My Fantasy MMA guide for UFC Fight Night 74 features a wide range of fighters that you can use to boost your chances of winning big in a Fantasy MMA tournament at DraftKings or Kountermove.
In Fantasy MMA it’s really important that you select a good range of fighters that give you the best chance of scoring a high number of points. In order to do this, you’ll need to select fighters at various prices in order to stay under the salary cap. This article includes fighters at various different price points, to ensure that you’ll be able to use a good number of these picks to help you build a solid team.
BEST FANTASY MMA PICKS
MAX HOLLOWAY
COST: MEDIUM
My best Fantasy MMA pick for UFC Fight Night 74 is Max Holloway. I think his medium sized price tag is great value. Max is the better fighter just about everywhere. He has made such vast improvements in every fight. I think the only advantages Charles Oliveira has is in the clinch and his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Holloway has great fight IQ and he will not let Oliveira get close enough to use his clinch work or takedowns.
Max is the better striker. He will use his speed and excellent footwork to get in and out of Oliveira’s range and tag him with combinations all night long. I think Holloway eventually wins via KO / TKO. Max also has excellent cardio and seems to get better the longer a fight goes on. I can see this fight going into the 4th or 5th rounds, which means that Holloway will score a lot of points with his high volume style of striking.
CHAD LAPRISE
COST: MEDIUM
Chad Laprise is another solid Fantasy MMA pick. He’s simply better than Francisco Trinaldo everywhere. Worst case scenario, I see Chad winning a dominant 30-27 decision. Laprise had a close fight last time out, but I believe he goes into this fight looking to finish Trinaldo and make a statement. He will have hometown advantage on his side and I believe he’ll score a high number of points by winning this fight in dominant fashion
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BEST VALUE FANTASY MMA PICKS
MARCOS ROGERIO DE LIMA OR NIKITA KRYLOV
COST: MEDIUM
There’s no way that this fight will go the distance! For the price, these 2 are the best value picks on the card. Nikita Krylov is 18-4 with all 18 of his wins coming in the 1st round. De Lima is 13-2 with 10 1st rounds finishes and 3 2nd round finishes. Needless to say, both these guys go for the kill! They either win big or lose.
I’m personally leaning towards De Lima in this one. He is 30 years old and in his prime. Krylov is 23 and still improving. Both are dangerous fighters. This fight will likely end in round 1, round 2 at the latest. You definitely want one of these guys on your team. I usually play more than 1 game. I suggest you play at least two games, with Krylov on 1 team and De Lima on the other. You are almost guaranteed to score big points from one of these guys. Playing two teams with one fighter in each ensures that at least one of your teams will have at least one high scoring player.
FRANKIE PEREZ
COST: MEDIUM
Frankie Perez is another solid Fantasy MMA pick for UFC Fight Night 74 because he’s fighting Sam Stout, who has been on a pretty rapid decline. Sam has lost 3 of his last 4 fights and his only win during that time came against Cody McKenzie. Sam’s best years are definitely behind him. Perez may have lost a couple of fights recently, but those losses came against the likes of Johnny Case and Chris Wade. Sam Stout is no where near as good as those guys. I feel confident that Perez can get the job done against Stout and potentially score big points by winning the fight by knockout or TKO.
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LOW COST FANTASY MMA PICKS
NEIL MAGNY
COST: LOW
We all know what Erick Silva brings to the table. He has a strong first round and then fades fast after that. I think Neil Magny can make it through the 1st round and then beat Silva when he starts to get tired. Magny just lost badly in his last fight against Demian Maia and he will not want to lose two in a row. I believe he will use his speed and footwork to frustrate Silva and tire him out. Magny needs a big win here to prove that his 7 fight win streak was not a fluke. I think he has a great shot of surviving early and then scoring big points by finishing Silva later on when he starts to gas out.
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FIGHTERS TO AVOID
YVES JABOUIN
COST: LOW
Yves Jabouin is getting up there in age and his best years are definitely behind him. He has lost 2 of his last 3 fights by knockout or TKO. He hasn’t had 1 finish in his entire career with the WEC and UFC combined. He is 6-6 under Zuffa with all 6 wins coming via decision. I don’t see him winning this fight. If he somehow manages to make this fight close he can only hope to win by split decision or at best a 29-28 unanimous decision. Either way, his tentative style of fighting is unlikely to score a very high number of points.
SAM STOUT
COST: MEDIUM
Sam Stout has lost 3 of his last 4 fights and appears to be on a rapid decline. He lost his last two fights by vicious knockouts. He is not the same fighter he was years ago. He will be tentative to engage with those last 2 KO’s in his head. His chin has deteriorated. I simply would stay away from picking Stout. Also Sam has had only 1 stoppage in his nearly 10 year long career with the UFC. I don’t see this trend changing for this fight. If Sam somehow can win this fight, it will be low scoring. Sam likes to shoot for takedowns in last minute of every round. So, if he does win, it will be a low score for your team.
