Everything You Need to Know About DraftKings Reignmakers UFC

Welcome to DraftKings Reignmakers UFC, the latest expansion in DraftKings’ new NFT-based fantasy sports game. Below is everything you need to know to get started, build a lineup, enter a contest, and win prizes.

What Is DraftKings Reignmakers UFC?

DraftKings Reignmakers UFC is an extension of the platform’s new NFT-based fantasy sports game.

Similar to its counterpart DraftKings Reignmakers NFL, DraftKings Reignmakers UFC allows users to compete for prizes by accumulating fantasy points based on fighters’ in-octagon performances. Lineups are built, however, using player cards (or NFTs) instead of staying under a salary cap or drafting a team.

For more information on DraftKings Reignmakers, see Lucky Trader’s Reignmakers Introduction here.

How to Get Started

There are three essential tasks to complete when getting started with DraftKings Reignmakers UFC: building a team, playing in contests, and winning prizes.

Building a Lineup

To build a team and enter contests, users will need to collect enough DraftKings Reignmakers UFC fighter NFTs to field a 5-athlete lineup. Those five fighters must all fight on the same UFC card, which typically occurs on a weekly basis on Saturdays.

Acquiring fighter NFTs and building a lineup can be accomplished in two ways: purchasing packs during any of the upcoming UFC pack drops or buying fighters on the official DraftKings Marketplace.

Upcoming UFC Pack Drops

DraftKings Reignmakers UFC has standard and event pack drops. Standard pack drops contain the top fighters throughout the UFC, while event packs include only fighters from the next available UFC event.

The Genesis pack drop, which is expected to take place on Jan. 6, 2023, is the first premium pack drop of the year for DraftKings Reignmakers UFC. These packs contain the best fighters in the league and those fighters can be used throughout all of 2023.

DraftKings Reignmakers UFC’s next event pack drop will take place prior to the UFC 283 event on Jan. 10, 2023. These packs are intended to add depth to users’ lineups. Once users collect the best fighters in the league via the Genesis and other standard pack drops, they’ll need to add additional fighters from the event packs to fill out their lineups for the week. These packs are expected to start at $9.99 each.

Buying Fighters on the Marketplace

If users are looking for specific UFC fighters, they can shop for their player cards on the official DraftKings Marketplace. On the secondary marketplace, users can buy and sell the NFTs they’ve obtained from packs or previously bought on the secondary marketplace.

To purchase fighter cards on the secondary marketplace, head over to the official DraftKings UFC Marketplace here.

There are filters on the left-hand side of the screen and a search bar toward the top of the screen. Fighter cards can be sorted by rarity tier, fighter names, set names, series, divisions, countries, champion status, edition counts, and more.

Once you’ve found the fighter card you want to buy, click on it, make sure it is the serial number you want (see below for more on rarity and serial numbers), and click “Buy Now” at the top, right-hand side of the screen.

Entering Contests

Users with five eligible fighter cards can enter contests to win cash and NFT prizes. Similar to daily fantasy sports (DFS), select the fighters you want to accrue fantasy points for, add them to your lineup, and submit. The only difference is you actually have to own the NFT of the fighter you want to play on DraftKings Reignmakers UFC.

Each contest has a specific rarity tier, and that rarity tier has specific requirements for the rarity tier of the fighter cards that can be entered into that contest. The requirements at each rarity tier are as follows:

• CORE contests: can include player cards from any rarity level
• RARE contests: must include three (3) player cards with a Core rarity level or higher and two (2) player cards with a Rare rarity level or higher

• ELITE contests: must include three (3) player cards with a Rare rarity level or higher and two (2) player cards with an Elite rarity level or higher

• LEGENDARY contests: must include four (4) player cards with an Elite rarity level or higher and one (1) player card with a Legendary rarity level or higher

• REIGNMAKER contests: must include four (4) player cards with a Legendary rarity level or higher and one (1) player card with a Reignmaker rarity level

Each lineup requires one Captain and four Fighters. The Captain position must be filled with a fighter card that is equal to or greater than the rarity level associated with the contest. For example, when playing in an Elite contest, users must play an Elite Connor McGregor player card at Captain. A Rare Connor McGregor player card can be played in 3-of-5 lineup spots, but not in the Captain spot.

Winning Contests (DraftKings Reignmakers UFC Scoring)

To win a contest, users must outscore all other users entered into their specific contest.

Scoring is calculated as follows:

The Captain position scores 1.5x the standard fantasy point value in the charts above.

Scoring notes are as follows:

• Significant Strikes are any "Distance Strikes" or "Clinch/Ground Strikes" that are considered "Power Strikes" by official scorers

• A Significant Strike will count as both a Strike and a Significant Strike and will be worth a total of 0.4 points

• Control Time is the time spent by a fighter in the dominant position on the ground or in the clinch (+0.03 points are awarded per second of Control Time)

• A Knockdown is awarded to a fighter who knocks his/her opponent down due to debilitation for what the official scorers consider an appreciable amount of time

• A Quick Win Bonus is awarded to the winning fighter in the event they win in the first round in 60 seconds or less

What Happens When Two Players Tie?

If the result of the final score is a tie, the user with the lower total serial number will win. 

For example, if User A played the same lineup as User B and User A’s total serial number combined for each fighter card was 113 compared to User B’s 126, User A would solely win. User B would fall to the next available position.

Can I Edit My Lineup After the Contest Starts?

Users can edit their lineups before the contest locks. After the official lock time for the contest, lineups can no longer be edited. 

What If I Sell a Fighter Card in My Lineup During the Event?

If the sale happens prior to the lock time of the contest, that fighter card will have to be removed and replaced. If the sale happens after the lock time of the contest, that fighter card will remain in the user’s lineup and accrue fantasy points normally.

Rarity Tiers and Serial Numbers

As previously mentioned, each contest and fighter card has an assigned rarity tier. Only certain rarity tiers can be used in specific contests.

The five rarity tiers are CORE, RARE, ELITE, LEGENDARY and REIGNMAKER. CORE is the most common and REIGNMAKER is the rarest.

Additionally, each fighter card has a serial number. The serial number is used to determine a unique winner in the event of a tie. The lower the serial number, the better, as the tiebreaker is the total of a full lineup’s serial numbers.

For example, if you enter a lineup with Fighter X (Rare, #2), Fighter Y (Elite, #5), Fighter Z (Rare #1), Fighter A (Elite, #10), and Fighter A (Elite, #3), the total serial number count would be 21. If you tied another user for first place who had a total serial number count of 22, you’d win sole possession of first place. The other user would move to second place.

Franchise Scores and Missions

In addition to winning contests, collectors can win challenges related to their franchise scores and missions. DraftKings Reignmakers UFC has said that millions in prizes will be available in 2023 through collection rewards.

Franchise score is a way for serious collectors to calculate the value of their collections. Collectors will receive a certain number of points for each UFC fighter card they have in their collection. Based on these points, they’ll be assigned a position on the Franchise Score Leaderboard. The top collectors will be rewarded on pre-determined dates throughout the year.

Missions are periodic rewards for holding specific fighter cards in your collection throughout 2023. More details are expected soon.