UFC 188 will take place tonight from the Mexico City Arena in Mexico City and the fight card will begin at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT with two preliminary bout on Fight Pass before the televised preliminary card begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on FX.
The main card on pay-per-view will begin at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT and will he headlined by a title fight as Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum will meet to unify the UFC heavyweight title.
Take a look at my Draft Kings preview and recommended lineup for today’s event.
(For those that are unfamiliar with the Draft Kings format of daily MMA betting: with a cap of $50,000, the objective is to select 5 fighters – who have been allotted prices – to produce as many points as possible. The rules on how points are scored by a particular fighter can be found on the bottom of this article.)
Charles Rosa ($10,800) vs. Yair Rodriguez
In spite of the fact that Rodriguez will be fighting in his home country of Mexico, Rosa has a significant edge in this fight – a big enough edge that I anticipate a finish in this one. Rosa, a UFC prospect in his own right, is an experienced veteran in relation to Rodriguez who is just 5 fights into his career. Rosa should be able to control where the fight takes place with wrestling and get the win.
Augusto Montano ($10,400) vs. Cathal Pendred
The pick for Montano is more of an indictment for Pendred rather than an endorsement for Montano. Pendred is a tough, tough fighter, and that should give Montano real trouble in an attempt to obtain the finish. What I like about placing Montano in the lineup is the likelihood of Montano scoring with a large amount of significant strikes as Pendred’s striking defense leaves more to be desired.
Patrick Williams ($9,200) and Efrain Escudero ($9,000)
The thought process between these two picks is taking the values on slight underdogs in fights that I personally think are even closer than the odds indicate. With Williams taking on Alejandro Perez and Escudero taking on Drew Dober, it wouldn’t be a shock at all to see both fighters cash in and win with minor upsets.
Gilbert Melendez ($10,300) vs. Eddie Alvarez
Picking against Eddie Alvarez is probably an awful decision. Alvarez is one of the best lightweights in the world, especially on the feet – and that’s where I’d expect the majority of this fight to play out. So with the frame of regret set, the reason I’m taking Melendez here is simply that with the remaining salary I have available, he’s the one pick I feel the most confident in. I expect this fight to be really close, but I also expect Melendez to edge Alvarez by landing more and receiving less significant shots and maybe stealing a round or two within the clinch and with his strength.
Draft King’s MMA Scoring System
1st Round Win: 100 points
2nd Round Win: 70 points
3rd Round Win: 50 points
4th Round Win: 40 points
5th Round Win: 40 points
Decision Win: 25 points
Significant Strikes: 0.5 points
Advances: 1 point
Takedowns: 2 points
Reversal/Sweeps: 2 points
Knockdowns: 3 points
