UFC Picks: UFC 214

UFC Picks: UFC 214

This article is part of our UFC Picks series.

In what's been an underwhelming year for pay-per-view fight cards, Saturday's lineup promises fireworks from start to finish. Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier have not been shy about their disdain for one another leading up to the fight -- a sentiment that will surely carry into the Octagon. Jones was once the undisputed pound-for-pound king, but a plethora of outside-the-cage issues resulted in his belt getting stripped and DC taking over as champion. It's a belt Jones believes is his, as he has previously beaten Cormier via decision to defend it. Any lingering doubts or questions will be settled Saturday, in addition to two more superb title fights. In the co-main event, champion Tyron Woodley will take on arguably the roster's best grappler in Demian Maia in a fight that will put a contrast of styles on display. Setting the table for that will be a showdown to fill the vacant Women's Featherweight Championship. Cris Cyborg has had a tumultuous relationship with the UFC since getting signed, but will finally get the opportunity to be crowned champion -- only former Invicta FC titleholder Tonya Evinger stands in her way. Brace yourself for fireworks.

If you're looking for a fantasy-specific breakdown of these fights on DraftKings, click here for Jon Litterine's UFC 214 preview.

MATCHUP WEIGHT CLASS JON EVAN JAKE
(C) Daniel Cormier (+220) vs.
Jon Jones (-270)
Heavyweight ChampionshipJonesJonesJones
(C) Tyron Woodley (-210) vs.
Demian Maia (+170)
Welterweight ChampionshipWoodleyMaiaWoodley
Cris Cyborg (-1250) vs.
Tonya Evinger (+850)
Women's
Featherweight Championship
CyborgCyborgCyborg
Robbie Lawler (-160) vs.
Donald Cerrone (+135)
WelterweightLawlerLawlerLawler
Jimi Manuwa (-180) vs.
Volkan Oezdemir (+150)
Light HeavyweightManuwaManuwaOezdemir
RECORD 4-1 3-2 5-0
OVERALL (since UFC 200) 47-33 42-38 50-30
PERCENTAGE .588 .525 .625
 
MATCHUP WEIGHT CLASS RICHARD CHRIS JASON
(C) Daniel Cormier (+220) vs.
Jon Jones (-270)
Heavyweight ChampionshipJonesCormierJones
(C) Tyron Woodley (-210) vs.
Demian Maia (+170)
Welterweight ChampionshipWoodleyMaiaMaia
Cris Cyborg (-1250) vs.
Tonya Evinger (+850)
Women's
Featherweight Championship
CyborgCyborgCyborg
Robbie Lawler (-160) vs.
Donald Cerrone (+135)
WelterweightCerroneCerroneCerrone
Jimi Manuwa (-180) vs.
Volkan Oezdemir (+150)
Light HeavyweightManuwaManuwaManuwa
RECORD 3-2 1-4 2-3
OVERALL (since UFC 200) 32-19 10-10 9-11
PERCENTAGE .627 .500 .450


THE PLAYERS

Jon Litterine: RotoWire lead MMA beat writer and scribe for our weekly DrafKings preview. Lead analyst on the RotoWire MMA Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @JonLitterine.
Evan Dahl: Pens our bi-weekly MMA Barometer column. Follow him on Twitter at @RealEvanDahl.
Jake Letarski: MMA and NCAA Hoops Senior Editor. Sirius XM contributor. Host of the RotoWire MMA Podcast, RotoWire Fantasy Football Podcast and RotoWire DFS Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @JakeSki52.
Richard Mann: Richard is a stats-based analyst that has appeared on ESPN MMA via Fightmetric. He handles event recaps in our Fight Stat Wrap column, and maintains his own, data-driven MMA blog at StrikescoreMMA.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichardAMann.
Chris Olson: Contributor at RotoWire for DFS Baseball, as well as MMA fight recaps. Follow him on Twitter at @RealChrisOlson.
Jason Rubin: Host of TYT Sports on YouTube and writer of our Handicapping The NBA column on RotoWire. Follow him on Twitter at @jasonrubin91.

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