Tonight’s UFC on ESPN 12 card is the last one from Las Vegas before Fight Island starts in two weeks. But you can be on the way to owning your own island as the a big winner in DraftKings MMA $600k Throwdown Special tonight, with $150,000 guaranteed for first place on just a $15 entry.
Each fighter has an assigned salary, and your roster will need six fighters that can’t exceed the salary cap of $50,000. With a premium on stopping your opponent early, picking some strikers that can end things in one round or less is the goal to get to the top of the heap.
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 here are our best bets for UFC on ESPN 11’s MMA DFS tonight at DraftKings:
Takashi Sato ($8,400)
Jason Witt is known as “The Vanilla Gorilla” and gets a lot of love from the MMA community online. But he took this fight on about 72 hours notice from contract to octagon. And he’s getting a fighter with stand-up skills that’s had a full camp.
When you add in that Witt’s last three fights have all gone the distance, this looks like a real tough spot. We’re on Sato, and hope Witt gets another opportunity that’s a bit more normal.
Sean Woodson ($8,800)
If it seems like we’re picking on the replacement fighters... we are. Julian Erosa got named to this card this week, fought just six weeks ago where he got KO-kicked in the head, and has lost three in a row. It’s just too much to overcome, especially as Woodson landed 111 strikes in his decision win over Kyle Bochniak last October. He should have an easier time tonight, and earn his fourth career stoppage.
Jordan Griffin ($8,200)
Sorry about picking off the last-minute fights on this card like this... actually not sorry at all. If the UFC is going to put together slap-dash cards, we’re going to use them to punish in DFS. Griffin got a Round 2 stoppage for his first UFC win the last time out, he’s got 14 career early endings in 18 wins, and enough of them are in the first round. His late-add opponent Youssef Zalal needed all three rounds last time to win his UFC debut on the cards, but this one doesn’t go that far. Griffin gets the bonus points you’ll need.