Welcome to the last card before we get a week off over Christmas. We have 12 fights on this card. Lineup lock is a bit earlier this Saturday so plan accordingly. Remember these are my initial thoughts, to get my thoughts after weigh-ins be sure to join myself and our VIP members in Slack Chat. As always be sure to check out the MMA Research Station and be sure to follow me on Twitter! Happy Holidays! Let’s try and earn some extra green for those last minute gifts. If you are not a VIP member, take a look at all of the great DFS tools and content you have access to here.
Before we get to the fight breakdowns I wanted to congratulate DFS Army Member / Staff Fighton on this incredible $50,000 2nd place NBA finish on DraftKings this week!
This is just another example of life-changing money won by DFS Army members this year! Now on to the fights.
Want to try a free month of DFS Army VIP Membership? See How
Mein (-135) 8.3k vs Silva (+115) 7.8k
Mein is coming into this fight having lost his last 3. He isn’t very good anywhere. He is a decent striker, but that’s about it. Silva is a decent striker as well. He does tend to gas fairly quickly. He doesn’t have normally more than a round in him. If only running 3-5 lineups this fight is very fadable. I start to have a little more interest in contests I am running more than 10 lineups. Vegas does think this fight inside the distance. Silva has a bit more upside just based on price savings so, I would slightly lean towards him. It’s not with confidence though.
Taleb (-125) 8.3k vs Roberts (+105) 7.9k
Taleb is a physical fighter. He is a decent striker with good leg kicks. He is also a decent grappler. He does train out of Tri-Star (this camp is really good at teaching fighters to point fight). Roberts is a good boxer who throws together solid combinations. He is a decent grappler as well. He has shown in past fights that he is hittable and has a suspect chin. Taleb is perfectly content staying at range here and winning this fight via decision. Roberts on the other hand I think will want to end this fight inside the distance. Just based on upside alone I like Roberts more as a tournament play. Taleb is in play as well, I just don’t know how much I will be using him in my lineups.
Chirico (-130) 7.6k vs Bamgbose (+110) 8.6k
Here we have a solid cash value play. Chirico is a good wrestler with a solid takedown game. He also has good ground and pound once he gets you down. Bamgbose is a decent striker with solid power. His main issue is he fights really hard for the 1st round. Then after that, he completely gasses out. As long as Chirico can weather this initial onslaught he has a very good chance to win this fight. Chirico is great in all formats. Basically a free square in cash. Bamgbose is worth using in 1-2 lineups if you are doing more then 12 lineups. Just be aware of his gassing issues. He should be low owned and would put up a solid score if he does win (most likely would be a 1st Rd finish).
Marquez (-340) 9.1k vs Stewart (+280) 7.1k
Marquez has good power with solid leg kicks. He also has decent takedown defense. Stewart this fight on short notice. He also had his last fight about a month ago. He is a decent grappler if he can get the fight to the mat. I don’t think that outcome is likely to happen with Marquez’s TD defense. Marquez is playable in all formats. Stewart is not someone I will be using much of personally.
Want to try a free month of DFS Army VIP Membership? See How
Cannonier (-170) 8.8k vs Blachowicz (+150) 7.4k
Cannonier is athletic with decent power. He is a good striker that has no problem grinding it out. This is his first full camp training at the MMA Lab. Blachowicz has decent power with good leg kicks (his body kicks are his most dangerous). He has solid takedowns with good submissions. Both of these guys are in play in tournaments. I will have exposure to both.
Elliot (-260) 9k vs Menga (+220) 7.2k
Elliott is an ok striker. He has solid takedowns and is a good grappler. Menga is taking this fight on 1 weeks notice. His last fight was over a year ago. He has decent stand-up and solid jiu-jitsu. Elliott is the ultimate GPP play. Two fights ago he scored over 170 DK points by using his grappling. Then his last fight he got finished in the 1st Round and scored 2 DK points. He is way to risky for cash but, based on how many people he let down last time could go low owned in tournaments. I think Menga is worth some shots in tournaments. In a win, he would crush value. Overall I want some exposure to this fight in general.
Laprise (-155) 8.2k vs Bofando (+135) 8k
Laprise has a decent jab and is a decent wrestler. He likes to fight at distance and just work that jab. His main reason for this is probably his weak chin. Bofando is athletic with solid power. He sometimes likes to throw crazy strikes (spinning back fists being an example). He is decent on the ground. He doesn’t have the best TD defense. This is a good fight to target with both of these fighters in the midrange. Whichever wins here should put up a decent score for the price. My lean would be towards Bofando because of his upside and salary.
Trujillo (-170) 8.9k vs Makdessi (+150) 7.3k
Trujillo is a good striker with solid power. He also has good submissions. Makdessi trains out of Tri Star (take note of what I mentioned earlier). He hasn’t had a fight in over a year. He doesn’t strike me as great anywhere. He also has a pretty poor chin. I like Trujillo in all formats. The only lineups I will have any exposure to Makdessi is as a hedge (only 1 or 2 lineups).
Want to try a free month of DFS Army VIP Membership? See How
Cirkunov (-155) 8.5k vs Teixeira (+135) 7.7k
Cirkunov is a decent striker. He has a very solid ground game. He is coming off a very weird loss in his last fight. He was basically knocked out with a rabbit punch. Teixeira is a good striker. He also is a good counter striker. He is solid on the ground with decent submissions. Both of these 2 are playable in tournaments. I like Teixeira at his price in a very winnable fight. Cirkunov is worthy of a few plays. His most likely outcome in a win would be very grappling based (grappling points can rack up quickly). Overall another solid fight to target in general.
Ponzinibbio (-175) 8.7k vs Perry (+155) 7.5k
Ponzi is a good striker with good power. He also has a solid jab. He often times gets tagged early (normally he recovers fairly quickly). Perry is a good striker with good elbows. He has very good power. He is also strong when working out of the clinch. Most of his wins have come by way of KO. Both of these fighters are very strong plays in tournaments. Whoever wins this fight will score very well. Perry will most likely be popular in his price range. I will have a high exposure to this fight.
Lamas (-280) 9.3k vs Emmett (+240) 6.9k
Lamas is a decent striker with good leg kicks. He is a good wrestler with solid takedowns. Emmett is a solid striker with good power. He is also a solid wrestler. I have some strong opinions about this fight. I am going to save the juicy details for our VIP members in slack!
Dos Anjos (-125) 8.1k vs Lawler (+105) 8.1k
This is the main event. If you have read this article before you know when possible I look to stacking this fight in cash. That is in play here for sure.
Dos Anjos has good leg kicks and good knees. He is also solid in the clinch. He is solid on the ground with solid jiu-jitsu. Lawler is a good striker with good power. He will also have the size and reach advantage. Both fighters are very much in play for tournaments. I prefer Lawler more at this time.
Want to try a free month of DFS Army VIP Membership? See How
Once again Happy Holidays! Good luck everyone, don’t forget to check out the MMA Research Station to help you build your lineups, and follow me on Twitter!
Join the DFS Army
Do you want access to the most advanced Daily Fantasy Sports tools in the industry? How about the chance to talk player picks and lineups with our DFS Pros and like-minded players? DFS Army VIP Members get all of that PLUS access to our best in the industry projections and optimization tools. Go to DFS Army VIP membership and join the Army today! You won’t find a better deal or a better DFS team to join!
