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Not that this is of the utmost importance, but the UFC is debuting in ABC to kick 2021 off... and it is doing so flying all the way to Abu Dhabi, in the UAE. Can't ask for much more in terms of the UFC setting a high standard for the year and coming back as fresh as ever, that's for sure. And it is not that the fights on the main card are bad or low-key by any means, so get ready because we're already to launch another year of MMA fireworks.
This event will welcome fans for the first time since UFC 248, which took place in March 2020. It's been nine months, but we made it, folks! And it's going to be a great one between former Featherweight champ Max Holloway and current no. 6 contender Calvin Kattar. Before we get there, though, we'll get to watch the likes of Carlos Condit, Matt Brown, or Santiago Ponzinibbio, so get ready for some action-packed card this weekend.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy MMA, UFC lineup picks for DraftKings for UFC Fight Island 7: Holloway vs. Kattar on 01/16/21. You can check out our FanDuel MMA DFS picks as well. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced fighters and value picks on DraftKings. Give me a follow on Twitter @chapulana. Good luck!
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DraftKings MMA Featherweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Calvin Kattar, $7300- vs. Max Holloway
Holloway counts his bouts by championship-fights these days. It's been eight consecutive of them, going back to December 2016, in which Max has either put the belt on the line or fought to get it back. Too bad for him, though, is the fact that three of those last four bouts ended in losses with only a win (against Frankie Edgar) in July 2019.
Kattar, on the other hand, has won his last two fights, both in 2020, and keeps building a rather nice resume that should end with him getting a chance at fighting for the title down the road. Kattar is as fierce as they come, having scored himself four wins by KO in his eight fights under the UFC banner, and holding a 6-2 record since he debuted back in 2017.
Holloway's run of 13 straight victories from 2014 to 2018 was insane, sure, but his 1-3 record since the start of 2019 is a little worrying. The volume is there, but the efficiency not so much for Holloway. Kattar has never been KO'd (Max's bred and butter) and is on a way better run than Max lately, which could make him the winning underdog here. Give me Calvin.
DraftKings MMA Welterweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Matt Brown, $7500- vs. Carlos Condit
Matty Brown has fought as many as 24 times and will be getting inside an octagon for the 25th time in his career, which started all the way back in 2008 under the UFC. In that ample time, he's never fought for a title, though. Brown has fought twice (1-1) since the end of 2017.
Condit, on the other hand, lifted gold back in 2012 after beating Nate Diaz, although nine months after that he'd be handing the belt to Georges St-Pierre. He had another chance against Robbie Lawler five years ago but fell to Ruthless eating another L. Condit, pretty much as Brown, only has three fights in the 2018-to-2021 span.
While Condit won his last bout, he had lost five prior to that W. Brown himself is 2-4 since the start of 2016. This is more of a legends-fight than anything else, can't lie about that. Both men seemed to be more cooked than not. Brown has lost 3 and won 2 via KO, so I'm betting on that ending... and the very own Matt Brown dropping that knockout on Condit to put Carlos back on the L column.
DraftKings MMA Welterweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Li Jingliang, $6900 - vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
Santi Ponzinibbio hasn't fought inside an octagon since November 2018. More than two years, that is. And it actually sucks, because Santi was on a seven-fight winning streak leading up to his final fight. The last time we watched it, facing Neil Magny, he KO'd the latter in four rounds.
Li, on the other hand, has fought three times in Santi's absence and five times overall since the start of 2018. He's 3-2 in that span, having lost his last bout to the very same Neil Magny last March, but having three consecutive wins prior to that.
While Ponzinibbio is a pure striker with no time for takedowns, Li has a more rounded game in which he goes both for the strikes and the TDs. Li has attempted 8 TDs in his last three fights, landing 5 of them for a rather nice success rate. I have to go with Jingliang if only because of his freshness.
DraftKings MMA Middleweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Joaquin Buckley, $9400 - vs. Alessio Di Chirico
Baby Buckley has three fights in his UFC-resume: KO loss, KO win, and KO win were the outcomes, with the two wins coming seven minutes into the fight at most, and both in a second round. Oh, and those three fights all took place between August and November of last year, quite the run for Buckley.
Di Chirico is more experienced, although he's also more of a loser than Buckley. In his seven fights going all the way back to 2016, Alessio has a 2-5 record and has lost three straight (all from 2019 on). Di Chirico has dropped those three all by decision, and not really doing a lot to rack up fantasy points.
None of these two projects as a booming play this weekend. Buckley has one successful takedown out of six attempts, and Alessio landed two of his attempted eight in his last three bouts. The striking numbers are also low, so the only winning play here is a KO by Buckley.
