UFC ON ESPN 23 DFS MMA cash picks and strategy for Prochazka vs Reyes on May 1st starts here! This time we have a 12-fight card taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are several very close matches on this card which will make for some interesting choices in your tournament builds. But, that’s not what this article is about. My goal is to help navigate you through this interesting card and find some solid fighters to begin your cash game construction with.
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 2020 NBA 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 from NBA to MMA, and 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!
MMA UFC 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.
June 13, 2020; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Merab Dvalishvili (Red Gloves) reacts after the conclusion of his fight against Gustavo Lopez during UFC Fight Night at the UFC APEX. Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via USA TODAY Sports
DFS MMA UFC On ESPN 23 Cash Core Plays
Merab Dvalishvili (-255) 9k
Merab fights typically translate to DFS gold in his UFC wins. He has recorded 124.4+ DraftKings points in 4 of his 5 UFC wins. We know what to expect from him in his fights and that’s to relentlessly go for takedowns (Averages 7.8 TD’s per fight). Throw in the fact that he averages 2.26 Minutes of control time a round. To sum this up Dvalishvili has a solid floor in a win and an even higher ceiling. I feel comfortable locking him into my cash games on this slate and strongly suggest you do the same.
Jiri Prochazka (-130) 8.3k vs Dominick Reyes (+110) 7.9k
For those of you new to the sport of MMA and cash games in particular, often times we are looking to target a fight to stack in cash games because the fight has a high likelihood of producing a high score from the winner. The problem is you don’t want to pick a side and get the winner wrong. All you have to do is look at the DraftKings scores of both fighters in their previous wins. Jiri scored 93.3 DraftKings points in his UFC debut and Dominick has 81.6+ DraftKings points in 5 of his 6 wins. Bottom line the winner of this fight is going to post a decent score alone and both fighters are good enough strikers that I could see them getting at least 30-40 in a loss (if not more). To sum this all up, the stack should produce a 120+ score, if not higher. No need to overthink you cash games on this tricky card, just lock this stack into your builds and move on.
Cub Swanson (+150) 7.6k
In order to fit the higher-priced favorites on this card you are going to have to punt with an underdog or 2 on this card. Cub is my favorite cash punt on the entire card. This fight is expected to go to decision with a prop of -155. I see no reason Swanson doesn’t reach 30-40 DraftKings points in a decision loss and I wouldn’t be shocked if he even got the win. That’s all we need from him at this salary and by using him in your cash builds it allows more flexibility with the rest of your lineup construction. This is the route I am taking on this card and I think you should entertain the thought as well.
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 UFC 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.
MMA UFC 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.
Kai Kamaka (-145) 8.4k vs TJ Brown (+125) 7.8k
This fight carries a Fight carries a Fight Goes To Decision prop of -175. Both fighters have paths to putting up strong DFS scores and the winner of this fight has a good chance to be on the optimal lineup (even more so with the newer scoring format on DraftKings). I will personally have a good amount of exposure to this fight in tournaments (north of 60%). Overall this fight will score well for DraftKings purposes. My preferred play is Brown because he is the better grappler and should be looking to land TD’s whenever possible. If you plan on playing multiple lineups in tournaments this is a great fight to target both sides of in my opinion.
DFS MMA UFC 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 to go along with this be sure you check out our new tutorial on how to MME for MMA by our CEO Geek. 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!