UFC 301 is taking place on Saturday from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The card is headlined by a flyweight title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Steve Erceg. Brazilian legend Jose Aldo is also making his return after a brief retirement to fight Jonathan Martinez in the co-main event.

Don’t miss the UFC 301 preview episode of The Anik & Florian Podcast airing this Saturday, May 4th, at 4 p.m. ET on DraftKings Network! See more about how to watch DraftKings Network FOR FREE here.

DraftKings is hosting a big UFC 301 fantasy MMA tournament that pays out $600,000 in total prizes, including $150,000 to first place. Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $600K UFC 301 Special [$150K to 1st].

Studs

Michel Pereira ($9,600)

Pereira enters his fight against Ihor Potieria as a massive -600 favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, which makes him one of the biggest favorites on the slate. Pereira’s massive moneyline makes him a very safe fantasy play, and Pereira also carries upside. Pereira is the most likely fighter on the slate to win the fight in the first 60 seconds of Round 1 based on the DraftKings Sportsbook odds, which is notable given DraftKings awards extra fantasy points for wins within the first minute. Pereira has narrowly missed this bonus in each of his last two fights, winning in 66 and 61 seconds, respectively.

Pereira has landed plus striking volume, landing over five significant strikes per minute, one of the higher rates on the slate. Potieria has absorbed over five significant strikes per minute, an elevated rate, which could create an opportunity for Pereira to land strikes at an efficient clip.

Alexandre Pantoja ($8,800)

Pantoja has showcased fantasy scoring upside recently through an ability to blend grappling volume with striking volume over a prolonged 25-minute fight. Over his last two fights, Pantoja has recorded 14 total takedowns and over 25 minutes of control time, good for a control time percentage of roughly 50%. Combined with his striking stats and getting the win, it’s translated to an elite 140 DraftKings fantasy points per fight over his last two five-round title fights.

Pantoja enters his matchup against Steve Erceg as about a -200 favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, putting him in a good position to get the win. Pantoja’s strength of schedule has been substantially stronger than Erceg’s—Erceg was practically forced into this title bout due to Pantoja lacking other strong options for a title defense. This fight being five rounds is notable because it potentially creates 10 extra minutes to generate fantasy scoring if it goes the distance.

Value Play

Jack Shore ($7,700)

Shore enters his fight against Joanderson Brito with advantages in several key striking metrics. Shore has a better strikes landed to absorbed ratio, better striking accuracy (58% to 51%), and better striking defense (57% to 47%). Shore is also capable of generating takedown volume to aid fantasy scoring, converting 3.5 takedowns per 15 minutes, which could play a factor in this fight as Brito’s takedown defense is not strong on a rate basis (50%). This is a competitive fight and the salary structure should probably be closer, which potentially creates value for Shore at $7,700, the 11th cheapest fighter on the slate.

Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $600K UFC 301 Special [$150K to 1st]

Play Reignmakers UFC! Open packs or scout, collect and bid on officially licensed UFC cards on the DraftKings Marketplace and battle against other players for prizes in fantasy sports contests!

The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!

Bet at a top rated Sportsbook!

View the latest odds and bet online legally at a top rated Sportsbook! Place a bet now at DraftKings Sportsbook!*

*Odds and lines are for illustrative purposes only.

• Bet at DraftKings Sportsbook

All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests. The contents contained in this article do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups.