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 free tournament for MMAOddsBreaker.com readers, just click the link below: http://www.kountermove.com/join/43420-mma-oddsbreaker-25-ufc-fight-night-68-on-ufc-fight-night-68-henderson-vs-boetsch-T-free/ 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 Fight Night 68 like Dustin Poirier ($5500) 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: Matt Mitrione ($5200): He’s a bit pricey, but I think the value is with “Meathead” here. Mitrione should be the quicker, more explosive and more athletic heavyweight in his match-up against Ben Rothwell. Granted, that doesn’t matter quite as much in the heavyweight division because one big punch is usually all it takes and Rothwell has a great chin, but I think Mitrione can outmaneuver the veteran here and land at will with some heavy shots. Rothwell is tough as nails but I don’t think anyone can withstand a full frontal assault from Mitrione and remain upright. Underdog Pick of the Night Brian Ebersole ($4400): Ebersole is far from a lock to win his fight against Omari Akhmedov, but honestly, Akhmedov shouldn’t be this big of a favorite against anyone in a Kountermove game. Ebersole is a savvy veteran who’s racked up some decent Kountermove scores in the past (granted, it was a while ago) but Akhmedov is one of the weaker overall opponents he’s faced thus far in his UFC stint and if he has anything left in the tank, Ebersole could surprise some newer fans who weren’t around to see his successful beginnings in the UFC. I don’t expect Ebersole to get blown out and he’s one of the few cheaper options who could supplement a more expensive lineup for you. Fighter to Avoid Dan Henderson ($5000): I love Henderson and his patented H-Bomb, but he’s almost 45 years old. Tim Boetsch shouldn’t be holding a 10 year age advantage on anyone at this point in his career, but he has it against Hendo. This isn’t to say I think Boetsch is a worldbeater because he’s not, but Henderson is very hittable and his chin isn’t even close to what it once was. I don’t think this fight ends well for him so I’d recommend not letting your nostalgic feelings get the best of you. Complete UFC Fight Night 68 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 Fight Night 68 Preview
Thanks for reading and good luck!