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Tonight’s UFC Jacksonville card has plenty of ways to get down action, but knowing who can win and how might make you a $100,000 winner in DraftKings Mid-Week Melee, which has a $400,000 guaranteed prize pool for just a $10 entry.
Each mixed martial artist has an assigned salary, and your roster of six fighters and must not exceed the salary cap of $50,000. And with a premium on stopping your opponent early, picking some strikers that can end things in one round or less would be a great way to advance to the top of the table.
Here’s how the scoring works, and notice how heavily it leans towards winning big and early:
Moves
Significant Strikes: +0.5 Pts
Advance: +3 Pts
Takedown: +5 Pts
Reversal/Sweep: +5 Pts
Knockdown: +10 Pts
Fight Conclusion Bonuses
1st Round Win: +90 Pts
2nd Round Win: +70 Pts
3rd Round Win: +45 Pts
4th Round Win: +40 Pts
5th Round Win: +40 Pts
Decision Win: +30 Pts
So with that knowledge, here are our best bets for UFC Fight Night Jacksonville and the $400k Mid-Week Melee.
Anthony Smith ($9,000)
“Lionheart” is above average pricing for a reason as he stops fighters before the final bell. He’s 7-2 in his last nine bouts, but all seven wins were by KO or submission. Two of those were in the first round. And on the big stage tonight, the #4-ranked fighter in the light heavyweight division has a chance to win early and big in the main event.
Ben Rothwell ($7,500)
He’s a tiny underdog entering the fight, but when he wins it’s not because of the judges. He’s 5-3 in his last eight fights, and the wins were all stoppages and the losses were all decisions. Two of those stoppages were in the first round, and so you’re getting a great price on a fighter that can win, as well as free up some capital for some pricier purchases elsewhere.
Drew Dober ($8,300)
This guy just flattens people. His last two fights were first-round KO’s, and five of his last six have ended before the 15 minutes were up. He’s also a -125 favorite on the money line to win. Getting a guy that knocks people early out at par roster money is always a great bet in MMA DFS.
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