Justin Bales gives his DraftKings MMA DFS lineup picks for the UFC 224 Main Card. Get a head start on your UFC DFS lineups for DraftKings.

What's up RotoBallers. In this column, I will be taking a look at the main card for UFC 224. My analysis will help you with your DraftKings MMA lineups. I will be keeping track based on picking winners and losers, starting fresh for 2018. I will also predict how the fight will be finished, but that will not reflect in the records (Justin's 2018 Record: 21-15).

MMA has one of the best sweats in DFS. Two fighters compete at a time with only one coming out as the winner. It's the best feeling in the world when you are watching the main event of a show and know you need a first round knockout to win the entire tournament. And nothing feels worse than when you need a first round knockout by Stipe Miocic to win thousands of dollars in a tournament, but when he lands that knockout punch, you realize that you placed 14th because Jacare Souza was too dominant in a previous fight. This was a serious scenario that I had to live through when Miocic won the Heavyweight Championship. Without anymore waiting, here are my DFS lineup picks and DraftKings analysis for the main card at UFC 224.

Editor's Note: Interested in RotoBaller's MMA DFS Cheat Sheet with advanced fighter statistics, deep analysis and detailed insights from MMA DFS Expert Justin Bales? Let us know here.

Vitor Belfort vs Lyoto Machida

Both of these men are at the end of their careers in a fight that true UFC fans will appreciate. Neither are fighting at the highest level of their careers, and this could be a farewell to both men. Machida is a counter-striker that is coming off a questionable win against a prospect in Eryk Anders. Belfort is more of a power puncher that looked extremely tentative in his last fight, which was a win over Nate Marquardt. Belfort looked somewhat scared of being knocked out in that fight, and I’m expecting this fight to be somewhat boring with very few strikes thrown. In that type of fight, I lean towards Machida, who is known for his counter-striking ability. It likely won’t be an elite fight to start off the card, but it will be fun to see two legends go toe-to-toe.

Lyoto Machida via Unanimous Decision

John Lineker vs Brian Kelleher

This is one of my favorite fights on the card. Both fighters walk forward and are willing to eat a punch to give one. Both fighters are extremely powerful, but neither have ever been knocked out in their careers. Kelleher likely has the grappling advantage, but outside of his slick submissions, I do not believe it is a wide gap. I think the odds are a bit wide on this, as Kelleher continuously finds ways to finish fights. Lineker is likely the better striker of the duo, though, and that could give him the advantage. I believe this fight is closer to a pick ‘em than Lineker being a -250 favorite. Regardless, I think it favors Lineker a bit.

John Lineker via Unanimous Decision

Mackenzie Dern vs Amanda Cooper

Dern struggled in her UFC debut, but she’s still a UFC darling. She has little-to-no striking, but is features elite grappling, which was on display in her debut. Cooper came into the UFC as a boxer, but has struggled on her feet and has been wildly more successful on the ground. She simply will not be able to out-grapple Dern. I’m still not completely sure how Dern is going to get Cooper to the ground after watching her takedown attempts in her debut. With that being said, Dern could potentially win this fight on the feet. The type of fighter that will beat Dern is a fighter with strong striking and good takedown defense. That is not Cooper.

Mackenzie Dern, Submission, 2nd Round

Ronaldo Souza vs Kelvin Gastelum

Gastelum is an elite level talent, but this is an awful matchup for him. He’s too big to continuously cut to 170 lbs., but he’s a bit too small to easily beat elite level grapplers at 185 lbs. We saw that with Chris Weidman. Gastelum looked great early, but Weidman was able to use his grappling to neutralize Gastelum’s striking. I expect that to be the case this week. Souza features elite power, but Gastelum has the striking advantage. If he can keep this fight standing, he should be able to win. Souza is an elite level grappler, though, and Gastelum has struggled against grapplers in the past. Souza should be able to get this fight to the ground, and if that’s the case, he should find a finish at some point.

Ronaldo Souza, Submission, 3rd Round

Amanda Nunes vs Raquel Pennington

Pennington has been on a solid winning streak, but she has not fought since 2016 because of an injury. Nunes, on the other hand, has won six straight fights, while finishing four of those fights. I like Pennington as a fighter, but Nunes is on another level. She has superior striking, and I do not believe Pennington will be able to get this fight to the ground. This should be a fairly cut and dry fight with Nunes walking away with another victory.

Amanda Nunes, TKO, 2nd Round