UFC Daily Fantasy Helper: UFC 287

The Ultimate Fighting Championship holds around a dozen mixed martial arts bouts nearly every weekend with no real offseason. As one of the most unique sweats available, UFC daily fantasy is live on FanDuel.

The strategy behind this fantasy sport is intriguing. Given that two fighters face off against each other, and some fights end in seconds, choosing which side to back is crucial, and there is a wide range of outcomes. However, getting the winning fighter isn't all that matters. They've also got to land enough strikes, takedowns, or submission attempts to score points!

numberFire is always the best spot to prepare you for any UFC card. If you would rather bet on the fights, my betting guide includes my favorite value spots on Saturday's card. I also dove deeper into this card on this week's Heat Check Daily Fantasy Podcast.

Let's break down UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2, taking place at the Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, FL on Saturday.

MVP Considerations

There's one elite MVP candidate on this card, and he's surrounded by a bunch of passable ones.

The elite one is Ignacio Bahamondes ($22), fighting as close to his native Chile as possible with this domestic promotion. Bahamondes' card-best +3.30 striking success rate (SSR) comes with a huge scoring upside on FanDuel. He's tallied more than 100 significant strikes in every trip to the octagon thus far, and this last-minute clash with Trey Ogden (-0.30 SSR) is a blowout on paper -- as Bahamondes' -340 moneyline odds would indicate.

With the highest win equity on the card, Karl Williams ($22) is likely the next-best option. If the concern is scoring thanks to Williams' 38% pro finishing rate, it does help that he scored 100.2 FanDuel points in his pro debut last month. Any fighter who has taken his opponent, Chase Sherman, down has scored at least 80 FanDuel points with an average of 114.1 points. Sherman can't grapple at all, which is why Karl is a -480 favorite.

However, Gilbert Burns ($23) is actually the largest favorite on the card, but I've just got two key reasons why I'm a bit hesitant about the star welterweight who should dominate 38-year-old Jorge Masvidal. First, Masvidal is the owner of the most creative upset knockout in UFC history. Second, even if Burns wins, it's not a lock that it would come with a good score on FanDuel. His rate of 3.06 FanDuel points per minute (excl. bonuses) is the 10th-worst on this card.

Other High-Salaried Fighters

Kevin Holland ($19) was bumped down in salary to accommodate the main-event fighters, but his -265 moneyline is strong for this salary. Holland has eclipsed 80 FanDuel points in three of his four welterweight trips to the octagon, so his floor is fairly high against Argentinian striker Santiago Ponzinibbio ($12). As I mentioned on Covering the Spread, there's not much power here, so this battle of strikers should be a barnburner for daily fantasy.

In said main event, I prefer champion Alex Pereira ($19) to the former belt holder and larger star, Israel Adesanya. Adesanya's passive style (2.45 FanDuel points per minute excl. bonuses; worst on this card) was due for an upset at some point, and Pereira has beaten Izzy three times for a reason. Landing 5.23 significant strikes per minute with lethal 59% accuracy and more power, Pereira is willing to push a pace on Adesanya that most will not.

Raul Rojas Jr. ($18) -- an 18-year-old sensation -- is on this card, too. He drew a much tougher opponent (Christian Rodriguez) than most expected, but Rodriguez's one weakness plays right into the grappler's hands. Rodriguez's 56% takedown defense has been exploited multiple times in every fight, and Rosas (62% takedown accuracy) excels in that area. We just don't know much about the kid yet to fully trust him at MVP.

Greco-Roman specialist Luana Pinheiro ($16) would be my final win pick to win in this salary range, but she's facing a massive step-up in competition against Michelle Waterson-Gomez, and their fight is -330 to go the full distance. Odds are that it's a dud in fantasy from both sides.

Value Fighters

We all make mistakes -- including those who create FanDuel salaries.

I'm guessing Jaqueline Amorim ($11) was supposed to have a $21 salary but received a typo. The -295 favorite is the fourth-most likely fighter to win on this card. Considering this fight is also favored to see the submission specialist score an early finish, I wouldn't blame anyone for hitting the lock button there.

She won't cut it alone, though, so I'll go back to my main man, Chris Curtis ($15). He's 5-1 in UFC-affiliated appearances as an underdog with the lone loss on short notice in England last summer. Curtis brings a four-inch reach advantage and lands significant strikes 15% more regularly than his opponent, Kelvin Gastelum. I'd be shocked if he didn't win this fight as long as his 100% takedown defense holds at that mark.

Rob Font ($14) is another underdog who I can't figure out why they're a 'dog. Font has been a top-10 bantamweight for years, turning back Cody Garbrandt and Marlon Moraes. Prospect Adrian Yanez (+1.13 SSR) is good, but against tougher competition, Font's turned in a superior +2.43 SSR. Yanez also has never faced a grappler, and while Font isn't one, he did take down Chito Vera and Jose Aldo.

The final nominee in the "What is that line?" category is Gerald Meerschaert ($13). GM3's opponent, Joe Pyfer, says Meerschaert sucks, but I'd argue Pyfer is closer to proving that he fits his own description. Pyfer was knocked out by Dustin Stoltzfus (2-4 UFC), and his only win in UFC was over Alen Amedovski, the record-holder for fewest significant strikes with at least 4 fights and 20 minutes of octagon time. GM3 is a 10-time UFC winner; he could quickly earn Pyfer's respect.

Unranked men's featherweight is bananas, evidenced by Shayilan Nuerdanbieke's last fight literally being fixed and resulting in scandal. Nuerdanbieke (-0.67 SSR) is probably in over his skis now in terms of matchmaking as a result, so Steve Garcia ($14) could be another option. Garcia is not the most reliable fighter on the roster, but his +2.63 SSR and two UFC wins via finish speak for themselves.

Like Pinheiro's fight, Loopy Godinez and Cynthia Calvillo ($11) are expected to go 15 full minutes, but I do think there's a chance Calvillo handles Godinez in short order. Calvillo has fought six currently ranked fighters to Godinez's one, and Cynthia also has three UFC wins via finish to Godinez's lone submission triumph. She'll be a low-rostered pivot off Amorim, too.