DraftKings MMA: UFC Fight Night 75 Preview

DraftKings MMA: UFC Fight Night 75 Preview

This article is part of our DraftKings MMA series.

One heavyweight who made his name in the land of the rising sun returns to Japan to take on one of the UFC's most popular fighters in the main event of Saturday's event from Saitama, Japan.

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:

Moves Scoring
Significant Strikes (SS): +0.5 PTS
Advance (ADVC): +1 PT
Takedown (TD): +2 PTS
Reversal/Sweep (REV): +2 PTS
Knockdown (KD): +3 PTS

Fight Conclusion Bonuses
1st Round Win (1rW+): +100 PTS
2nd Round Win (2rW+): +70 PTS
3rd Round Win (3rW+): +50 PTS
4th Round Win (4rW+): +40 PTS
5th Round Win (5rW+): +40 PTS
Decision Win (WBD+): +25 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

Josh Barnett (33-7-0) v. Roy Nelson (21-11-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Barnett ($10,800), Nelson $8,600)
Vegas Odds: Barnett (-270), Nelson (+230)

Yes, Josh Barnett is still competing in the UFC. We haven't seen him since December 2013, but he gets back into the octagon Saturday. Barnett has been around quite a long time. He is 37 years old and has fought the best in the world (Daniel Cormier, Frank Mir, Mark Hunt, Mirko Cro Cop, Dan Severn, Randy Couture, etc.). Barnett is also the current Metamoris, which is a grappling jiu-jitsu promotion in Brazil, heavyweight champion. The point being that even though he hasn't fought in the UFC in nearly two years, Barnett keeps active and rust shouldn't be an issue. Nelson is going backwards. He is 39 years old and while he was never a picture of physical fitness, he has looked even worse lately. "Big Country" is what he is – a guy with monumental knockout power and a terrific chin who is hoping to end the fight with one big shot. Nelson has lost four of his last five, although they have been against good competition (Stipe Miocic, Hunt, Cormier, Alistair Overeem). Because of his power, Nelson has a chance to win any fight that he is in. The problem lately has been that his movements have slowed and he spends far too much time standing in front of his opponents. This is something fighters need to avoid, especially in the heavyweight division. I think Barnett should win this fight, even if he is a little rusty. Nelson's game is just too predictable. Barnett will have to watch out for that one big punch from Nelson, but he has enough experience to not fall into that trap that many other fighters have against Big Country. Nelson could be worth a look for those praying for a quick KO on DraftKings, but that's about it.
THE PICK: Barnett

Co-Main Event – Middleweight

Gegard Mousasi (37-5-2) v. Uriah Hall (12-5-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Mousasi ($11,300), Hall ($8,100)
Vegas Odds: Mousasi (-470), Hall (+375)

This fight isn't getting talked about much, but it is actually a pretty good one. It's a real contrast in styles. Mousasi is a guy who's game appeals more to hardcore MMA fans as opposed to the casual ones. He is slow, methodical and can almost look bored in the octagon. He is far from flashy, but he does everything well. He has 21 wins by knockout, 10 by submission and only six by decision. The former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion is still fairly young at 30 years old, despite all his experience. Hall is a chronic underachiever. He is one of the most explosive strikers and best athletes in the middleweight division, but he tends to come up short every time he faces better competition. Mousasi certainly qualifies as that. I actually like the idea of the aggressive Hall forcing Mousasi to become more active to win this fight. Mousasi's striking is underrated, but we really see it in bunches because he is so methodical. I think Hall has the ability to take this fight the entire 15 minutes, but it is hard to see him winning.
THE PICK: Mousasi

Flyweight

Kyoji Horiguchi (15-1-0) v. Chico Camus (14-6-0, 1NC)
DraftKings Salaries: Horiguchi ($11,000), Camus ($8,400)
Vegas Odds: Horiguchi (-335), Camus (+275)

The UFC's flyweight division is getting deeper seemingly by the day, but the problem is that it still doesn't have anyone who can challenge champion Demetrious Johnson. Horiguchi got his shot in April and was dominated the entire fight before being submitted late in the final round. Horiguchi clearly wasn't ready for the fight and it's hard to find fault with a 24-year-old being dominated by arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Horiguchi will have a chance to bounce back in this one, but Camus is no push over. Camus is 1-1 since dropping down to flyweight. He defeated Brad Pickett via split decision and lost a unanimous decision to Henry Cejudo, although his performance in the Cejudo fight was by no means terrible. This has a potential to be an all out war on the feet. The strength for both of these fighters is their striking and both fighters, especially Camus, will enter the octagon confident. This should be a close fight, and when that happens I tend to take the younger guy who doesn't have to travel halfway around the world to get to the arena. That being said, Camus is as tough as they come and his DK salary is entirely reasonable.
THE PICK: Horiguchi

Bantamweight

Takeya Mizugaki (20-9-2) v. George Roop (15-12-1)
DraftKings Salaries: Mizugaki ($10,500), Roop ($8,900)
Vegas Odds: Mizugaki (-235), Roop (+195)

Roop's biggest (and perhaps only) advantage in this fight is going to be his length. It is difficult to believe that a guy who is 6-1 can make 135 pounds, but Roop has been doing it on a consistent basis for the last 2.5 years. If Roop can land strikes at distance in this fight, he has a chance to win a decision. One would think a veteran like Mizugaki would realize that his main objective should be to get in tight against Roop's body. Mizugaki has lost two in a row after a five-fight winning streak, but those two losses came to Dominick Cruz and Aljamain Sterling, so it is hard to get too worked about the two L's. This fight has decision written all over it. Roop probably has more power because of his size, but Mizugaki is just a better fighter. Takeya is a legitimate top-10 bantamweight while Roop is more roster depth at this point. As long as Mizugaki doesn't allow Roop to unload with shots from distance, he should be fine.
THE PICK: Mizugaki

Other Bouts

Featherweight

Mizuto Hirota (14-7-1) v. Teruhito Ishihara (8-2-1)
DraftKings Salaries: Hirota ($10,400), Ishihara ($9,000)
Vegas Odds: Hirota (-235), Ishihara (+195)
THE PICK: Ishihara

Featherweight

Katsunori Kikuno (24-7-2) v. Diego Brandao (23-10-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Kikuno ($8,800), Brandao ($10,600)
Vegas Odds: Kikuno (+190), Brandao (-130)
THE PICK: Brandao

Welterweight

Keita Nakamura (30-6-2) v. Li Jingliang (10-3-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Nakamura ($9,100), Li ($10,300)
Vegas Odds: Nakamura (+215), Li (-255)
THE PICK: Li

Lightweight

Nick Hein (12-2-0) v. Yasuke Kasuya (9-1-2)
DraftKings Salaries: Hein ($10,900), Kasuya ($8,500)
Vegas Odds: Hein (-270), Kasuya (+230)
THE PICK: Hein

Lightweight

Naoyuki Kotani (33-12-7) v. Kajan Johnson (20-12-1)
DraftKings Salaries: Kotani ($8,700), Johnson ($10,700)
Vegas Odds: Kotani (+220), Johnson (-260)
THE PICK: Kotani

Welterweight

Shinsho Anzai (8-2-0) v. Roger Zapata (4-1-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Anzai ($9,700), Zapata ($9,700)
Vegas Odds: Anzai (-110), Zapata (-110)
THE PICK: Zapata

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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