The mixed martial arts (MMA) fantasy website Kountermove is back with another exclusive game for MMAOddsBreaker.com readers. If you’re not familiar with how the site works, here’s a brief snippet from the site owners, themselves.
Kountermove brings the traditional fantasy format to MMA. Accumulation of points and a salary cap make fantasy MMA more intriguing than your basic “pick ’em” contest. With other industry pros on the site it is the place to be if you know your MMA. The game is fairly simple on its face, games are played over a single night during one event. Prior to the event, players get a total of $25,000 fantasy dollars to pick five fighters for your team. Each fighter is given a specific salary by Kountermove. Kountermove assigns a value for each fighter based on how we believe the fight will go. Points are scored if a fighter scores a finish, wins a round, lands significant strikes, knocks an opponent down, scores takedowns, secures dominant positions or attempts submissions. The more dominant your fighters’performance, the more points you’re going to score. If you score more points than your opponents, then you win the money.
To enter the 10 cent $200 tournament for MMAOddsBreaker.com readers, just click the link below: https://www.kountermove.com/join/39530-mma-oddsbreaker-10-cent-200-guaranteed-tourney-on-ufc-185-pettis-vs-dos-anjos-T-0-1/ If you don’t have an account, don’t worry, you can create one for free, but do it quickly, spacing is limited! If you’re interested in a few pointers on potential fighters to pick, I’ll be offering my analysis and potential picks to click. In case you have your doubts, I have a very nice track record of success with the website, having won plenty since its inception. Before I get to my picks, remember that to get the best value out of your team, you have to try to get an average of $5000 per fighter with your team of five fighters and your $25,000 salary cap. That means if you want to pick a big favorite from UFC 184 like Ronda Rousey ($5700) you have to balance it out by picking some underdogs that you think will perform above and beyond. Sometimes it’s not worth it to pick the overwhelming favorite. Without further ado, here are some of the picks that stand out for me: Henry Cejudo ($5000): When on point, Cejudo is one of the most talented and athletic fighters in the lower weight classes. The former Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler has had issues in the past with his weight cut, but he stepped on the scale and easily made the flyweight limit for the first time yesterday and looked to be in tremendous shape. He’s younger, quicker, a better wrestler and likely has better boxing than opponent Chris Cariaso. I expect Cejudo to do big things in the UFC flyweight division as long as he stays in shape and that starts tonight. Underdog Pick of the Night Joanna Jedrzejczyk ($4700): Jedrzejczyk is an extremely talented striker, one of the best female strikers in the world in MMA, and she’ll obviously have her hands full in her title fight against Carla Esparza. I expect Jedrzejczyk to have her hands full for all five rounds due to Esparza’s elite wrestling skills, but the Polish powerhouse has displayed above average takedown defense in her UFC career thus far, including her bout against elite fighter Claudia Gadelha. If Jedrzejczyk can keep this fight standing for any extended period of time, she’ll be in great position to potentially stop it via strikes. Fighter to Avoid Larissa Pacheeco ($5000): Pacheco is still extremely young at 20 years old, and she’ll be stepping into the cage opposite a savvy veteran in Germain de Randamie. Normally, youth is a big advantage in fights, but I don’t think it’ll be as important here. Pacheco still needs a lot of seasoning. She has good combinations on the feet and an above average submission arsenal, but she throws her strikes very recklessly and telegraphed and her submissions usually come after surrendering top position on the ground. I fully expect de Randamie to outwork her on the feet due to her tremendous professional kickboxing experience. Complete UFC 185 Preview If my fantasy preview isn’t enough for you, Fight Scientist Reed Kuhn, MMA Oddsmaker Nick Kalikas and myself did an extensive preview of the fight card on The Premium Oddscast, which was posted earlier this week. Feel free to check out our latest episode. There’s plenty of combinations for great teams with 12 total bouts this event: UFC 185 Preview
Thanks for reading and good luck!