Value Fighter: Rob Font, $7,500, (+180)
My favorite value play this week is Rob Font. You almost never get a veteran like Font at this kind of price, but the discount is there because he’s facing the hype train in Raul Rosas Jr. Rosas who is talented—no doubt about it. He’s aggressive, he can strike, and he’s got a slick submission game. But Font has been doing this for a long time and is used to fighting guys just like “Chiwiwi.” Yes, Font is 17 years older, but he’s still competing at a high level and proved that just last year when he beat Jean Matsumoto, who honestly might be a better opponent than anyone Rosas has faced so far in his career. Font’s pace and volume on the feet can absolutely give Rosas problems, especially if this turns into a striking-heavy fight like I expect. Rosas already showed some cracks when he lost a decision to Christian Rodriguez in just his second UFC fight, and there’s a real chance we see something similar here if Font drags him into deeper waters. At this salary, I’m more than happy to take the value on the veteran who’s been in these spots before.
Fade Fighter: Jeong Yeong Lee, $9,300, (-278)
My fade fighter this week is Jeong Yeong Lee, and I honestly don’t understand the price tag. How quickly do we forget the Gaston Bolanos hype train before he got flatlined by Marcus McGhee? Apparently very quickly, because now we’re supposed to pay $9,300—the most expensive salary on the entire card—for Lee, a guy who is 2–2 in the UFC with both wins coming by decision. That just doesn’t add up. Historically, Lee is the kind of fighter that would pay off as a cheap value play if you could get him at around $3,800–$4,000 (in reality the lowest price is $6K), not when he’s priced like a guaranteed finisher. Instead, we’re paying a premium for a fighter who simply hasn’t shown that kind of scoring upside. In fact, he’s one of three fighters on the slate with a brutal -50 or worse value score, which basically means even if he wins the fight, he still likely won’t return enough fantasy points to justify the salary. At this price he pretty much needs a first-round finish, something he has never done in the UFC. Paying top dollar for a low-ceiling decision fighter is how you wreck a DFS lineup, so this is an easy fade for me.
