SquirrelPatrol's Takedowns: UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Topuria
John Breslin (squirrelpatrol) is one of the best DFS players in the game, having amassed over 75 Live Final seats. Get a glimpse into his process by checking out some of his contrarian MMA DFS picks for the upcoming UFC event.
Welcome to the weekend and to SquirrelPatrol’s Takedowns for UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Topuria. This should be a fun event – I’ll be in attendance in Jacksonville at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena for both the promotional weigh-ins and the event itself on Saturday, competing against 14 other entries in the DraftKings UFC Live Final going for the $250,000 top prize. We’re down to 13 fights after Kleydson Rodrigues missed weight for his fight against Tatsuro Taira, but there are still a number of high-action underdogs in play for this fight night. Let’s dig into the slate and see if we can find some overlooked MMA DFS picks that can get us to the top of the leaderboard with our GPP lineups.
*MMA DFS Picks: SquirrelPatrol’s Takedowns for UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Topuria *
Austen Lane
DraftKings: $7,400
FanDuel: $14
This was the first line that stuck out to me on this card, with Lane fighting in Jacksonville – where he used to play Defensive End for the Jacksonville Jaguars – against the heavier but visibly less athletic Justin Tafa. Tafa’s odds for a first round finish are +140, the best on the card, as he has three first-round knockouts on his UFC resume, but he has never won a UFC fight that went past three minutes. Lane has a 6” height and reach advantage despite giving up 21 pounds to Tafa at weigh-ins, and his first-round finish odds of +350 are excellent for his $7,400 / $14 price tag. The implied odds for a Lane first-round finish (21%) are currently higher than his projected ownership (16%) which is something that always draws my attention. Add in the possibility of home cooking with a decision win that could pay off Lane’s discount price tag and he’s an underdog I’m highly interested in for Saturday.