Drake's Takes: UFC Vegas 63 Kattar vs. Allen

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Published on October 27, 2022

Cody Durden (13-4-1) v. Carlos Mota (8-1-0)

Cody Durden - Height: 5'7" - Reach: 67" - Southpaw
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling
~ 11 finishes in 13 wins

Carlos Mota - Height: 5'6" - Reach: 69" – N/A
~ High volume
~ Minimal wrestling/grappling
~ 4 finishes in 8 wins

DFS Perspective: Mota is making his debut and is a dangerous striker. He will be most lethal in the first round and could find the knockout early. Durden will have a significant edge on the mat and could turn this into takedown city if he avoids the big shot. I like the newcomer but would not be surprised if Durden took this. Both guys make for solid GPP plays.

UFC Vegas 63 Pick: Mota

Chase Hooper (11-2-1) v. Steve Garcia (12-5-0)

Chase Hooper - Height: 6'1" - Reach: 74" - Southpaw
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 9 finishes in 11 wins

Steve Garcia - Height: 6'0" - Reach: 75" – Southpaw
~ High volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 9 finishes in 12 wins

DFS Perspective: Garcia will have the edge on the feet with volume and power. Hooper will constantly look for ways to take this to the mat, where he could find a submission or deadly ground-and-pound. I expect Hooper to eventually do just that, making him a solid play for cash and GPP contests.

UFC Vegas 63 Pick: Hooper

Joseph Holmes (8-2-0) v. Junyong Park (13-5-0)

Joseph Holmes - Height: 6'4" - Reach: 80" - Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 8 finishes in 8 wins

Jun Yong Park - Height: 5'10" - Reach: 73" – Orthodox
~ High volume
~ Plus wrestling
~ 8 finishes in 14 wins

DFS Perspective: The odds are too far off for this fight. They are treating Holmes like he is some low-level fighter making his debut. Park will have the edge on the feet with volume and might be the better wrestler. Holmes showed in his last fight that he has some power, but he will also be the better grappler in this one. Holmes makes an excellent play for GPP contests, while Park is safer for cash.

UFC Vegas 63 Pick: Holmes

Andrei Arlovski (34-20-0, 2NC) v. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (19-9-1)

Andrei Arlovski - Height: 6'3" - Reach: 77" - Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Minimal wrestling/wrestling
~ 20 finishes in 34 wins

Marcos Rogerio de Lima - Height: 6'1" - Reach: 75" – Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling
~ 16 finishes in 19 wins

DFS Perspective: Not a big fan of this fight for DFS purposes. Arlovski's fighting style slows fights down and creates a lack of action. If this goes to a decision, I expect Arlovski to get his hand raised. Lima will be the aggressor and constantly on the hunt and would be the one more likely to record a finish.

UFC Vegas 63 Pick: Arlovski

Phil Hawes (12-3-0) v. Roman Dolidze (10-1-0)

Phil Hawes - Height: 6'0" - Reach: 77" - Orthodox
~ High volume
~ Plus wrestling
~ 10 finishes in 12 wins

Roman Dolidze - Height: 6'2" - Reach: 76" – Orthodox
~ Low volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 8 finishes in 10 wins

DFS Perspective: On paper, Hawes is better everywhere. I would expect him to come out hot, looking for a big shot, and then take it to the mat if he cannot land. Dolidze is tough and also has considerable power. He will likely need to land something big to win this one. Hawes is a good play in all contests, while Dolidze makes an intriguing GPP punt with his power.

UFC Vegas 63 Pick: Hawes

Dustin Jacoby (18-5-1) v. Khalil Rountree Jr. (11-5-0, 1NC)

Dustin Jacoby - Height: 6'3" - Reach: 76" - Orthodox
~ High volume
~ Minimal wrestling/wrestling
~ 12 finishes in 18 wins

Khalil Rountree Jr. - Height: 6'1" - Reach: 76" – Southpaw
~ Moderate volume
~ Minimal wrestling/grappling
~ 7 finishes in 10 wins

DFS Perspective: Rountree is a scary striker, and his best version could cause problems for many fighters. Jacoby is the better striker and a more well-rounded fighter. He will have more volume; if he avoids getting knocked out, he should win this fight. If the fight goes to a decision, I would not expect a high score, but a finish would hit value for either fighter.

UFC Vegas 63 Pick: Jacoby

Josh Fremd (9-4-0) v. Tresean Gore (4-2-0)

Josh Fremd - Height: 6'4" - Reach: 76" - Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling/wrestling
~ 7 finishes in 9 wins

Tresean Gore - Height: 6'0" - Reach: 75" – Switch
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 2 finishes in 3 wins

DFS Perspective: Gore has lost both of his UFC fights, and Fremd most recently lost his debut. With both guys searching for their first win, I expect both to come out at their best. They are well-rounded fighters, but Fremd is slightly better everywhere and will come out on top. Gore's chin was tested last fight, and I think Fremd will go right to the well and record a knockout. Fremd is an excellent play for cash and GPP contests.

UFC Vegas 63 Pick: Fremd

Waldo Cortes-Acosta (7-0-0) v. Jared Vanderaa (12-9-0)

Waldo Cortes-Acosta - Height: 6'4" - Reach: N/A - Orthodox
~ High volume
~ Minimal wrestling/wrestling
~ 5 finishes in 7 wins

Jared Vanderaa - Height: 6'4" - Reach: 80" – Orthodox
~ High volume
~ Plus wrestling
~ 10 finishes in 12 wins

DFS Perspective: Vanderaa has no chin, and Cortes-Acosta will test it in a big way. He will get knocked out again if he does not find something clean. Cortes-Acosta is making his debut, but this is an excellent first fight, and I expect him to cruise to an early knockout finish. He is safe for cash and GPP contests.

UFC Vegas 63 Pick: Cortes-Acosta

Tim Means (32-13-1, 1NC) v. Max Griffin (18-9-0)

Tim Means - Height: 6'2" - Reach: 75" - Orthodox
~ High volume
~ Plus wrestling/wrestling
~ 24 finishes in 32 wins

Max Griffin - Height: 5'11" - Reach: 76" – Orthodox
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 11 finishes in 18 wins

DFS Perspective: This fight is much closer than what the odds are reading. Griffin has a solid all-around game with significant power and has a legitimate chance to put Means to sleep. Means is still as tough as they come and should have an edge with takedowns and control. I expect this to be fought at a high pace, with the winner returning an excellent value. I like the dog here, but his chin is suspect.

UFC Vegas 63 Pick: Means

Calvin Kattar (23-6-0) v. Arnold Allen (18-1-0)

Calvin Kattar - Height: 5'11" - Reach: 72" - Orthodox
~ High volume
~ Plus wrestling/wrestling
~ 11 finishes in 23 wins

Arnold Allen - Height: 5'8" - Reach: 70" – Southpaw
~ Moderate volume
~ Plus wrestling/grappling
~ 10 finishes in 18 wins

DFS Perspective: Kattar should be the favorite here. Arnold has had a nice run and is an excellent all-around fighter with considerable power. Kattar is also well-rounded and has faced better competition. He has never been knocked out and could possibly double up on volume compared to Arnold. I expect this to make it to the scorecards, so you could potentially use both guys in a cash contest. Roll out whichever one you side with for GPP contests.

UFC Vegas 63 Pick: Kattar

For more MMA DFS-specific content, check out our DraftKings MMA preview, or play around with your favorite combinations of fighters on our DFS MMA Lineup Optimizer.

FANDUEL MMA SCORING

Moves Scoring
Significant Strikes = 0.6 pts
Takedown = 6 pts
Takedown Defense = 3 pts
Knockdown = 12 pts
Submission Attempt = 5 pts

Fight Conclusion Bonuses
1st Round Win = 100 pts
2nd Round Win = 75 pts
3rd Round Win = 50 pts
4th Round Win = 35 pts
5th Round Win = 25 pts
Decision Win = 20 pts

Scoring Notes

Significant Strikes are distance strikes or clinch/ground strikes that are considered "power strikes" by official scorers.
A knockdown is awarded to a fighter who knocks his/her opponent down due to debilitation for what the official scorers consider a substantial time.

DRAFTKINGS MMA SCORING

Moves Scoring
Strikes: +0.2 pts
Significant Strikes (SS): +0.2 pts
Control Time: +0.03 pts/Second
Takedown (TD): +5 pts
Reversal/Sweep (REV): +5 pts
Knockdown (KD): +10 pts

Fight Conclusion Bonuses
1st Round Win (1rW+): +90 pts
2nd Round Win (2rW+): +70 pts
3rd Round Win (3rW+): +45 pts
4th Round Win (4rW+): +40 pts
5th Round Win (5rW+): +40 pts
Decision Win (WBD+): +30 pts
Quick Win Bonus: +25 pts
(fight is finished in 60 seconds or less)

Scoring Notes

Significant Strikes are any distance strikes or clinch/ground strikes that are considered "power strikes" by official scorers.
A Significant Strike will count as both a strike and a significant strike and will be worth a total of 0.4 pts.
Control Time is the time spent in the dominant position on the ground or in the clinch. +0.03 points are awarded per second.
A Knockdown is awarded to a fighter who knocks his/her opponent down due to debilitation for what the official scorers consider an appreciable time.
A Quick Win Bonus is awarded to the winning fighter if they win in the first round in 60 seconds or less.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Drake Burden plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Dburdz, DraftKings: Dburdz.