3 years agoIf this main-event contest was decided on paper, there is no doubt Rob Font would have walked away the winner against Marlon Vera on Saturday. In 25 minutes of action, Font landed an astounding 271 significant strikes (10.84 significant strikes landed per minute). The deciding factor in the contest, however, was Vera landing the bigger shots and securing three knockdowns in the contest. Font showed he can hang with the absolute best the division has to offer. However, he has lost back-to-back fights now (both by decision). This should not cause fantasy managers to forget about Font come fight night. He will probably get a rebound-style opponent at a discounted salary his next time out.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoThough he was out-struck statistically, Marlon Vera landed the big shots to walk away with Saturday night's main-event decision victory (47-48, 46-49, 46-49). In 25 minutes of battle, Vera tallied 159 significant strikes (6.36 significant strikes per minute), which is a great rate, but he absorbed 271 significant strikes (10.84 significant strikes per minute). A big key to Vera's victory were the three knockdowns he scored throughout the contest. With the main-event victory, Vera has now won three straight and four of his last five fights -- two of those by TKO.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoThough he was on the losing side of Saturday's co-main event, Jake Collier still put on a show against long-time veteran Andrei Arlovski. In 15 minutes of action, Collier out-struck his opponent by landing 93 significant strikes (132 total strikes) while landing two of his three takedown attempts. With his big shots causing damage, Collier was able to open up a cut on Arlovski in the first round while continuing to keep pressure on throughout the contest. If Collier stays with the current tier of heavyweights he has been facing off against, there is fantasy potential for Collier, similar to his last outing against Chase Sherman.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoAndrei Arlovski continues to get it done in the Octagon, winning Saturday's co-main event by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28) over Jake Collier. In 15 minutes of action, Arlovski tallied 91 significant strikes (105 total strikes) while not attempting any takedowns on the night. With the win, Arlovski has now won four in a row and six of his last seven contests, all by decision. It looks like he can continue his winning ways, even late in his career, but he's not going to score you big fantasy points, so you should really evaluate his opponent before rostering Arlovski.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoThe track record and salary were too good to pass up for Joanderson Brito heading into Saturday's contest. Coming off of a loss in his UFC debut, we were graced with a low salary point. Less than one minute into Saturday's contest with Andre Fili (41 seconds), Brito threw an overhand right from the outfield and hit a home run, dropping Fili. This very well could be Brito's coming-out party. The wild shot won't always win, but a big victory can always turn around the fortunes of a young fighter.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoWith a four-fight winning streak hanging in the balance heading into Saturday's matchup, it was not meant to be for Jared Gordon, who ended up suffering a third-round submission loss to Grant Dawson. In 14:11 of action, Gordon actually out-struck Dawson by landing 77 significant strikes (111 total strikes), but he was taken down seven times by Dawson. Gordon is a very resilient competitor, but he hasn't earned a finish since 2017. He will be highly matchup-driven from this point on, so let's make sure he can tally up points before rostering him in fantasy.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoGrant Dawson was as advertised Saturday night against Jared Gordon, earning a third-round submission by rear-naked choke. In 14:11 of action, Dawson tallied 54 significant strikes (98 total strikes) while landing a very solid seven takedowns on 17 tries. Though Gordon actually out-struck Dawson in the contest, Dawson held 7:11 of control time. With this being Dawson's first contest since moving to American Top Team, look for Dawson to continue to be a major contributor to your fantasy lineups on fight nights.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoWithout a doubt, this matchup was Tristan Connelly's biggest to date in the UFC. Unfortunately for Connelly, he was unable to handle the pressure of Darren Elkins and took a unanimous-decision loss on Saturday. Through 15 minutes of action, Connelly tallied up 66 significant strikes (106 total strikes) while not attempting a single takedown. Connelly was also taken down five times by Elkins. Let's see more out of Connelly before we decide to make him fantasy relevant.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoIt was the Darren Elkins of old Saturday against Tristian Connelly, with Elkins delivering the pressure and earning a unanimous decision. Throughout 15 minutes of intense competition, Elkins racked up 75 significant strikes (165 total strikes) while landing five of his 10 takedown attempts. The takedown department was a huge deciding factor on the stat sheet, with Connelly not attempting any takedowns on the night. The 37-year-old Elkins has looked great since his four-fight losing streak. Let's continue to check out his matchups to see if we have any opportunities to start Elkins and rack up points.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoLooking for his first four-fight winning streak and entering Saturday's contest with three straight finishes, Gerald Meerschaert was unable to walk out of the Octagon with a victory, taking a unanimous-decision loss to Krzysztof Jotko. In 15 minutes of action, Meerschaert tallied only 37 significant strikes (46 total strikes) and only landed one of his four takedown tries. Jotko was able to dominate in that category, taking down Meerschaert on all four tries. Depending on the competition, Meerschaert can still earn big points for your fantasy roster, but his matchup needs to be examined very closely first.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoKeeping with his theme of being the cage general for 15 minutes, Krzysztof Jotko controlled the matchup with Gerald Meerschaert to earn a unanimous decision in Saturday night's main-card opener. In 15 minutes of action, Jotko landed 65 significant strikes out of 129 total strikes, and he landed all four of his takedown tries. With the win, Jotko has now won back-to-back bouts and five of his last six. Jotko has shown he can score a victory on the big stage, but he hasn't earned big fantasy points due to his decision style of winning.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC

3 years agoRebounding nicely from a loss to the division's legend, Marlon Vera (20-7-1) has won back-to-back bouts since, including a vicious front-kick knockout of Frankie Edgar in November of last year. Heading into Saturday's main-event slot, Vera will look for his third straight win since the Jose Aldo loss when he faces Rob Font. Throughout his professional career, Vera has earned finishes in 17 of his 20 career wins, with 10 of those coming by submission. DraftKings sees Chito as the underdog with a salary of $7,900. Throughout his UFC career, Vera averages 71.1 fantasy points per contest. Font is the more active striker in strikes landed per minute, but Vera lands them at a higher percentage (55.04%).--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC

3 years agoLooking to rebound from a loss to one of the best MMA fighters ever, Rob Font (19-5) will gear up for Saturday's main event against another young star in Marlon Vera. On a four-fight winning streak, Font ran into legend Jose Aldo in December of last year and took a decision loss. Spanning his fighting career, Font has finished 12 of his 19 career fights, with eight of those coming by knockout/TKO. DraftKings sees Font as the favorite with a salary of $8,300. Throughout his UFC career, Font averages 83.2 fantasy points per contest. Both fighters share a decision loss to Aldo, but Vera has earned two wins since and will be looking for his third straight in Saturday's main-event spotlight.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC

3 years agoOnce a UFC middleweight, Jake Collier (13-6) now slugs with the big boys of the heavyweight division and is set for Saturday's co-main-event battle with veteran Andrei Arlovski. Since his near three-year layoff from the end of 2017 to the end of 2020, Collier has gone 2-2 in his return, scoring a first-round knockout in his last outing against Chase Sherman back in January. DraftKings sees Collier as the underdog with a salary of $7,800. Throughout his tenures in the UFC, Collier averages 55.4 fantasy points per contest. With only one finish between the two fighters since 2016, this might be a contest to steer clear of in fantasy.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC

3 years agoVery few fighters have the UFC experience of Andrei Arlovski (33-20). The Pitbull will step into the Octagon for his 54th professional MMA appearance in Saturday night's co-main event against Jake Collier. A veteran of the UFC since UFC 28 in November of 2000, Arlovski has finished 20 of his 30 career victories, with 17 of those via knockout/TKO. Currently, he is riding a three-fight winning streak and has been victorious in five of his last six contests. DraftKings sees the Pitbull as the sizeable favorite with a salary of $8,400. Throughout his lengthy UFC career, Arlovski averages 54.9 fantasy points per contest. With only one finish between the two heavyweights since 2016, look for this one to go the distance, making it difficult to recommend rostering Arlovski.--Matt Bricker - RotoBallerSource: UFC