The first event in March 2025 is a Fight Night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. A top-ten Flyweight matchup between No. 6 Manel Kape and No. 8 Asu Almabayev headlines the event. Kape is coming off a big knockout victory against Bruno Silva in December, while Almabayev beat Matheus Nicolau in October.
The Prelims start at 4:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+, with the Main Card airing live on ESPN+ at 7:00 p.m. ET. Check out my favorite fighters to add to your daily fantasy lineup for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Kape vs. Almabayev.
Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $350K Throwdown [$100K to 1st]
Studs
Esteban Ribovics ($9,100)
Since losing his UFC debut to Loik Radzhabov at UFC 285 in March 2023, Ribovics has won his last three fights. During that streak, he has had tremendous success in fantasy slates. He scored at least 92 points in his previous three contests. Ribovics is facing Nasrat Haqparast who is on a four-fight winning streak. Haqparast is 17-5 and 9-4 in the UFC.
Both fighters are 5’10”, but Haqparast has a reach advantage (72″ vs. 69″). Ribovics is the better striker on the feet, landing 7.53 significant strikes per minute. Haqparast lands 6.15 significant strikes per minute while being 44 percent accurate, while Ribovics lands at a 48 percent rate.
Ribovics is a -258 favorite in this bout, as Haqparast is +210 on DraftKings Sportsbook. If Ribovics is aggressive and pushes the pace, he will have a great chance to have another elite fantasy performance.
Julian Marquez ($8,500)
Marquez is fighting Cody Brundage in a three-round middleweight co-main event. Both fighters have the same reach of 72″, but Marquez is taller by two inches (6’2″ vs. 6’0″). Marquez is on a three-fight losing streak and hasn’t won a bout since April 2021. Brundage was also winless in his previous two fights and hasn’t gotten into the win column since December 2023.
Although Marquez hasn’t performed well lately, he is still a talented striker. He lands 4.85 significant strikes per minute, 3.23 more than Brundage. Marquez has totaled 85 or more fantasy points in two of his last two wins. Yes, he has only had 5, 33, and 0 points in his previous three, but this is a step down in competition. This is a great spot to back Marquez, who is in a must-win situation.
Value Play
Asu Almabayev ($7,200)
Manel Kape was initially slated to face Brandon Royal, but when the former title challenger was forced to pull out, Almabayev stepped up. Almabayev is 21-2 in his MMA career and 4-0 in the UFC. He has won 17 straight fights and has suffered a loss since April 2017. Even though Almabayev took this fight on short notice, he isn’t just happy to be there.
Almabayev is the smaller fighter in this contest, as Kape is taller (5’5″ vs. 5’4″) and has a more significant reach (68″ vs. 65″). But Almabayev has the biggest advantage, as he is an incredible fighter on the ground. Almabayev lands 5.08 takedowns per 15 minutes while completing 50 percent of his attempts.
Kape is a powerful striker on the feet, but if Almabayev can weather the early storm, and get the fight to the ground, he has a great chance to pull off the upset. In this fight, Almabayev is the +180 underdog, with Kape being the -218 favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $350K Throwdown [$100K to 1st]
