Welcome to another Saturday night of UFC action. This time we have a 12 fight card taking place in my own backyard of Minneapolis, Minnesota. With the way pricing is this week on Draftkings roster construction could be more difficult in tournaments as well as cash games. With that said I am going to help you navigate this card some and give you some fighters to target when constructing your cash lineups. This could be a good week to scale back the number of lineups you build for GPP’s and focus on building a solid cash lineup. Build that bankroll up for what should be a great card in UFC 239 next Saturday.
For you 1st time readers, welcome and I hope you enjoy the article. For all you regular readers, you will notice a change. Moving forward I am going to gear this article for cash games. If you want my full thoughts on the entire card, you can find them in our MMA coaches notes Yes, I know everyone wants to win that big tournament win! But a major point we make here at DFS Army is proper bankroll management. A major part of that is, of course, cash games. It may not be the sexiest way to build your bankroll but, over time it can be the most consistent. I would love to hear any feedback on this new format, and I look forward to helping everyone learn the art of creating a solid cash game lineup.
We have been on a huge run in all sports at DFS Army! Plus the new NASCAR season has started off right where we left off last season. We just had a huge win by a member last Saturday in MMA! You name the sport we cover it! If you want to join in on the winning use promo code “FORSLUND” to save 20% on your membership.
As always have some fun in tournaments this week. Just remember the Golden Rule! While chasing after the big payout is enticing always remember bankroll management. I am a firm believer in the 80-20 rule. Which is 80% of your allocated bankroll for the night in cash games and 20% in tournaments. Remember to take advantage of our Research Station and Domination Station. Plus check out the podcast, and follow me on Twitter (@MMACashAssassin) for the latest MMA and DFS Army news!
For those of you new to MMA here is a breakdown of the scoring used on Draftkings.
MMA Cash Game Basics for DFS
In cash games, unlike tournaments, we are trying to build a solid floor with our lineups. Many times that may mean using a fighter with great odds to win a match or taking someone who is severely mispriced in a solid spot. Cash games are often times card dependent. For example, if a fighter is expected to be chalky in cash games and I feel they are in a good spot I have no problem eating the chalk and just rostering him. After all, he’s chalky for a solid reason. One major difference between cash and tournament play is getting past your aversion to play the chalk. Often times, the chalk makes a lot of sense. (I’m going to use the word “chalk” a lot, if new, chalk is slang for “popular player.”) If, you ever have any questions pertaining to cash games feel free to reach out to me on Twitter or if you are a VIP shoot me a dm.
DFS MMA UFC On ESPN 3 Cash Core Plays
Francis Ngannou (-230) 8.8k
Not only is this the main event but, this fight has the best odds to end Inside The Distance (ITD) (-650). Most cards I would suggest to stack the main event in cash and move on. That’s not the case this week for me. Ngannou odd’s to win ITD are (-190) at his salary he is a must play for me in cash games. There is no way in a win in this scenario he doesn’t exceed 100+ draftkings points.
Jared Gordon (-325) 9.2k
Gordon is one of those fighters that can accumulate Draftkings points in a multitude of ways. He has landed 7.48 Significant Strikes per minute over 4 fights and 3.46 TD’s per fight. I mean last fight in a lose he scored 91 DK points. Than when you look at his to wins he scored 102.5 and 138.5. The only cause for concern is his only other UFC lose where he scored 4 drafkings points. I don’t think we need to worry about that happening this fight. Overall Gordon is a safe play when you factor in the fact that he has a solid floor.
Vinc Pichel (+240) 7.3k
When constructing your cash game lineups you will more than often be forced to take a punt in cash. We aren’t necessarily looking for the fighter to get the win we just want the ability to increase the overall floor of our lineup. By using a punt it will give you the ability to pay up for fighters in high upside matches. Pichel is going to be my cash punt this card. Vegas is expecting this fight to go to decision (-145). That means we should get 3 rounds for Pichel to work with. The fact that he lands 3.12 SS’s per minute and 4.25 TD’s per fight doesn’t hurt either. I think even in a loss Pichel should score around 30-40 Draftkings points in a decision lose.
Sure, these are MY favorite cash game plays, but maybe you play GPPs or like others. That’s fine…..you need tools, though. Our MMA Research Station is locked and loaded with every related statistic in an easy to read, color coded fashion that cuts your research time down. It allows several fighters, like the ones I mentioned, to really pop at you and make DFS life easier. But, to access this beast, you need to become a member at DFSA…
And, if you are already a member, we have podcasts related to this UFC MMA card, as well as premium articles breaking down strategy and advice even further to #RaiseYourEdge over your competition. I’m sure you’ve seen our army helmets all over the leaderboards. We have not one, not two, but THREE of the top-ranked MMA players in the world coaching our members up on a weekly basis and helping them become better MMA DFS players. See Marley’s UFC Breakdown article here.
Fight To Target In Hybrids/Tournaments
Now that we covered some cash plays. Let’s breakdown 1 fight I really think you should get exposure to in your hybrid and tournament lineups.
Alonzo Menifield (-275) 9k vs Paul Craig (+235) 7.2k
This fight is the 2nd most likely to end Inside The Distance on the entire card (-410). This fight breaks down to 1 of 2 scnerios going down. 1. Menifield beats the tar out of Craig until he knocks him out or the referee stops the fight or 2. Craig lets Menifield beat the crap out of him until he locks in a late submission. I think the 1st option is the most likely to happen but, if you are running multiple lineups be sure you have a couple with the 2nd scenario in mind. For that reason my preferred play is going to be Menifield.
DFS MMA Standing 8-Count
Ok, that was a boxing reference to make sure you are still paying attention. I hope you all enjoyed the new format and I look forward to hearing your feedback. Be sure you check out our VIP Podcast! If you are new to the sport of MMA, let us teach you the fundamentals. Become a VIP at DFS Army right now!! Our mixture of content, tools, and coaching can take the best NBA player and teach him MMA like a boss in a very short time. We have NFL guys learning Nascar, and we even have people learning how to dominate the silent sport of tennis! That’s right…..major edge in tennis, and I help out there, too.
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Good Luck Army!
