The Ultimate Fighting Championship is in the fighting capital of the world, Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC 313 on Saturday, March 8. One of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, Alex Pereira is defending his Undisputed Light Heavyweight title against Magomed Ankalaev.
The Early Prelims start at 6:30 p.m. ET with the Prelims at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The Main Card is airing live on ESPN+ PPV at 10:00 p.m. ET. Check out my favorite fighters to add to your daily fantasy lineup for Saturday’s UFC 313: Pereira vs. Ankalaev.
Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $700K UFC 313 Special [$200K to 1st]
Studs
Joshua Van ($8,800)
Joshua Van is one of the best rising prospects in the UFC’s flyweight division. At 23, he is 12-2 in his MMA career and 4-1 in the UFC. He is coming off a unanimous decision victory against Cody Durden at UFC 310 in December 2024. Van is facing another intriguing prospect in this division with Rei Tsuruya, who is 10-0 and 1-0 in the UFC.
Tsuruya is the taller fighter (5’6″ vs. 5’5″) and has a three-inch reach advantage (68″ vs. 65″). But Van has the edge in experience and is the more advanced striker on the feet. Van has been excellent in fantasy contests, scoring at least 100 points in four of his last five fights. Van lands more than six more significant strikes per minute than Tsuruya. If Van can defend Tsuruya’s takedown attempts early in this bout, he will put your lineup in a great position to succeed.
Alex Pereira ($8,300)
It’s unbelievable that Alex Pereira, the reigning, defending, and undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion, is only $8,300 on DraftKings. He is defending his title against Magomed Ankalaev in the main event. Pereira is the most exciting fighter in the UFC. He has had four knockouts in a row and is 9-1 in the UFC with seven knockouts.
Pereira is on an incredible run and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. He has totaled 101-plus fantasy points in his last three title defenses. He has only scored under 87 points twice in the UFC. Each fight, he shows up and is one of the most reliable fighters to put into your lineup. All five of his UFC title victories have come by knockout.
Pereira is the bigger fighter in this matchup, with a four-inch advantage in reach (79″ vs. 75″) and one-inch edge in height (6’4″ vs. 6’3″). Poatan lands nearly two more significant strikes per minute while landing strikes at an 11 percent better rate than Ankalaev. Ankalaev is a more advanced fighter on the ground but only lands 31 percent of his takedown attempts. If Pereira can successfully defend Ankalaev’s takedowns, he will likely add another signature performance to his resume as no one can stand and strike with Poatan.
Value Play
King Green ($6,800)
Green is coming off a loss to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 304. In his previous five fights, Green is 3-2-1 and is not currently in the UFC lightweight rankings. He now faces another rising prospect Mauricio Ruffy in a three-round lightweight bout.
Ruffy represents the popular Brazilian team Fighting Nerds. Other fighters from the gym include Carlos Prates, Jean Silva, and Caio Borralho. But this is nothing new for Green; he is a seasoned UFC veteran and has a wide edge in experience.
This matchup opens the main card for UFC 313. On paper, Ruffy has the advantages in height (5’11” vs. 5’10”) and reach (75″ vs. 71″). But Green has been the more accomplished fighter on the feet and ground. Green lands 6.43 significant strikes per minute while Ruffy lands 4.70. An underrated part of Green’s game is on the ground, where he lands 1.23 takedowns per 15 minutes.
In his last three victories, Green has recorded 100-plus points. If Green can pressure Ruffy and control the pace, he will be in a great spot to provide elite value considering his low price.
Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $700K UFC 313 Special [$200K to 1st]
