DFS considerations for Jordan Griffin vs. Youssef Zalal

Jordan Griffin was originally scheduled to take on Darrick Minner at UFC on ESPN 10 two weeks ago, but now he’ll draw Youssef Zalal instead, who makes his sophomore appearance tonight at UFC on ESPN 12.

DraftKings DFS Values

Jordan Griffin $8,200
Youssef Zalal: $8,000

Griffin is the underdog at +107 on the money line, while the replacement Zalal is a -134 favorite.

“The Native Psycho” Griffin is a member of the Bad River Band Of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians. He’s 18-7 but 1-2 in the UFC, earning his first win on the big stage in his last fight against T.J. Brown via guillotine choke. Prior to that he had lost back-to-back decisions to Dan Ige and Chas Skelly, but earned his contract with a Dana White’s Contender Series win against Maurice Mitchell by rear-naked choke.

When he wins, it’s without the judges: 14 of his 18 career MMA victories have been by stoppage, and eight of those forced his opponent to tap.

Zalal has an 8-2 career record, and won his UFC debut over Austin Lingo at UFC 247 in February. That fight went the distance, and Zalal controlled it from the mat with six takedowns in the unanimous decision win. Five of his eight career wins have come by submission, and he’s yet to be stopped as an MMA pro.

Griffin might be the underdog on the money line, but he’s favored in DFS for his stopping ability. He looked pretty hyped at the weigh-in yesterday, and his last win likely gave him some confidence in a UFC ring. He’s also had a full camp to prepare. We’ll be on Griffin in most of our rosters as the upside is too high to pass on him here.

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