UFC Fight Night: Best DraftKings Fantasy Picks for Mendes vs. Lamas Fight Card
On a night with just 10 bouts scheduled, every fighter on the UFC Fight Night 63 card is available for DraftKings players to select.
You can select five, but one of them has to be Chad "Money" Mendes. Despite the fact that he's scheduled to face a tough competitor in Ricardo Lamas, Mendes' DK salary is an event-high $11,300.
That's because those who set the salary slots are aware of Mendes' ability and the way he's performed against anyone not named Jose Aldo.
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Mendes has only lost two fights in his mixed martial arts career, and both of those defeats came to Aldo. He's 16-0 against everyone else.
When Mendes wins, he's almost always impressive, and he often gets the finish. Before his most recent defeat to Aldo in Oct. 2014, Money had recorded four straight wins by knockout or TKO. In this fight, he has an opponent who has proven vulnerable to stoppages.
Two of Lamas' three defeats have come by KO/TKO.
Neither of the fighters who stopped him (Iuri Alcantara and Danny Castillo) are as strong and explosive as Mendes. Based on his aggression, wrestling and striking power, Mendes is a good pick to win by stoppage.
On the flip side, I'd stay away from Clay Guida. The Carpenter is a fan favorite, and he's in a bout he probably should win based on his wrestling prowess. However, he's looked bad in his recent fights. He was never the quickest fighter, but he's looked slow even by his standards in stand-up exchanges.
Guida hasn't been able to transition into grappling, and that could be a problem against Robbie Peralta. The latter is a dangerous striker who has won 72 percent of his fights by KO/TKO. For $10,700 in DK salary, Guida's price is too steep. If you're looking for a sleeper, Peralta is your guy.
He's coming off a submission loss to Thiago Tavares in his last bout, but he has an aging fighter who is ripe for the picking in front of him in this one.
Here's the lineup I'd choose to go to war with in a DK contest:
| Chad Mendes | Ricardo Lamas | $11,300 |
| Ron Stallings | Justin Jones | $9,200 |
| Robert Peralta | Clay Guida | $8,700 |
| Jorge Masvidal | Al Iaquinta | $9,900 |
| Dustin Poirier | Diego Ferreira | $10,100 |
Two More Favorites
Dustin Poirier ($10,100) vs. Diego Ferreira
This one could be close, but Dustin Poirier is the better striker. He's also tough to finish on the ground. The only time he's lost a fight by submission was to Chan Sung Jung back in May 2012.
If both men are looking to impress, they'll probably elect to keep the fight standing. Poirier's southpaw stance and pacing could give Diego Ferreira issues. Poirier lands more strikes (4.47 per minute to 2.35), connects at a higher percentage (49 percent to 32) and secures more takedowns per fight (1.39 to 0.67).
From a statistical standpoint, Poirier is the man who seems better suited to deliver additional fantasy points on top of a win. He's one of the smartest picks you can make on the card.
Jorge Masvidal ($9,900) vs. Al Iaquinta
If you're looking for a bout with Fight of the Night potential, it's the Jorge Masvidal vs. Al Iaquinta bout. Usually, that doesn't make for a great bout for DK players to focus on. However, I'm feeling confident Masvidal takes down Iaquinta, so I've included it in my optimal lineup.
Iaquinta is one of the better strikers in the lightweight division, but some of that might be negated by Masvidal's length and craftiness. Masvidal is two inches taller (5'11" versus Iaquinta's 5'9") and has a four-inch edge in reach.
Based on what he's been saying leading up to the bout, it appears he wants to stand and exchange with Iaquinta.
Per Hunter Homistek of Bleacher Report, Masvidal said:
"A lot of times, I see guys fighting, and they fight a particular way—they're eating leather the whole time, and they keep coming forward—but then when they get in there with me, they switch it up. They'll shoot takedowns. They don't punch or nothing—they're just running. They're running and jabbing. So I'm hoping this dude will just stand in there and fight like a man.
"
This could also be a trap to lure Iaquinta in so Masvidal can work his underrated ground game. He escapes and transitions through submissions as well as anyone in the UFC, but for whatever reason, he doesn't get the credit he deserves.
If Masvidal can get the fight to the ground, he'll submit Iaquinta. If it's a stand-up fight, Iaquinta has a better chance to win, but Masvidal is better at adjusting mid-fight and is tougher.
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Stats per FightMetric
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