The second fight on the UFC 324 Prelims is a Light Heavyweight contest between Nikita Krylov vs. Modestas Bukauskas. Krylov, 33, suffered back-to-back knockout losses in 2025 and is currently in his second stint in the UFC. Bukauskas has won four consecutive contests, with his last victory a first-round knockout over Paul Craig in September 2025. Krylov first competed in the UFC from 2016 to 2023, left for two years, and has been in the promotion since 2018.
Here is my best bet for Nikita Krylov vs. Modestas Bukauskas at UFC 324 Prelims.
Modestas Bukauskas Moneyline (-148)
Krylov is a long-time UFC veteran and is the more experienced fighter in this contest, but hasn’t won a fight since March 2023. In 2025, Krylov lost to Dominick Reyes and Bogdan Guskov, both in the first round. Bukauskas has a 19-6 record with 14 finishes and hasn’t lost a fight since November 2023. As with Krylov, this is also Bukauskas’s second run in the UFC.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Bukauskas is a -142 favorite with Krylov as the underdog at +120. Krylov averages more strikes per minute (4.31 vs. 3.32) and more takedowns per 15 minutes (2.17 vs. 0.30) than Bukauskas does. But Bukauskas doesn’t get taken down often, as he has an 80 percent takedown defense.
Although the stats aren’t on his side, Bukauskas has flat-out been the better fighter recently than Krylov. Bukauskas has shown a ton of knockout power, and it is concerning for Krylov that he has lost two straight fights via finish. Getting Bukauskas at -148 to win this fight is an excellent value play, as he is the younger fighter on a terrific run in the UFC since 2024.
