2 years agoRiding a three-fight winning streak heading into UFC 277 on Saturday, Anthony Smith (36-16) is set to face a difficult opponent in Magomed Ankalaev. On an impressive run, all three of Smith's victories on his winning streak have come via first-round finishes. With the majority of his victories coming by the finish, 18 of his career wins have come by knockout/TKO and 15 have come by submission. DraftKings sees Lionheart as the huge underdog with a salary of $6,800. Throughout his UFC career, Smith averages 61.8 fantasy points per contest. If you are looking for a big underdog on the main card who has the skill to pull off an upset, Smith might be your guy.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC

2 years agoLooking for his ninth straight win in the UFC, Magomed Ankalaev (17-1) is one second away from being a perfect 18-0 after suffering a submission loss to Paul Craig in March of 2018, Since then, Ankalaev has gone 8-0, with four of his wins coming by way of finish. Able to score a knockout win or control the pace of a 15-minute war, eight of Ankalaev's 17 career wins have come by decision. DraftKings sees Ankalaev as Saturday night's second-biggest favorite with a salary of $9,400. Throughout his UFC career, Ankalaev averages 89.3 fantasy points per contest. His opponent, Anthony Smith, is on a three-fight winning streak of his own against tough competition, so this could be a tricky matchup to wager on Ankalaev.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC

2 years agoOccasionally injuries happen, but not typically in back-to-back main events. Once again, we had a main event end in the first round due to a freak injury on Saturday. This time, crowd favorite Tom Aspinall (knee) potentially tore his MCL just 15 seconds into his main-event matchup in London against Curtis Blaydes. The win on paper will go down as a first-round TKO victory for Blaydes, and it should keep him near the very top of the rankings, right there in title talks.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoOccasionally injuries happen, but not typically in back-to-back main events. Once again this Saturday, we had a main event end in the first round due to a freak injury. This time, crowd favorite Tom Aspinall (knee) potentially tore his MCL just 15 seconds into his main-event matchup in London against Curtis Blaydes. If the injury is as stated, it might not be until next summer until we see Aspinall back in the Octagon, much less knocking on the door for a heavyweight title shot.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoIt was not the matchup Chris Curtis hoped for, dropping a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) to top-tier middleweight Jack Hermansson on Saturday. Claiming Hermansson "ran" all night, he only landed 43 significant strikes on Hermansson, who was able to reel off 100 significant strikes. The loss snaps Curtis' three-fight undefeated streak in the UFC and eight-fight win streak overall. Curtis also took this bout on three week's notice after Darren Till was forced to withdraw. Let's keep that in mind as we find out Curtis' next matchup, which hopefully comes later this year.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoIt may not have been the most exciting fight on the main card, but Jack Hermansson did what was needed to defeat a tough opponent and take Saturday night's co-main event. In 15 minutes of middleweight action, Hermansson landed 100 significant strikes to that of Chris Curtis' 43. The win gets Hermansson back on track, as he's now a winner of two of his last three outings, including a big win over a rising star in Curtis. The biggest names in the division have really given Hermansson issues, so let's see how the UFC matches him up next.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoIt was not the storybook return for Alexander Gustafsson on Saturday when he suffered a first-round knockout at the hands of Nikita Krylov in 1:07 of action. In that time frame, Gustafsson only landed five significant strikes while absorbing 26 from Krylov. Maybe we can chalk it up to ring rust, or maybe Gustafsson may just not have anything more to give to the sport after all of the brutal battles he's been engaged in. It will be interesting to see if Gus decides to give it another go or retire for good.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoNikita Krylov put on an amazing performance at UFC fight night in London on Saturday to defeat former title challenger Alexander Gustafsson via first-round TKO. In 67 seconds of action, Krylov tallied 26 significant strikes and dominated the contest from the onset. With the win, Krylov prevents a three-fight losing streak and may have found the spark needed to turn things around. This win came against Gustafsson, who was returning after a brief retirement. Let's see another outing from Krylov to see if he has really turned the tide.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoThe deck was already stacked against Hannah Goldy at UFC fight night in London on Saturday on the main card against crowd-favorite Molly McCann. Falling to McCann's previous London foe, a spinning back elbow was the beginning of the end for Goldy. After taking a few strikes on the cage, Goldy hit the mat and the referee soon called a stop to the action. In 3:52 of action, Goldy only tallied nine significant strikes and never really got anything going. Until we see more production overall from Goldy, it's best to leave her out of your starting lineup come fight night.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoAs expected, Molly McCann blew the roof off of the O2 Arena in London when she entered battle on Saturday against Hannah Goldy on the main card of action. McCann delivered for her fans, earning a first-round TKO victory. As before in London, McCann landed a big spinning back elbow that led to the beginning of the end for Goldy, following it up with a big blow that led to the stoppage. In 3:52 of action, McCann tallied 24 significant strikes (29 total strikes). It looks like McCann has really turned the corner since her back-to-back decision losses, and she's now on a three-fight winning streak.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoPaul Craig's six-fight unbeaten streak came to an end at UFC fight night in London on Saturday when he suffered a unanimous-decision loss (27-30, 27-30, 27-30) in the main-card opener against top-tier light heavyweight Volkan Oezdemir. In 15 minutes of action, Craig only tallied 33 significant strikes compared to that of Oezdemir's 72. The key to Craig's game is obviously on the mat, but all 15 of his takedown tries were stuffed. A fighter will have these days when their game plan just doesn't come to fruition, and that is exactly what happened to Craig. He should still continue to be someone you consider rostering week in and week out.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoIt was all Volkan Oezdemir in the main-card opener of UFC fight night in London on Saturday. In need of a big victory, Oezdemir walked out of the Octagon with a unanimous-decision win (27-30, 27-30, 27-30) over a streaking opponent in Paul Craig. In 15 minutes of action, Oezdemir tallied 72 significant strikes (108 total strikes) and stuffed all 15 of Craig's takedown tries on the night. With the win, Oezdemir shows he can still be a force to be reckoned with in the light-heavyweight division, which always seems to be up for grabs.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoTom Aspinall (12-2) will have the biggest matchup of his life Saturday when he fights in the main even of UFC fight night in London against former title challenger Curtis Blaydes. Since entering the UFC in 2020, Aspinall remains undefeated (5-0), with four of his five wins coming by first-round finish. The other bout was a second-round finish. DraftKings sees Aspinall as the favorite with a salary of $8,300. Throughout his UFC career, Aspinall averages 109.8 fantasy points per contest. With the home crowd behind him and a wrestler in front of him, look for Aspinall to come out swinging and earn another big knockout win.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC

2 years agoWith a heavyweight title fight just within his grasp, Curtis Blaydes (16-3) takes to the main event in foreign territory as he faces another top contender and the crowd favorite in Tom Aspinall. Looking for a third straight victory, a big win over a fighter who has not lost since 2016 would do nothing but boost Blaydes' stock. There is no doubt Blaydes wants to wrestle in this contest against a heavy handed striker. Blaydes is the heavyweight division's all-time leader in control time (1:20:05) and number of takedowns landed (62). DraftKings sees Razor as the underdog with a salary of $7,900. Throughout his UFC career, Blaydes averages 88.2 fantasy points per contest. Big strikers have been Blaydes' kryptonite in the past.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC

2 years agoIt has been quite the ride for Chris Curtis (29-8) in the UFC, as he's won all three of his showings in impressive fashion against very tough opponents. Two of his three wins have come by the way of finish against top-tier middleweight talent. On Saturday, Curtis takes the co-main-event slot of UFC fight night in London on three week's notice to battle another tough foe in Jack Hermansson. Able to earn a victory in a variety of ways, 17 of Curtis' 29 career wins have come by finish, with 14 of them coming via knockout/TKO and an additional 12 wins by decision. DraftKings sees the Action Man as Saturday night's smallest favorite with a salary of $8,200. Throughout his UFC career, Curtis averages 97.8 fantasy points per contest. At this price point, you should be all-in on Curtis.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC