UFC 284: Islam Makhachev vs Alex Volkanovski Reignmakers Breakdown
This week, DraftKings Reignmakers is offering up $125,000 in total prizes between its five tiers of contests: CORE, RARE, ELITE, LEGENDARY, and REIGNMAKER.
All players from DraftKings’ Heatwave, UFC 281, UFC 282, and Genesis sets are eligible to compete in these contests.
It is worth noting that the Genesis Standard, Genesis Premium, and Genesis CORE Add-On packs are all still available for purchase. These packs contain top UFC fighters, along with a random distribution of most of the fighters stepping into the octagon this weekend.
DraftKings is also releasing a UFC 284 event set pack drop prior to Saturday, where players can bolster their lineups with only fighters participating in UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski.
With that said, this article breaks down the best fighters to consider adding to your team via the Reignmakers’ marketplace. All listed prices refer to CORE tier unless otherwise noted, but the recommendations can be agnostically applied to all other tiers.
The Good
Below are the best fighters to roster for the upcoming UFC 284 event.
Islam Makhachev ($16.50)
This weekend’s main event is for the UFC Lightweight Championship, which might sound odd considering Alex Volkanovski competes in the featherweight division (as the champion). He’s moving up 10 pounds from 145 to 155 to fight Makhachev to try and become a double champion. That is a near-impossible task against a 23-1 fighter that just made quick work on one of the best in the world in Charles Oliveira. Makhachev recently said he thinks he can knock out Volkanovski, but more often than not, this fight should end up on the ground. Makhachev is the more powerful fighter with a better ground game, and it shouldn’t take him too long to neutralize all of Volkanovski’s upside, which is his power and speed.
Jim Crute ($10)
UFC 284 is loaded with high-upside, knockout fights, and Jim Crute against Alonzo Menifield is no different. Crute is coming off back-to-back losses against Anthony Smith and Jamahal Hill (the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion). Menifield, on the other hand, is coming off back-to-back wins, but against lesser opponents in Askar Mozharov and 35-year-old Misha Cirkunov. Crute has all the power necessary to end this fight early, and he has the speed and endurance to make this fight interesting for all three rounds if he has to. That is the kind of UFC Reignmakers' upside players should be looking for. Crute is stepping down in competition to fight Menifield, while Menifield is stepping up and attempting to prove he can continue to bang with fighters at Crute’s level.
The Bad
Below are the worst fighters to roster for the upcoming UFC 284 event.
Randy Brown ($7)
Randy Brown is boring. He’s a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but he mostly wrestles, which leads to most of his wins coming via decision. His upside this weekend is a boring three-round decision against Jack Della Maddalena. His downside is looking up at the lights within the first few minutes of the fight. Maddalena is 3-0 in his UFC career (4-0 including Dana White’s Contender Series) with three consecutive first-round knockouts. He won performance of the night in two consecutive fights. Brown is another tune-up fight for him, and soon he will be fighting stiffer competition. Expect this fight to be one-sided, and roster Maddalena if it is an option.
Shannon Ross (N/A)
As great as it would be to pull a Zubaira Tukhugov (see below) in a DraftKings Reignmakers UFC 284 event pack, it would be equally as horrible to pull Shannon Ross. The Australian 33-year-old is on the card to appease the local crowd, but Kleydson Rodrigues is better in most categories. He has knockout and submission upside. He should be able to keep Ross grounded, and even if he doesn't, the 27-year-old up-and-comer can hold his own on his feet. Ross doesn’t have too many ways to win this fight, realistically, so avoid him at all costs.
The Obvious
Below are the most obvious fighters to roster for the upcoming UFC 284 event.
Zubaira Tukhugov (N/A)
Zubaira Tukhugov is only available in UFC 284 event packs, which is good news for those who are lucky enough to rip open a pack and find him. He is currently -540 to win this weekend on DraftKings Sportsbook, and despite the fight likely going to a decision, the Sambo specialist should rack up fantasy points with his takedowns and control time. He does have knockout upside, but he will likely toy around with Elves Brenner, who is making his UFC debut. Tukhugov is as close to a sure-fire win as it gets in this sport.
