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Coming off a very exciting event in UFC 307, where we saw Alex Pereira defend the light heavyweight belt for the third time and Julianna Pena reclaim the bantamweight title, we are back to Apex action with another UFC Vegas event. UFC Vegas 98 promises to be a solid event featuring a 13-fight card, headlined by two flyweight contenders, Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira, in a bout that could determine the next contender for the flyweight title.
The co-main event features UFC veteran Brad Tavares and JunYong Park. The main card also has Chidi Njokuani vs. Jared Gooden, Grant Dawson vs. Rafa Garcia, Daniel Rodriguez vs. Alex Morono, and Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Josh Fremd.
In this article, I will be providing you with my fantasy MMA lineup picks for UFC Vegas 98: Royval vs. Taira on 10/12/24. Give me a follow on X @sumpor5. Good luck!
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DraftKings MMA Flyweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Tatsuro Taira, $9000 - vs. Brandon Royval
Undefeated prospect Tatsuro Taira is set to take on former title challenger Brandon Royval in what is likely a title eliminator bout in the main event of UFC Vegas 98 on Saturday. Royval is coming off a split-decision win over former champ Brandon Moreno and Taira is coming off a main-event victory where won via TKO after Alex Perez hurt his knee.
This is why he's a title contender 🫡
Watch @TatsuroTaira in the #UFCVegas98 main event this weekend!
[ LIVE Saturday on @ESPNPlus at 7pmET/4pmPT ] pic.twitter.com/WPT7EgkEh0
— UFC (@ufc) October 10, 2024
The fifth-ranked Taira is undefeated in his MMA career with 16 wins. six of those being in the UFC. He has rapidly climbed the rankings with an impressive blend of submissions and knockouts. Out of his victories, five came via knockout, four by decision, and seven by submission.
Former title challenger Royval comes into this fight with a MMA record of 16 wins and seven losses. Royval is coming off his best performance to date, a split-decision win over former flyweight champion Moreno. He has won four times via knockout, nine by submission, and three via decision.
Taira has a striking accuracy of 65% and he's averaging 3.56 significant strikes per minute. His striking defense rate is 47%, and he absorbs 1.70 significant strikes per minute. Taira's grappling has been elite, and he's averaging 2.35 takedowns every 15 minutes with a success rate of 47% and 2.1 submission attempts during the same period. His takedown defense is 62%.
Royval lands an average of 4.33 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy of 36%. He absorbs 3.42 strikes and has a striking defense of 46%. Royval lands 0.47 takedowns per 15 minutes with a takedown accuracy of 60% and a takedown defense of 40%. His grappling is decent, averaging 0.47 takedowns every 15 minutes and 1.1 submission attempts during the same period.
Even though Royval looked great in his last bout, I expect Taira to continue his dominance. Royval is tested over 25 minutes multiple times and should have the advantage if this hits the championship rounds, I just think Taira will find a way to put Royval away early. This will without a doubt be the biggest test of Taira's career but I can see him submitting Royval in the second or the third round.
DraftKings MMA Lightweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Grant Dawson, $9500 - vs. Rafa Garcia
Grant Dawson and Rafa Garcia are scheduled to face off in a lightweight bout on the main card of UFC Vegas 98 on Saturday. Both fighters bring strong momentum into this contest. Dawson was last seen in action in June at UFC 302, where he rebounded from a loss by defeating Joe Solecki via unanimous decision, and his opponent, Garcia, is on a two-fight winning streak.
Dawson enters this match with a career record of 21 wins, two losses, and one draw. Since joining the UFC in 2019, Dawson has gone an impressive 9-1-1. While in the UFC, Dawson has only lost to King Green. Prior to his bout against Green, Dawson was undefeated in his first nine UFC fights.
His opponent, Garcia, has gone 4-3 inside the UFC since 2021. After losing his first two UFC fights to Nasrat Haqparast and Chris Gruetzemacher, Garcia won back-to-back fights against Natan Levy and Jesse Ronson before losing to Drakkar Klose. Now, Garcia has won two fights in a row again by defeating Maheshate Hayisaer and, more recently, UFC veteran Clay Guida.
Dawson averages 2.98 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 52%. He has a striking defense of 45%, and he absorbs 2.11 strikes per minute. His grappling has been elite, as he's averaging 3.61 takedowns every 15 minutes and 1.3 submission attempts over the same period. Dawson's takedown defense is 57%, and his takedown accuracy is 38%.
Garcia averages 2.98 significant strikes per minute and his striking accuracy is at 42%. He absorbs 4.21 strikes and has a striking defense of 61%. Just like Dawson, Garcia is averaging 3.61 takedowns every 15 minutes and his takedown accuracy is 44%, with his takedown defense being 79%.
I'm going with Dawson on this one. Although Garcia has won four out of his last five fights, he hasn't faced the competition Dawson has faced. Garcia has just one knockout win in 18 professional fights, and I don't see him knocking Dawson out. I expect takedowns from Dawson, and seeing him go against Solecki for 13:46, my prediction is that Dawson will dominate and win this fight by unanimous decision.
DraftKings MMA Welterweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Daniel Rodriguez, $8900 - vs. Alex Morono
Daniel Rodriguez and Alex Morono are scheduled to fight on the main card of UFC Vegas 98. Rodriguez, who is coming off a loss to Kelvin Gastelum, is currently on a three-fight losing streak and could be fighting for his job this weekend, and Morono will look to get back in the win column after losing his last fight to Nico Price.
Although Rodriguez is on a three-fight losing streak, he’s only lost to ranked fighters like Neil Magny, Ian Machado Garry, and more recently, Gastelum. His fight against Gastelum should have been in the welterweight division, but the bout was changed to a middleweight bout due to Gastelum having issues cutting weight.
Just like Rodriguez in his fight with Gastelum, Morono was outwrestled in his last bout against Price. Morono has alternated wins and losses over his last six fights. He has defeated fighters like Donald Cerrone, Tim Means and Court McGee.
Morono has terrible offensive wrestling but he does have a black belt in BJJ. Although he wasn't able to demonstrate it in his last two fights, when at his best, Morono is a high-volume striker.
Rodriguez averages 7.42 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 49%. His striking defense is 56%, and he absorbs 5.52 strikes per minute. When it comes to wrestling, he's averaging 0.55 takedowns every 15 minutes. His takedown defense is 56%, and his takedown accuracy is 50%.
Morono averages 4.96 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 41%. He is absorbing 4.34 strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 57%. Morono's grappling is not nearly as strong, as he's averaging 0.36 takedowns every 15 minutes. His takedown defense is 48% and his takedown accuracy is 26%.
Morono's durability is a concern, as he has been knocked out three times in his career. Rodriguez is the better boxer; he packs more power in his punches, and Morono is likely not even going to attempt to take Rodriguez down. My prediction is that Rodriguez will get this done by third-round knockout.
