UFC 187 fantasy picks: 'Johnson vs Cormier' Kountermove preview

Who is ready to win some money?

With Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) gearing up to put on a sensational pay-per-view (PPV) event Saturday night (May 23, 2015) with UFC 187: "Johnson vs. Cormier" live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, now is the perfect time to get in on the massive 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 187 PPV card to help give you an edge in Kountermove this weekend. Here is your star pick, who to avoid, and a handful of quick picks for the Saturday night event!

Star Pick: Donald Cerrone ($4500)

The best value of Fantasy MMA in 2015 comes your way this weekend as Donald Cerrone costs merely $4500 as he takes on John Makdessi at UFC 187.

"Cowboy" was initially scheduled to face off against the No. 2-ranked lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Kountermove had slated "The Eagle" to cost $5100 before he bowed out of the fight due to an injury.

When Makdessi was tabbed as Nurmagomedov's replacement, Cerrone's price tag never changed, making him a must have for all Kountermove teams this weekend.

Currently riding a seven fight winning streak that has seen "Cowboy" finish four fighters, the Colorado native is due for a finish after three very tough decisions in a row against Eddie Alvarez, Myles Jury, and Benson Henderson.

While Makdessi is no walk in the park, he has been finished by submission before, and there is no question he is a much easier opponent than Nurmagomedov would have been.

Pick "Cowboy," and prepare for some highlight-reel violence from the fan-favorite on Saturday night.

Who To Avoid: Vitor Belfort ($5000)

There are multiple reasons to avoid Vitor Belfort in Kountermove this weekend, but simply facing Chris Weidman alone should be reason enough to find talent elsewhere.

The UFC champ is 12-0 in his MMA career, and has never once seemed close to being finished during his Octagon tenure.

Now that is not to say Belfort can not defeat Weidman, but is seems unlikely "The Phenom" will get the job done early enough before "The All American" drags his Brazilian opposition into deep waters late in the fight.

The other important factor to note is that Belfort has not competed in 19 months. After a ridiculous 2013 campaign that saw him knockout Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold, and Dan Henderson all via head kick, Belfort has been on the wrong end of some bad luck.

His scheduled title fight with Weidman has been delayed three times; twice due the champ's injuries and once due to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) banning the use of Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT).

"The Phenom" finally gets his shot this weekend, but at $5000 in Kountermove, and with the odds seemingly stacked against him, why not pick safer fighters in John Dodson ($5100) or Travis Browne ($5200)?

With so many red flags, I recommend straying away from the Brazilian in "Sin City."

Quick Picks:

$5300 Joseph Benavidez: John Moraga is one tough cookie, but he will be thoroughly outmatched in every area against Benavidez this weekend. I suspect the Team Alpha Male product will put on an impressive showing, earning a finish in the process.

$4400 Colby Covington: With a ton of high-profile names and high price tags in Kountermove this weekend, it may be useful to stash one cost-effective fighter on your roster, and Colby Covington should be that guy. The American Top Team (ATT) product is undefeated with five career finishes, and I believe he takes out Mike Pyle this weekend.

$5200 Travis Browne: All Travis Browne does is finish people in violent fashion, and while Andrei Arlovski's career resurgence has been something to behold, "Hapa" is going to test the 36 year old's chin. With the power the Hawaiian possesses, I wouldn't be shocked to see another knockout victory for the No. 3 ranked heavyweight.

Good luck picking!

For more information on UFC 187, including the full fight card, results, news, and more, click here.