The UFC’s return to Los Angeles, California, is almost here! This event is headlined by a highly anticipated UFC Flyweight Championship fight between current title holder Joshua Van and former 125-pound king Alexandre Pantoja in a rematch. No. 2 Lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan’s 10-month hiatus ends as he faces No. 7 Mauricio Ruffy in a five-round bout.
Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $500K UFC 331 Special [$100K to 1st].
Check out my favorite fighters to add to your daily fantasy lineup for Saturday’s UFC 331 event.
Studs
Arman Tsarukyan ($9,100)
Arman Tsarukyan takes on Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event of UFC 331. Tsarukyan has been on an excellent run, winning five consecutive fights in nearly four years. He is coming off a second-round submission over Dan Hooker in November 2025. Now Tsarukyan will face another rising Lightweight contender in Ruffy. Ruffy enters this contest on a two-fight knockout streak in 2026.
Ruffy has the physical advantage in this contest, as he is four inches taller (5’11” vs. 5’7″) and has a three-inch reach advantage (75″ vs. 72″). On the feet, Ruffy averages more significant strikes per minute (4.19 vs. 3.85) while being more accurate (57% vs. 50%). Although Tsarukyan is smaller, he has the skill set to disrupt Ruffy’s momentum. Tsarukyan is good defensively on the feet, only allowing 1.80 significant strikes per minute. Tsarukyan has a big advantage on the ground, landing 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes. Ruffy has an 86 percent takedown defense but struggled against Benoit Saint Denis when facing a talented opponent on the ground.
Tsarukyan’s strengths are his fast-paced style and high output. Normally, Tsarukyan catches opponents off guard by keeping them guessing, which has helped him find a ton of success. Tsarukyan has been an elite fantasy contributor during his current winning streak, scoring 98-plus points in four of his last five with at least 103 in three of them. If Tsarukyan can slow Ruffy down early in this bout, he should be able to gain control, as Ruffy normally does his best work in the first two rounds.
Iwo Baraniewski ($8,700)
Including his appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series, Baraniewski is averaging an absurd 11.35 significant strikes per minute through four fights. Baraniewski is also more accurate (57% vs. 53%) with a better defensive percentage (52% vs. 51%) on the feet. Although both fighters are 6’0″, Menifield has the reach advantage (76″ vs. 73″).
Even though Menifield is coming off an excellent performance, he could struggle to keep up with Baraniewski, who excels in chaos. Up until this point, Baraniewski hasn’t fought anyone who can handle his pressure, power, and high output on the feet. Baraniewski is scoring 117.5 fantasy points per contest, which is the highest average of the fighters on this card. Baraniewski scored 102.9 points in his last fight, but totaled 120-plus in the previous two bouts before that.
Value Play
Alexandre Pantoja ($7,900)
At UFC 323 in December 2025, Alexandre Pantoja lost his Flyweight title as he dislocated his elbow 26 seconds into the contest. Before that, Pantoja was on an incredible run, winning eight consecutive fights with five title wins. Van, 24, has won seven straight contests and has quickly become one of the sport’s top young stars. After unceremoniously winning the title, Van scored a fifth-round knockout over Tatusro Taira at UFC 328.
Nine months after their original matchup, Van and Pantoja will meet again, both healthy. Pantoja has a two-inch reach advantage (67″ vs. 65″), with both fighters being the same height (5’5″). In this fight, Van is a much better striker, but the same is true on the ground, favoring Pantoja. Pantoja lands nearly two more takedowns per 15 minutes (2.79 vs. 0.82) at a 57 percent rate. Van averages 8.43 significant strikes per minute, compared to Pantoja’s 4.38. Pantoja absorbs 1.94 fewer significant strikes per minute than Van.
Van has had a ton of success, especially for someone so young, but he has yet to beat someone as accomplished as Pantoja. Many times, Pantoja has made elite fighters look ordinary. If Pantoja frustrates Van on the feet with level changes and takedowns, he should be able to get the best of the champion. Pantoja has scored 95-plus points in his previous seven wins. Also, four of Pantoja’s last five wins have resulted in at least a 100-point performance. That said, even though he is coming off an injury, getting the former champion at $7,900 is tremendous value.
Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $500K UFC 331 Special [$100K to 1st].
