Daily fantasy MMA is another DFS sport that has me hooked.

The scoring is complex, but the main strategy I can give you is to pick fighters who can finish.  The bonus points for finishes are huge!  I will get into the scoring and strategy more below.

Top Daily Fantasy MMA Site

Bet365.com offers free-to-play contests with lucrative prize pools for UFC events.

Picking Fighters

Your fantasy UFC team consists of 6 fighters.  Each fighter is given a salary and you must keep the total amount you spend under $50,000.  You’re usually able to get 4 favourites and 2 underdogs on a typical lineup.

Scoring

The scoring for daily fantasy MMA is hard to follow during the fight.  You do get points for strikes, takedowns, knockdowns, advances and reversals, but you really have to wait until after the fight to know what your fighter scored because all of those things are open to interpretation by the judges.  Basically what you’re looking for in MMA daily fantasy is for your fighter to win the fight, and the quicker the win, the better.

Below is the scoring criteria for Bet365.com UFC daily fantasy. The scoring can vary at different betting sites.

Points During Fight

• Strike: +0.2 points
• Significant Strikes: +0.2 points
• Control time: +0.03 points
• Takedowns: +5 points
• Reversals: +5 points
• Knockdown: +10 points

Fight Conclusion Bonuses

• 1st Round Win: +90 points
• 2nd Round Win: +70 points
• 3rd Round Win: +45 points
• 4th Round Win: +40 points
• 5th Round Win: +40 points
• Decision Win: +30 points
• Quick Win: +25 points

As you can see the main points come in the form of the fight conclusion bonuses.  You want your fighter to get a finish as quickly as possible, and if they can build up some significant strikes en route to a finish, then that is ideal.

Daily Fantasy MMA Tips

I’ve done fairly well with my daily fantasy UFC lineups in the past and even won a VIP trip to Vegas for UFC 189 a few summers ago (shameless brag).  Here are a few tips that I use when picking my lineups.

• Look For Finishers:  This is the most important tip I can give you.  If you’re going to win one of the larger MMA fantasy contests you’re going to need quick finishes from your lineup.  I like to look at the “to win inside distance” odds at Bet365.com when deciding which fighters to take (learn more about various MMA bets).  This gives me an idea of each fighters perceived chances of finishing the fight.

• Action Fighters: Look for fighters who push a high pace. These type of fighters can score well in decisions, so you aren’t relying entirely on an early finish to get points.
  
• Wrestlers over Strikers: Five points for a takedown and three for an advance are big points, especially for action wrestlers who push the pace. A stand up fight will not score as good as a back and forth scrambling fight with lots of takedowns.