Here’s a DraftKings breakdown for UFC Fight Night 98. In this breakdown, you’ll see the best options for your fantasy lineup.
On Saturday night, a pair of lightweights will clash in the main event of TUF Latin America 3 Finale (UFC Fight Night 98). Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos will face off against Tony Ferguson. The winner of this will most likely get the next shot at the title.
In the co-main event, Diego Sanchez will welcome Marcin held to the octagon in a lightweight bout. The fight card kicks off at 6:30 PM ET/ 3:30 PM PT on UFC Fight Pass. It will move over to FOX Sports 1 for the rest of the prelims and the main card at 8 PM ET/ 5 PM PT.
Like every fight card, there’s always money to made on DraftKings. To get an idea of how it works, visit the Daily Fantasy MMA League Rules Page.
Also, feel free to comment down below to discuss the fights or contact me via Twitter.
UFC Fight Pass early prelims
Sam Alvey ($9,100) vs. Alex Nicholson ($7,100)
Alvey has looked very impressive in his UFC wins. He’s a powerful striker, he’s durable, and he can be crafty with his submissions if needed. He’s averaged 71.7 FPPG (fantasy points per game) in eight UFC bouts.
Nicholson is 1-1 in the UFC so far. Prior to his promotional debut, he was 6-1 in his MMA career. So far, he’s averaged 58.5 FPPG in two UFC fights.
Nicholson has great power in his hands. This is evident with six of his seven wins coming by knockout. But, it doesn’t mean he looks good doing it. He’s very awkward with his striking and his grappling is way below average.
Alvey is the superior fighter in every way. A knockout can definitely happen here. Nicholson is tough, but Alvey will land some bombs on him. Expect Alvey to get a finish one way or another.
Pick: Sam Alvey by TKO or submission in the second round
Polo Reyes ($8,900) vs. Jason Novelli ($7,300)
Reyes (121.8 FPPG) is an extremely active fighter. He’s mostly a striker and his grappling game is a work in progress. But, if he gets taken down, he finds a way to get back up and land some bombs.
In his fight against Dong Hyun Kim, he landed 136 significant strikers, which is amazing. He scored a total of 139 fantasy points in that match-up.
Novelli is well-rounded, but he’s mostly a grappler. He looks to take fights to the mat and work his submission game. But, based on his last performance, his chances aren’t looking great here. He only scored four fantasy points in his debut against David Teymur, who’s a great striker. He faces a similar match-up here against Reyes.
Based on his high volume striking and Novelli’s struggles with a striker in his last bout, Reyes has this in the bag. Look for Reyes to stay busy throughout the course of three rounds and get the finish.
Pick: Polo Reyes by TKO in the second round
Enrique Barzola ($9,500) vs. Chris Avila ($6,700)
Barzola (54.8 FPPG) is always improving his entire MMA game and he looks better each and every fight. He’s 1-1 in the UFC, but his lone loss was a controversial one. The good thing is he has an extremely favorable match-up against Avila.
Avila faced off against Artem Lobov in his UFC debut and was mediocre, only scoring 21 fantasy points. In his past fights outside of the UFC, he was mostly a grappler since his striking is rudimentary. Basically, he’s just not a UFC caliber fighter yet.
Barzola should take this fight and win however he wants. He’s the better striker and is good enough on the ground to win there as well.
Pick: Enrique Barzola by decision