DraftKings MMA: UFC 193 Preview

DraftKings MMA: UFC 193 Preview

This article is part of our DraftKings MMA series.

The two most dangerous unarmed females in the world headline a card in Melbourne, Australia in which the UFC hopes to set a new attendance record.

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 – Women's Bantamweight Championship

Ronda Rousey (C) (12-0-0) v. Holly Holm (9-0-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Rousey ($11,400), Holm ($8,000)
Vegas Odds:Rousey (-1900), Holm (+1200)

This fight was due to take place in early January at UFC 195, but injuries to other fighters caused the bout to be moved up. We all know what Rousey is going to do, so this little preview will focus mostly on Holm. Holm isn't ready to fight Rousey (and probably never will be), but the UFC just has no other options at this point. The extra two months would have allowed Holm and well-respected coach Greg Jackson to further work on their game plan, but let's be honest – it's probably not going to make much of a difference either way. Holm's strength is her kickboxing. She would probably look halfway competent if Rousey allowed her to stand at distance and strike with her. The problem is that Ronda is going to get in her face and throw her to the mat, probably seconds after the opening bell rings. Holm keeps herself in great shape, but she's 34 years old and outside of kickboxing, she has limited exposure to the skills required to be a successful MMA fighter. She looked dreadful in her UFC debut against Raquel Pennington in February (split decision win) and only slightly better in her last fight against Marion Reneau in July (unanimous decision win). The only chance any woman would ever have to beat Rousey is to land that one huge punch that leads to a finish. That isn't Holm's strength. You aren't going to win a 25-minute decision from Ronda. This isn't a huge secret, but this sport isn't as easy as Ronda makes it look. Her last four title defense have lasted a combined 2:10. And while Holm is probably better than Bethe Correa, who was Rousey's last opponent, she's not on the level of previous title challengers such as Miesha Tate, Cat Zingano and Alexis Davis. I hate to say it, because it isn't the most entertaining thing in the world to watch, but I put the over/under on the length of this fight at about three minutes.
THE PICK: Rousey

Co-Main Event – Women's Strawweight Championship

Joanna Jedrzejczyk (C) (10-0-0) v. Valerie Letourneau (8-3-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Jedrzejczyk ($11,300), Letourneau ($8,100)
Vegas Odds: Jedrzejczyk (-2150), Letourneau (+1300)

To get an idea how much of a mismatch this one is, Holm has a better chance of winning than Letourneau. One can legitimately worry about Letourneau's well being in this case. Letourneau is 3-0 in the UFC, all three victories were decisions, and the last two came in the 115-pound division. Sounds great, but here's the problem – A) Letourneau has fought three nobodies and more importantly, B) even though she's won these fights, Letourneau has been battered in each of them. Letourneau loves to stand and trade. If she stands and trades with Joanna, she is going to find herself on death's doorstep sooner rather than later. Letourneau is tough, a hard worker and comes from a great camp (American Top Team), but there is a real difference here in natural athletic ability. Jedrzejczyk is a six-time world Muay Thai champion. In simpler terms, she can beat up basically any woman alive on the feet. Combine that with Letourneau's propensity to get hit and you have about the largest mismatch you will ever see in a title fight. I have zero idea what Letourneau's game plan is going to be, but I can promise you that it won't be exchanging power shots with Joanna on the feet. If you want to throw $100 bucks on a big underdog or take a shot with an extremely low salary on DK, I would use Holm before I used Letourneau. If Letourneau can get out of the first round, this would have to be considered a major win for her.
THE PICK: Jedrzejczyk

Heavyweight

Mark Hunt (10-9-1) v. Bigfoot Silva (19-7-0, 1NC)
DraftKings Salaries: Hunt ($10,500), Silva ($8,900)
Vegas Odds: Hunt (-265), Silva (+225)

This, is a rematch of a December 2013 draw between the two fighters that at the time, was one of the most entertaining fights in UFC history. Bigfoot failed his post-fight drug test, which led to him receiving a NC while the fight remained a draw on Hunt's record. I am having a bit of a problem trying to break this one down. Since the first fight, Hunt knocked out Roy Nelson, but his last two fights, mostly recently against Stipe Miocic (in which he took arguably the worst beating in UFC history) have resulted in TKO losses. Bigfoot looked like he was about to hang up his gloves after back-to-back first-round KO losses to Andrei Arlovski and Frank Mir, but he responded with a TKO win over the recently-retired Soa Palelei in August. I will say that I am not a fan of the Vegas odds or the DK salaries here. I see this as more of a pick 'em fight than anything else. There are two reasons I am leaning towards Hunt – 1) He is going to have the crowd behind him and 2) He has shown a much better chin that Bigfoot in the past. After all, it took 361 total strikes landed before Miocic was able to finish off Hunt. Hunt is my pick, but I have no problem with anyone who wants to insert Silva into his or her DK lineup. This is a close fight, closer than the odds indicate.
THE PICK: Hunt

Middleweight

Uriah Hall (13-5-0) v. Robert Whittaker (14-4-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Hall ($9,800), Whittaker ($9,600)
Vegas Odds: Hall (-125), Whittaker (+105)

This was scheduled to be Whittaker v. Michael Bisping, but Bisping had to withdraw due to an elbow injury. Coming off the best win of his career against Gegard Mousasi a little over a month ago, Hall agreed to step in on short notice. Uriah has always been one of the most vicious strikers in the middleweight division, but he has been plagued by inconsistency throughout his career. Whittaker spent most of his career at welterweight, but he moved up to middleweight just about a year ago. In two fights at 185 pounds, Whittaker has picked up back-to-back wins over Clint Hester and Brad Tavares. This could be a potential Fight of the Night between two guys who prefer to strike and do little else. An argument can certainly be made that Hall has faced the better competition, but Whittaker is seven years younger. This is a close fight, as evident by the Vegas odds and the DK salaries. Hall certainly has the power to end this fight with one shot, but I think Whittaker has far more room to grow at this point in his career. It also helps that he is the younger fighter and that he doesn't have to travel to the other side of the world to get to the arena.
THE PICK: Whittaker

Heavyweight

Stefan Struve (30-7-0) v. Jared Rosholt (13-2-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Struve ($9,900), Rosholt ($9,500)
Vegas Odds: Struve (-130), Rosholt (+110)

This is another matchup between a striker (Struve) and a wrestler (Rosholt). At seven feet tall, Struve is going to have a massive height advantage over anyone he faces. He is the tallest fighter in UFC history and to no one's surprise, his best work comes when he uses his kickboxing skills at distance. Rosholt is a former Division I wrestler from Oklahoma State and it's a near certainty that his plan will be to try to drag Struve to the ground. Of course, it's easier said than done to get a guy of Struve's size to the mat. Struve has displayed a questionable chin on numerous occasions, but Rosholt has never been a guy who is known for his knockout power. Rosholt should be fine if this turns into a wrestling/ground fight, but I am not sure it will turn into that on a consistent basis. I would by no means be shocked if Rosholt won, but I'll takes the sure thing (Struve's size) over the question mark (Rosholt's ability to get him to the ground).
THE PICK: Struve

Other Bouts


Lightweight

Jake Matthews (9-1-0) v. Akbarh Arreola (23-9-1)
DraftKings Salaries: Matthews ($11,000), Arreola ($8,300)
Vegas Odds: Matthews (-800), Arreola (+550)
THE PICK: Matthews

Welterweight

Kyle Noke (20-7-1) v. Peter Sobotta (15-4-1)
DraftKings Salaries: Noke ($9,200), Sobotta ($10,200)
Vegas Odds: Noke (+145) Sobotta (-165)
THE PICK: Sobotta

Light Heavyweight

Anthony Perosh (15-8-0) v. Gian Villante (13-5-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Perosh ($8,500), Villante ($10,900)
Vegas Odds: Perosh (+305), Villante (-365)
THE PICK: Villante

Flyweight

Richie Vaculik (10-4-0) v. Danny Martinez (17-7-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Vaculik ($9,700), Martinez ($9,700)
Vegas Odds: Vaculik (-110), Martinez (-110)
THE PICK: Martinez

Middleweight

Daniel Kelly (9-1-0) v. Steve Montgomery (8-3-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Kelly ($9,000), Montgomery ($10,300)
Vegas Odds: Kelly (+210), Montgomery (-250)
THE PICK: Montgomery

Welterweight

Richard Walsh (8-4-0) v. Steve Kennedy (22-7-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Walsh ($10,800), Kennedy ($8,600)
Vegas Odds: Walsh (-325), Kennedy (+265)
THE PICK: Walsh

Welterweight

James Moontasri (8-3-0) v. Anton Zafir (7-1-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Moontasri ($10,600), Zafir ($8,800)
Vegas Odds: Moontasri (-280), Zafir (+240)
THE PICK: Zafir

Flyweight

Ben Nguyen (13-5-0) v. Ryan Benoit (8-3-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Nguyen ($10,000), Benoit ($9,400)
Vegas Odds: Nguyen (-145), Benoit (+125)
THE PICK: Nguyen

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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