International fight week is here! This week always delivers an elite card, and this year’s UFC 317 PPV is no different. Former 145-pound king Ilia “El Matador” Topuria is attempting to become a two-division champion but must get past former lightweight champion No. 2 Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira. Flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja is putting his title on the line against City Kickboxing’s latest contender, No. 4 Kai Kara-France.
The Early Prelims begin at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, with the Prelims starting at 8:00 on ESPN. The Main Card airs 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 317: Topuria vs. Oliveira.
Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $700K UFC 317 Special [$200K to 1st]
Studs
Alexandre Pantoja ($9,000)
Pantoja isn’t the biggest talker, but he has now won four straight title fights and hasn’t suffered a defeat since 2020. He is coming off a submission win against Kai Asakura in December 2024. Pantoja will now take on Kai Kara-France, a very dangerous opponent.
It is hard not to add Pantoja to your fantasy lineup when you see what he has done recently. Pantoja has recorded 100-plus points in five straight fights. He is one of the UFC’s best pound-for-pound fighters and continues to find ways to evolve and improve his game in each fight.
Pantoja is an inch taller (5’5″ vs. 5’4″) than Kara-France, as the challenger has a two-inch edge in reach (69″ vs. 67″). But all-around, Pantoja is the more advanced fighter. Kara-France is the more powerful striker but has been a bit too knockout-dependent lately. Pantoja has done a great job of striking on the feet while mixing in takedowns at the perfect time. If he can use his elite defense on the feet and not allow Kara-France to land big power shots, another title defense is very likely.
Joshua Van ($8,000)
With two exciting flyweight fights on this Main Card, my second pick will also be a 125-pounder. Van, 23, has been on an unbelievable run lately. He has gone 4-0 in the previous nine months, and his last victory came via knockout against Bruno Silva at the UFC’s last PPV, UFC 316. Van is now 7-1 in the promotion and could put himself in a prime position to challenge the winner of the main event with a victory of his own.
But Van has a very tough test against former title challenger Brandon Royval. Royval has won five of his last six fights and has only lost to the two previous flyweight champions in the UFC (Pantoja and Brandon Moreno).
Van is a phenomenal striker on the feet, landing over eight significant strikes per minute. He lands nearly four more significant strikes than Royval at a 15 percent higher rate. Since Van is the smaller fighter, he will need to be more aggressive and have Royval on his back foot from the start of the contest. If Van follows that game plan, he should add much value to your fantasy lineup.
Value Play
Charles Oliveira ($6,900)
Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira is $6,900. Is this true? Yes, the former lightweight champion and one of the best fighters to ever compete at 155 pounds is this cheap for UFC 317. He does face former Featherweight Champion Topuria, but Oliveira is still a very dangerous fighter.
On paper, Oliveira is the taller fighter by three inches (5’10” vs. 5’7″) while having a five-inch reach (74″ vs. 69″) advantage. Also, Oliveira averages more takedowns per 15 minutes while being the more accurate striker. Topuria is undefeated and has been dominant recently, with knockout victories over Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway.
Oliveira is coming off a 123-point performance against Michael Chandler in November 2024. Three of Oliveira’s last five fights have resulted in at least 114 fantasy points. From the start of the fight, Oliveira must make Topuria feel his strength and realize that he is the guy moving up in weight divisions.
Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $700K UFC 317 Special [$200K to 1st]
