DraftKings MMA: UFC Fight Night 104 Preview

DraftKings MMA: UFC Fight Night 104 Preview

This article is part of our DraftKings MMA series.

The Korean Zombie's first fight since August 2013 will headline Saturday's card from Houston.

If you're hoping to turn the event into an opportunity to build your DFS bankroll, DraftKings.com has you covered with a full slate of contests. Players get a $50,000 budget to select five fighters, and the scoring is distributed as follows:

(Please note that DraftKings has altered their scoring system. The new point values are listed below and the rosters will now expand from 5 to 6 fighters).

Moves Scoring
Significant Strikes (SS): +0.5 PTS
Advance (ADVC): +3 PT
Takedown (TD): +5 PTS
Reversal/Sweep (REV): +5 PTS
Knockdown (KD): +10 PTS

Fight Conclusion Bonuses
1st Round Win (1rW+): +90 PTS
2nd Round Win (2rW+): +70 PTS
3rd Round Win (3rW+): +45 PTS
4th Round Win (4rW+): +40 PTS
5th Round Win (5rW+): +40 PTS
Decision Win (WBD+): +30 PTS

Scoring Notes
Significant Strikes are any Distance Strike or Clinch/Ground Strikes that are considered "Power Strikes" by official scorers.

Advances include: To Half Guard, To Side Control, To Mount, To Back Control

Now, on to the fights...

Main Event – Featherweight

Chan Sung Jung (13-4-0) v. Dennis Bermudez (17-5-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Jung ($7,800), Bermudez ($8,400)
Vegas Odds: Jung (+165), Bermudez (-190)

If you aren't pumped for the return of The Korean Zombie, then we really can't help you.

Due to mandatory military service for his native South Korea, Jung hasn't fought in the UFC since August 2013 when he was knocked out by then-champion Jose Aldo at UFC 163. The obvious question here is how will the 29-year-old Jung look after three and a half years away from the sport. He's a great athlete who was a legitimate top-five fighter in the featherweight division when he left, but the division is twice as deep now as it was then. Jung has been training during his time away, but that's not the same as competing against the best athletes in the world. Jung has an impressive all around offensive game and he has proven on numerous occasions that he can take a beating.

Bermudez has won nine of his last 11, and his only two setbacks came against quality opposition in Jeremy Stephens and Ricardo Lamas. Every single thing that Bermudez does is the result of the constant threat of a takedown. His striking style can be sloppy at times, and he tends to overcompensate on the feet when he knows he's behind on the scorecards. He's so powerful that he can finish takedown attempts even if his positioning is far from perfect. I'm not entirely convinced Bermudez is a top-ten featherweight at this point, although that is due to the crazy depth in the division, not anything Bermudez did wrong.

If it was mid-2013, I would have picked Jung to win this fight quite easily. He's very technical and I think he can take advantage of Bermudez's recklessness. The big question is: how has all the time away affected The Korean Zombie? He's still my pick because virtually all of Bermudez's offensive success is based off of the takedown and I think Jung can contain that to the point where he earns the win. Honestly though, no one knows what to expect from Jung after so much time away.

THE PICK: Jung

Co-Main Event – Women's Strawweight

Alexa Grasso (9-0-0) v. Felice Herrig (11-6-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Grasso ($9,100), Herrig ($7,100)
Vegas Odds: Grasso (-290), Herrig (+245)

Ask and you shall receive. Both Cowboy and Masvidal were clamoring for this fight in recent weeks and they got their wish. It just made too much sense for it not to happen.

This matchup doesn't make a ton of sense, but with the UFC being accused of late of pushing their young starts too quickly, I like the fact that they are taking it a bit slow with the talented Grasso.

She made her UFC debut in early November and cruised to a unanimous decision win over Heather Jo Clark. Grasso was barely tested in that fight. She's tough, she moves well, and she is an underrated striker -- although her striking success is more the result of volume and placement as opposed to raw power. There's an awful lot to like about a young lady who won't turn 24 until August.

Herrig's last fight was a submission win over Kailin Curran last August. Although she is a former professional kickboxer, Herrig has found more success on the mat than in the striking game over the course of her pro MMA career. Herrig is built like a tank and she's as strong as any woman in the division, but her technique isn't the greatest and she doesn't have a particularly high ceiling. If she isn't able to consistently outmuscle Grasso, I think she's going to have a hard time winning.

Grasso is far from a finished product and there is so much depth in the women's strawweight division that I don't even think she is a top-ten fighter right this second, but she is better than Herrig. She has more ways to win and she has been the more active fighter of late. That being said, I could see this going the distance.

THE PICK: Grasso

Lightweight

Abel Trujillo (15-6-0, 1NC) v. James Vick (9-1-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Trujillo ($8,100), Vick ($8,100)
Vegas Odds: Trujillo (-105), Vick (-115)

Trujillo is an explosive athlete with a ton of power, and he loads up on every single strike he throws in hopes of finishing fights. His fight against Jamie Varner at UFC 169 is a perfect example of what can happen if Trujillo connects, but he ends up exposed and on the defensive if the punches don't land. A good opponent is going to be able to see those shots coming a mile away. Trujillo has won three-straight and five of six (his only loss in that span is to Tony Ferguson), but all of those wins have come against nobodies.

Vick is coming off the first loss of his career, a first-round KO loss at the hands of Beneil Dariush in which he was blasted from pretty much the moment the opening bell rang until the referee finally, mercifully stepped in to halt the action. Vick doesn't have much power, but he makes up for it with a high output. He is going to have a seven-inch height advantage and a six-inch reach advantage on Trujillo. At 6-foot-3, Vick is one of the tallest lightweights you will ever see. His long limbs provide great assistance in regards to Vick being able to clamp on submission holds, which is probably his biggest strength.

I've never though highly of Trujillo. His reckless style just isn't going to work most nights. He has the power to succeed, but not much else. If Vick can stand on the outside and pepper his opponent with shots from distance, he should be able to take a decision. I imagine that Trujillo is going to have considerable problems closing the distance against the length of Vick.

THE PICK: Vick

Women's Strawweight

Jessica Andrade (15-5-0) v. Angela Hill (6-2-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Andrade ($9,300), Hill ($6,900)
Vegas Odds: Andrade (-465), Hill (+370)

It is going to get next to no publicity, but this is by far one of the most intriguing fights on the card. Since dropping down to strawweight, Andrade is 2-0 with stoppage wins over Jessica Penne and Joanne Calderwood. Penne wasn't a high-quality opponent, but Calderwood remains one of the more talented fighters in the division. Andrade is so powerful and well built, that it is a minor miracle that she can make the 116-pound strawweight limit. She has as much power in her hands as any woman in the division. On top of that, her brute strength allows her to score repeated takedowns from awkward positions. It's an attractive combination that allows Andrade to press the offense from multiple fronts.

Hill lost back-to-back fights to Tecia Torres and Rose Namajunas before being cut in late 2015. She is better than 90 percent of the strawweights on the planet, and the decision to release her was universally-viewed as a poor one throughout the world of MMA. Overkill has also shown a willingness to fight anyone at any time, which is a very desirable trait for a company that is having fights cancelled left and right at the last minute due to injuries. Hill joined Invicta after her UFC dismissal. She went 4-0 with the company and is currently the reigning Invicta FC Strawweight Champion. Hill won't overwhelm you in any one area, but she is a solid, smart, reliable fighter. Hill isn't going to beat herself, which is sometimes all it takes in a fight.

I'm all-in in regards to Andrade's push towards title contention and she is my clear pick to win this fight, but I seriously hope the UFC doesn't foolishly cut bait with Hill again if she loses. She is an interesting personality and she's a good fighter and suffering back-to-back-to-back losses to three of the best fighters in the division wouldn't change that. I do expect a close, competitive fight. Hill is much better than both the odds and DK salaries would indicate.

THE PICK: Andrade

Other Bouts

Light Heavyweight

Ovince Saint Preux (19-8-0) v. Volkan Oezdemir (12-1-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Saint Preux ($9,200), Oezdemir ($7,000)
Vegas Odds: Saint Preux (-310), Oezdemir (+255)
THE PICK: Saint Preux

Heavyweight

Anthony Hamilton (15-6-0) v. Marcel Fortuna (8-1-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Hamilton ($8,700), Fortuna ($7,500)
Vegas Odds: Hamilton (-175), Fortuna (+155)
THE PICK: Fortuna

Heavyweight

Adam Milstead (8-1-0) v. Curtis Blaydes (6-1-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Milstead ($7,300), Blaydes ($8,900)
Vegas Odds:Milstead (+180), Blaydes (-220)
THE PICK: Blaydes

Featherweight

Chas Skelly (16-2-0) v. Chris Gruetzemacher (13-1-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Skelly ($8,800), Gruetzemacher ($7,400)
Vegas Odds: Skelly (-250), Gruetzemacher (+210)
THE PICK: Skelly

Bantamweight

Ricardo Ramos (9-1-0) v. Michinori Tanaka (11-2-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Ramos ($7,600), Tanaka ($8,600)
Vegas Odds: Ramos (+175), Tanaka (-215)
THE PICK: Tanaka

Women's Strawweight

Tecia Torres (7-1-0) v. Bec Rawlings (7-5-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Torres ($9,000), Rawlings ($7,200)
Vegas Odds: Torres (-260), Rawlings (+220)
THE PICK: Torres

Welterweight

Alex Morono (13-3-0) v. Niko Price (9-0-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Morono ($8,000), Price ($8,200)
Vegas Odds: Morono (-105), Price (-115)
THE PICK: Morono

Light Heavyweight

Daniel Jolly (5-1-0)  v. Khalil Rountree (5-2-0)
DraftKings Salaries: Jolly ($7,700), Rountree ($8,500)
Vegas Odds: Jolly (+145), Rountree (-165)
THE PICK: Rountree

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Jon Litterine plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: JLitterine.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jon Litterine
Jon Litterine is RotoWire's lead MMA Writer and MMA Editor. He has covered numerous MMA events live. He's also RW's NHL Prospect Analyst. Jon has been writing for RotoWire since 2005. He is a graduate of U Mass-Lowell.
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