Ferguson - Height: 5'11" - Reach: 76" – Orthodox
~ High volume
~ Plus grappling
~ 20 finishes in 25 wins
DFS Perspective: It is always hard to pick against Ferguson, but I do not see him having much success in this fight unless he finds a choke early. He can still put up decent volume, but he looks to be nearing the end of the line. I expect Li to overpower him, causing Ferguson to lose his fifth in a row. Li has been submitted twice and has struggled in grappling exchanges, so if Ferguson is going to pull this out, it would be in that fashion. I like Li in cash and GPP contests, with Ferguson sprinkled in mass entry tournaments.
UFC 279 Pick: Li
Khamzat Chimaev (11-0-0) v. Nate Diaz (21-13-0)
Khamzat Chimaev - Height: 6'2" - Reach: 75" - Orthodox
~ High volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 10 finishes in 11 wins
Nate Diaz - Height: 6'0" - Reach: 76" – Southpaw
~ High volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 16 finishes in 20 wins
DFS Perspective: Diaz last fought in June of last year and November of 2019 before that. He did not look good in either fight but is as tough as they come. Chimaev continues to prove he is the real deal and I am pretty much sold now. He is a complete fighter with excellent striking and phenomenal ground game. I expect Chimaev to have his way with Diaz, forcing him to fight wherever he wants to. Diaz's best chance will come on the mat by submission, but I do not see it happening. Chimaev is safe for all contests.
UFC 279 Pick: Chimaev
For more MMA DFS-specific content, check out our DraftKings MMA preview, or play around with your favorite combinations of fighters on our DFS MMA Lineup Optimizer.
FANDUEL MMA SCORING
Moves Scoring
Significant Strikes = 0.6 pts
Takedown = 6 pts
Takedown Defense = 3 pts
Knockdown = 12 pts
Submission Attempt = 5 pts
Fight Conclusion Bonuses
1st Round Win = 100 pts
2nd Round Win = 75 pts
3rd Round Win = 50 pts
4th Round Win = 35 pts
5th Round Win = 25 pts
Decision Win = 20 pts
Scoring Notes
- Significant Strikes are distance strikes or clinch/ground strikes that are considered "power strikes" by official scorers.
- A knockdown is awarded to a fighter who knocks his/her opponent down due to debilitation for what the official scorers consider a substantial time.
DRAFTKINGS MMA SCORING
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 strikes 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 time.
- A Quick Win Bonus is awarded to the winning fighter if they win in the first round in 60 seconds or less.
