The UFC is back after a week off! A highly anticipated Welterweight bout between No. 7 Ian Machado Garry vs. No. 13 Carlos Prates headlines the event. Veteran Light Heavyweight contender No. 15 Anthony Smith is taking on surging prospect Zhang Mingyang in the co-main event.
The Prelims start at 6:00 p.m. ET, with the Main Card beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and ESPN2. Check out my favorite fighters to add to your daily fantasy lineup for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Machado Garry vs. Prates.
Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $400K Throwdown [$100K to 1st]
Studs
David Onama ($8,800)
Onama, 30, has won five of his previous six fights in the UFC. He is coming off a victory against Roberto Romero at UFC 309 in November 2024. He is facing the most prominent opponent of his career, No. 12 Giga Chikadze. Onama matches up well against Chikadze on paper. Both fighters have a 74″ reach, while Chikadze is the taller fighter by one inch.
In the striking department, Onama lands nearly two more significant strikes per minute while landing at a 50 percent rate. Both are better than Chikadze’s, while landing more takedowns on the ground. This contest will likely take place primarily on the feet and favors Onama.
Onama has three 100-plus fantasy points in three of his last five fights. He is averaging 87.4 points per contest in his UFC career, which ranks third on this card. At $8,800, he can provide your lineup with great value if you’re looking for someone under $9,000.
Michel Pereira ($8,600)
From 2020 to 2024, Pereira won eight straight fights. But in October 2024, Pereira’s win streak was snapped when he fought Anthony Hernandez. Although Pereira is coming off his worst performance in six years, this is an excellent position for him to bounce back. He is facing Abus Magomedov, who is 3-2 in the UFC. After losing to Sean Strickland and Caio Borralho, Magomedov has won two fights in a row.
This is also a step down in competition for Pereira. Yes, Pereira only finished with 17 fantasy points in his last fight, but he had 95 or more in the three previous fights.
If Pereira can keep this contest on its feet, he will have a great chance of returning to the win column. Pereira is also a great finisher, as he has 20 in his career, with his last three fights all coming via knockout or submission.
Value Play
Andre Muniz ($6,500)
Muniz is returning to the Octagon for the first time since December 2023. He beat JunYong Park in his last fight. Muniz is fighting Ikram Aliskerov in a three-round middleweight bout. Aliskerov suffered his first UFC loss when he faced former champion Robert Whittaker in June 2024.
Muniz is a +370 underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook, but this matchup is a lot closer on paper. The reach (78″ vs. 76″) and height (6’1″ vs. 6’0″) advantages are both held by Muniz. Although Aliskerov averages over five more significant strikes per minute than Muniz, the opposite is true on the ground. Muniz averages 4.23 takedowns per 15 minutes, which is 2.21 more than Aliskerov. Aliskerov has a zero percent takedown defensive rate, which is concerning.
Even though Muniz hasn’t fought in 16 months, he has the tools to pull off the upset. Muniz has totaled 92-plus fantasy points in three of his previous five fights. If Muniz uses his size to his benefit, he will have a ton of opportunities to take down Aliskerov.
Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $400K Throwdown [$100K to 1st]
