UFC Fight Night 74 fantasy picks: 'Holloway vs. Oliveira' Kountermove preview

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heads to Canada for a special Sunday (August 23, 2015) offering of mixed martial arts (MMA) action, live and free on FOX Sports 1 from the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada with UFC Fight Night 74, headlined by a pivotal Featherweight bout pitting the always exciting Max Holloway against dangerous submission guru Charles Oliveira.

If you want to spice up your UFC Fight Night 74 viewing experience, why not join the fun in playing Fantasy MMA with Kountermove?

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 Fight Night 74 card to help give you an edge in Kountermove this weekend. Here are your fighters to avoid, the star pick, and a handful of quick picks for the Saturday night event!

Fighters To Avoid: Chad Laprise ($4,600), Yves Jabouin ($5,000), & Nikita Krylov ($5,100)

UFC Fight Night 74 is an intriguing card when it comes to Kountermove, and I believe there are a handful of fighters who seem to be smart picks, but will ultimately hurt your teams come fight night.

The most glaring trap on the Saskatoon fight night event is undoubtedly The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner Chad Laprise. Undefeated at 10-0, the Canadian takes on Lightweight stalwart Francisco Trinaldo on the main card.

While I have no doubt Laprise could potentially defeat "Massaranduba," it seems very unlikely the TUF victor will be able to finish his Brazilian opposition. Considering Laprise hasn't finished an opponent since 2012, and Trinaldo has gone to five straight decisions, this is not a fight you want to have any stake in Kountermove.

The next fighter I suggest to avoid is aging veteran Yves Jabouin. The 36-year old was savagely beaten by Thomas Almeida his last time out, and now "Tiger" is facing another violent Brazilian in Felipe Arantes.

Look, Jabouin has been knocked out in his last three losses, and has been finished in each of his last four losses. Simply put, he is not the fighter he once was, and is not a good pick in Kountermove.

Finally we have landed upon Light Heavyweight sensation Nikita Krylov. Obviously I am using "sensation" very lightly when it comes to "Al Capone," but you can't deny the intrigue of the Ukrainian.

Unfortunately for Krylov, he is taking on former Heavyweight Marcos Rogerio de Lima, and could find himself stipped of his consciousness before the end of the first round.

The Brazilian has finished his last two fights in under three minutes combined, and has 10 knockouts to his credit. I expect another violent finish this Sunday.

Star Pick: Max Holloway ($5,400)

Let me preface this by saying Charles Oliveira is an absolute stud, but Max Holloway is simply going to be too much to handle come fight night.

Arguably one of the best Kountermove fighters on UFC's roster, Holloway has won six straight fights with five finishes to boot. Incredibly, three of his last five finishes have come in the third round, allowing him to rack up incredible point totals in Kountermove.

Considering "Blessed" is set to compete in his first five round affair, you have to believe the Hawaiian will find the finish at some point over the 25 minute war.

Holloway truly is a special talent, and has blossomed into a very dangerous martial artist in front of our very eyes. Submitting Cub Swanson is nothing to scoff at, and I believe he knocks out Oliveira in the second round on Sunday night to position himself to fight a top five contender next.

Whatever you do, don't make a Kountermove team without Max Holloway.

Quick Picks:

Elias Silverio ($5,300): Although he tasted defeat for the first time in his career last December, "Xuxu" is still a very tough out for anyone in the Lightweight division. Considering the Brazilian is getting a fairly mediocre opponent in Shane Campbell, I believe Silverio will shine in Saskatoon.

Misha Cirkunov ($4,700): If you have never heard of Misha Cirkunov, prepare for some top quality violence on Sunday night. The former Hard Knocks Fighting Championship Light Heavyweight kingpin will get his first crack inside the Octagon against fellow newcomer Daniel Jolly, and I suspect the Latvian native will earn his fifth straight finish victory.

Maryna Moroz ($5,300): Remember the no-name Female Strawweight that was meant to be steamrolled by Joanne Calderwood but instead pulled off a stunning 90 second armbar? Well, "The Iron Woman" is back, and she is facing off against a much lesser opponent than Calderwood this time. Expect fireworks from the Ukrainian.

Good luck picking!

For more information on UFC Fight Night 74, including the full fight card, results, news, and more, click here.