Ready to win some money?
With Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returning to the pay-per-view (PPV) fold this Saturday night (April 25, 2015) with UFC 186: "Johnson vs. Horiguchi" live from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, now is the perfect time to get in on the huge Kountermove Fantasy MMA games!
If you are not familiar with how Kountermove works, here is what you need to know:
In Kountermove you build a team of five fighters utilizing a "salary cap" of $25,000 in fantasy money to spend on drafting the team you expect to perform the best on fight night. If your team performs well enough, you will likely have a share of cash prizes in any number of Kountermove's games.
Points* are scored with finishes, significant strikes, knockdowns, takedowns, dominant positions, and submission attempts. The more dominant your fighters' performance is, the more points you're going to score. For a detailed breakdown of how the scoring works, click here.
*Fighter statistics are provided by FightMetric LLC, the UFC's official stats provider.
Below I break down the UFC 186 PPV card to help give you an edge in Kountermove this weekend. Here is your risky pick, the underdog pick, and a handful of quick picks for the Saturday night event!
Risky Pick: Demetrious Johnson ($5,700)
If you have never played Fantasy MMA before, you are likely wondering how in the world Demetrious Johnson could be a "risky pick" when he is the massive favorite over the upstart contender Kyoji Horiguchi.
The issue with picking "Mighty Mouse" in Kountermove is his hefty price tag.
See, with only $25,000 to work with initially, spending $5,700 on the flyweight champ requires you to average your next four fighters at $4,825. That means potentially losing the services of Quinton Jackson ($5000), Michael Bisping ($5,100), and several others.
I certainly believe Johnson will leave Montreal with the belt still firmly strapped around his waist, but will "Mighty Mouse" procure a finish?
In order for his $5,700 price tag to pay off, Johnson would essentially need to pick up a finish in order to capture the all-important point bonuses.
A first round finish would notch Kountermove owners an extra 100 points, 75 for a second round finish, and 50 points from the third and on.
With Johnson once again out to prove he is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, I suspect he will accrue a finish within the first three rounds, but if he can't, it may spell the end for your Kountermove squad.
Underdog Pick: Shane Campbell ($4,600)
The Street Fighter impersonator has made his way to UFC, and I think Shane Campbell is going to burst onto the scene in a major way.
Taking on John Makdessi this weekend on short notice, "Shaolin" has a major opportunity to make a statement to UFC's lightweight division. Fresh off three straight (technical) knockout finishes, you have to believe Campbell's confidence is sky high.
But, there is a reason I named him the "underdog pick," for UFC 186.
John Makdessi is no joke on the feet, and fight fans have seen "The Bull" put on masterful technique and violence plenty of times inside the Octagon.
While Campbell may be up to the task, Makdessi fighting in his home country will be a tough man to beat.
In my estimation, Makdessi's best opportunity to win is by knocking Campbell out, but with "Shaolin's" chin holding sturdy throughout his career, this fight could go to a decision.
Ultimately, I am taking Campbell on a few teams in hopes of him pulling off an upset with his penchant for finishing his opponents spectacularly.
Quick Picks:
$5,000 Quinton Jackson: If you think "Rampage" has anything left in the tank, then you have to take him in Kountermove this weekend. Taking on Fabio Maldonado, the chance that this fight hits the mat is very unlikely unless either man is badly staggered. With haymakers flying, you just have to believe something "Rampage" throws will connect and hurt his Brazilian opposition. Can the former light heavyweight champ finish the job within 15 minutes?
$5,200 Thomas Almeida: Point blank, Thomas Almeida is a burgeoning star in MMA. At only 23 years old, the Brazilian has accrued a ridiculous 17-0 record, bolstered by 16 career finishes. Taking on savvy, but aging, veteran Yves Jabouin, expect Almeida to put forth a violent arsenal en route to a highlight-reel finish.
$4,800 Randa Markos: There is just something about Randa Markos that makes me believe she will put on a spectacular performance this weekend. Proving to be unbelievably tough on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), Markos exudes confidence when she steps into the Octagon. Looking for her first UFC victory, expect an impressive outing from the Canadian.
For more information on UFC 186, including the full fight card, results, news, and more, click here.