UFC returns to the Fight Capital of the World on Saturday night for the final numbered event of 2025 — and the last of the ESPN era. Before the promotion splits for Paramount in January, they’re closing this chapter with a grand finale.
Two titles are up for grabs at UFC 323 at T-Mobile Arena. Joshua Van will challenge Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight championship in the co-main event, then Petr Yan will attempt to reverse his fortune in a rematch against bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.
Looking at the main event, Dvalishvili enters as a heavy -410 moneyline favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, with Yan listed as a +320 underdog.
Along with traditional sports betting and daily fantasy, you can now have more action than ever for UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs. Yan. Check out DraftKings UFC Pick6 for my favorite picks for Saturday’s UFC event.
Merab Dvalishvili More Than 8.5 Takedowns
They call him “The Machine” for a reason — Merab Dvalishvili (21–4) is the most dominant fighter that the bantamweight division has ever seen. In his most recent title defense in October, he dragged Cory Sandhagen to the mat 20 times en route to becoming the promotion’s all-time takedowns leader (117).
Fueled by a bottomless gas tank, Dvalishvili relentlessly hunts takedowns and never gets discouraged if he comes up short. In fact, in his first encounter with Petr Yan (19–5) in March 2023, he set a new UFC record with a staggering 49 takedown attempts, finding success 11 times in a dominant unanimous decision victory. It seems inevitable that he’ll go back to the well on Saturday night.
Joshua Van More Than 90.5 Significant Strikes
Joshua Van (15–2) is one of the most exciting fighters on UFC’s active roster, leading the promotion with a whopping 8.86 significant strikes per minute. He has topped 90 significant strikes in four of his last five bouts, including his recent instant-classic against Brandon Royval, where he landed a staggering 204 significant strikes — in only three rounds.
The 24-year-old lightning rod is the most formidable threat to the dominant title reign of Alexandre Pantoja (30–5), who also fancies a good old-fashioned slugfest. Considering Van’s sound takedown defense, the fight should stay on the feet, where both fighters can throw caution to the wind in a bout that resembles a video game.
Tatsuro Taira More Than 73.5 Fantasy Points
Tatsuro Taira (17–1) has been a fantasy powerhouse since joining the UFC in 2022. The Japanese flyweight boasts a 99.1 career fantasy-point average and has topped 73.5 points in each of his last five outings — even in a loss to Brandon Royval.
Taira enters as a slight betting favorite over former flyweight champ Brandon Moreno (23–8–2). With a clear grappling advantage and elite back-taking ability, the surging contender’s relentless pressure should propel him past the 73.5-point threshold.
Payton Talbott Less Than 59.5 Significant Strikes
Payton Talbott (10–1) aims to continue reestablishing his reputation as one of the UFC’s most exciting prospects when he meets former double-champion Henry Cejudo (16–5). While he’s favored to win, Talbott is still unlikely to top 59.5 significant strikes in this matchup.
The 27-year-old bantamweight has topped that mark only once in his last five outings, during his second-round knockout of Cameron Saaiman back in March 2024. And on Saturday, he’ll be facing an Olympic gold medalist wrestler who will be looking to keep the fight on the ground for as long as possible.
Jan Blachowicz Less Than 79.5 Fantasy Points
Former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz (29–11–1) has had an incredible run at 195 pounds, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that his time on top is winding down. Now 42 and winless since mid-2022, he steps into the Octagon against Bogdan Guskov (18–3), who enters Saturday night on a four-fight winning streak and boasts a 100% finish rate.
Given those dynamics, it feels like a stretch for Blachowicz to clear 79.5 fantasy points in this matchup. With a career fantasy average of 64 points, he’s fallen below that mark in five-straight fights — even in his third-round TKO win over Aleksandar Rakic.
Maycee Barber More Than 2:30 Control Time
Maycee Barber (14–2) finally returns to the Octagon after a series of serious medical problems kept her sidelined for nearly two years. She’ll take on Karine Silva (19–5) in what’s shaping up to be an exciting grappling battle at 125 pounds.
Barber’s 53% takedown defense may raise concern against the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, but Silva’s meager 11% stuff-rate is far more alarming. Barber has an edge on the feet, but could employ her strong offensive wrestling to neutralize Silva’s greatest strength — piling up control time in the process.
What is DraftKings Pick6?
Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of 2+ players and select whether or not you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Enter your Pick Set in Pick6 contests to compete against other users. Get enough picks correct and win a share of cash prizes.
How to Play DraftKings Pick6
Create a Pick Set
Create a Pick Set by choosing 2+ players from the same sport and Pick Group (a set of picks available from a group of set competitions). For each player, simply select if you think they’ll have more or less than their listed stat projection. In each Pick Set, you can not pick the same player twice, and you must pick players from at least two different teams.
Enter an Amount
Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.
Sweat Your Picks
When the games go live, use the My Picks tab to follow your picks in real time to track how your players are performing against their projections and how they stack up against other users.
Compete for Prizes
Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ guaranteed prizes. Any prizes won will be credited to your DraftKings account after contests are finalized.
Play at DraftKings Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!
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