...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Saturday night's UFC 177 event means another chance to make a little money in fantasy MMA via our friends at Kountermove.com. If you've never played a game at Kountermove before, read on for details on the game, some of our thoughts on the available options this weekend, and a link to MMATorch's freeroll for Saturday's fight card.
First up, the rules. In Kountermove, each fighter on a given card is given a set salary for that night, and your job is to put together your best five man (or woman) team within a cap of $25,000. Come fight night, each fighter will score points for significant strikes, takedowns/reversals, knock downs, submission attempts, and dominant positions.
Once a fight has finished, fighters receive bonus points depending on how the fight ended. A first round finish brings 100 points, second round 75, with 50 coming for a finish in the third, fourth, or fifth rounds. Additionally, if a fight goes to a decision, any rounds won score ten points for your fighter (example, a 30-27 decision would score 30 points for the winner).
The best combined scores each event will win prize money, which is split up amongst the pool depending on the amount of players, the entry fee, and how much money is available.
For Saturday's card, you may be looking at some tight restrictions in your budget unless you feel particularly confident in an underdog (or two) on the card.
In our fantasy preview for the event this week, we'll take a look at a couple of favorites likely to score a lot of points, a couple of fighters to avoid and why, and potential underdog winners with a risk/reward factor to having them on your team.
High Scoring Favorites
Carlos Diego Ferreira ($5100): The undefeated Brazilian has won six of his ten fights by submission, and made a successful UFC debut by rolling through TUF winner Colton Smith. Nijem's better than Smith, but he's also been stopped four times in his career, two by submission. If you think Ferreira's likely to win this one - and I do - this one feels like a must play at that price.
Joe Soto ($5300): The former Bellator Champ is taking on an 11-1 fighter in Anthony Birchak who has his own history of stopping opponents, but Soto's fought the higher level of competition in his career thus far. The two have combined for nine stoppages out of ten fights, so this one is more than likely not going the distance. And given the edge I think Soto has, the Californian should provide a boost to your team.
Fighters to Avoid
T.J. Dillashaw ($5500): The Bantamweight Champ may duplicate what he did in May, but I'd be wary about this one. Dillashaw caught Barao listless early on in the first round, and that knockdown had Barao out of the fight from then on out, allowing Dillashaw to accumulate damage. Even though the rematch didn't need to be made right away, it wouldn't entirely shock me if Barao still came back to win this fight, and that has me nervous about trying to build a team around Dillashaw.
Bethe Correia ($5000): She's more than likely going to beat Shayna Baszler, and it may not be all that close. That said, I wouldn't expect a finish out of her, nor would I expect a lot of points even with a lopsided decision. She's finished just one of her eight career opponents, and while Baszler may not be all that great at this stage in her career, she's not easy to stop either.
Risk/Reward Dogs
Damon Jackson ($4200): There is certainly considerable risk putting Jackson on your team, because he's a featherweight coming up on short notice in a lightweight fight. That said, if you're in need of a low cap pick, Jackson's got real potential for an upset over Yancy Medeiros, and if he pulls it off you'll reap the benefits. The Legacy FC Featherweight Champ is undefeated at 9-0, and has stopped every single one of his opponents, seven of them by submission. He's never reached a third round, and though he'll be a bit small in this one, Medeiros has seemed a little vulnerable as of late. Again, risky, but could very well be worth it.
Renan Barao ($5200): For the same reason Dillashaw's one to avoid, Barao at slightly cheaper could yield a nice reward. This one is contingent on believing Barao wins this rematch, because at $5200 he plugs in easier to your salary cap than some others, and could pull off a decisive upset himself at any point.
Now that you've read through our preview, set your own team now in our freeroll at the link below!
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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