UFC Fight Night 73 will take place tonight in Nashville, Tennessee and the fight card will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT with three preliminary bout on Fight Pass before the televised preliminary card begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on FOX Sports 2.
The main card on FOX Sports 1 will begin at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT and will he headlined by a light heavyweight bout as former title challenger Glover Teixeira looks to snap a two fight losing streak when he meets Ovince Saint Preux.
Take a look at my Draft Kings preview and recommended lineup for today’s event.
Sam Alvey ($8,400) and Oluwale Bamgbose ($8,500)
In what is a tough week for Draft Kings, the strategy for the lineup for the UFC Nashville card is be conservative with the payroll early with two major underdogs and then splurge on favorites to fill out the lineup in order to create potential for a high variance in point output.
The thinking behind picking Alvey and Bambgose is that both guys are being slightly undervalued. Alvey’s facing a solid opponent in Derek Brunson, but he’s established a high upside with not only his skill level but also his finishing ability with his power. Not a whole lot is known on Bambgose, although he’s shown enough potential on tape for me to feel comfortable in a match-up against an inconsistent Uriah Hall.
Scott Holtzman ($11,400) vs. Anthony Christodoulou
For fans of MMA outside of the major promotions, Scott Holtzman has been a familiar name with his impressive outings on AXS-broadcasted XFC events, and for those fans, there’s a real expectation that Holtzman will perform at a high level in his UFC debut. Holtzman’s one of the biggest favorites on this card for good reason. Look for him to earn you quite a bit of points in his home state.
Jared Rosholt ($10,700) vs. Timothy Johnson
Yeah, Jared Rosholt isn’t the sexiest pick on this card, but his stellar foundation in wrestling makes him a safe bet to generate points. For what Rosholt gives up in likelihood of a finish, he makes up for in likelihood of both a victory and accumulation of strikes inside the clinch and from the top position.
Jonathan Wilson ($10,400) vs. Chris Dempsey
Picking Wilson is more about his opponent than him. Like Oluwale Bamgbose, there still isn’t a clear identity on the talent level of Jonathan Wilson given his developing track record. What we do know is that he presents real tools to put opponents away on the feet, and that’s been an issue for the hittable Dempsey.
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
