MMA DFS and Betting Breakdown: UFC 303 - Pereira vs. Prochazka

by Liam Heslin (LiamPicksFights) Last Updated 2024-06-29 19:21:43 Premium Content Part of the product MMA Premium

Liam Heslin (aka LiamPicksFights) is a massive combat sports fan with over a decade of experience competing in wrestling and grappling martial arts. For each UFC event, he produces the MMA DFS and sports betting breakdown for RotoGrinders.

UFC 303 was supposed to feature the return of the “Notorious” Conor McGregor, but the UFC was forced to scramble when he pulled out due to injury on short notice. Now the card will be headlined by a rematch between Alex “Poatan” Pereira and Jiri Prochazka.

The card will begin at 6:00 PM ET live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Let’s talk about the card from top to bottom, beginning with a dynamic bantamweight fight between veteran Ricky Simon and Brazilian sparkplug Vinicius Oliveira.

Note: All DFS salaries listed are from DraftKings. All odds listed are from FanDuel Sportsbook.

MMA DFS and Betting Breakdown for UFC 303 – Pereira vs. Prochazka

Ricky Simon $8,900 vs. Vinicius Oliveira $7,300

Fight Odds: -240 Simon vs. +198 Oliveira
Weight Class: 135lb. (Bantamweight)

If Max Holloway had not delivered Justin Gaethje in jaw-dropping fashion to end the B.M.F. Title Fight at UFC 300 and cement himself in all-time UFC virality, Vinicius “Lokdog” Oliveira would be a shoo-in for the knockout of the year award in all of mixed martial arts. Oliveira faced some early adversity in his UFC debut against Bernardo Sopaj (short notice replacement) in the grappling phases of the fight, but he was able to scramble, rally, do damage, and eventually compromise his opponent such that he took a running jump into a flying knee knockout.

Oliveira is a quintessential-kill-or-be killed fighter, seeing the judges’ scorecards just twice (2-0) in 23 professional bouts. He has brutal knockout power in his hands, and he has never been submitted, although he has been grounded and put in danger at times. All three losses for “Lokdog” were knockouts because he invites risk and exchanges.

Ricky Simon is the more proven UFC fighter, as he has a similar amount of professional experience, but 12 of his competitions were at the UFC level. The problem for Simon is he can also be clipped and finished as we saw against Urijah Faber and Song Yadong. He’s lost all momentum in the division coming off a two-fight skid, and he has fallen from a Song Yadong main event to a curtain jerker spot against a younger fighter with a KO-of-the-year finish in his UFC debut.

Simon might be able to salvage his UFC career grappling his way to victory or catching Oliveira on the chin, but the tea leaves tell me the hungrier fighter is Vinicius Oliveira.

Prediction: Vinicius Oliveira defeats Ricky Simon via Stoppage Rd.1/2