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DraftKings MMA, UFC DFS Lineup Picks - UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2 on 10/4/25. Alen's MMA DFS analysis to build winning daily fantasy UFC lineups.
It's been more than a month, but it feels like a break from title fights was much longer; but now we're back in Las Vegas for UFC 320, and two belts are on the line. The light heavyweight title is up for grabs in a rematch between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira, while Merab Dvalishvili attempts to defend his bantamweight belt against fan-favorite Cory Sandhagen. This event was originally expected to take place in Guadalajara, Mexico, on September 13 and serve as the third annual "Noche UFC" event, but due to the construction of Arena Guadalajara being stalled, the card was moved to San Antonio, Texas.
Middleweights Abus Magomedov and Joe Pyfer are scheduled to open up the UFC 320 main card, followed by a featherweight bout between former interim title challenger Josh Emmett and surging Youssef Zalal. Also on the main card, former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka and former title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. are scheduled for a three-round bout.
In this article, I will be providing you with my fantasy MMA lineup picks for UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2 on 10/4/25. Give me a follow on X @sumpor5. Good luck!
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DraftKings MMA Light Heavyweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Magomed Ankalaev, $8.9K - vs. Alex Pereira
Light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev and former middleweight and light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira are scheduled to headline UFC 320 on Saturday. Ankalaev is set for his first title defense, while Pereira is looking to regain gold.
The rematch is only two days away 👀@AnkalaevM vs @AlexPereiraUFC
[ #UFC320 | SATURDAY 10pmET | LIVE on @ESPN PPV ] pic.twitter.com/LfCVnRtY97
— UFC (@ufc) October 3, 2025
Ankalaev has been a member of the UFC roster since 2018, but unfortunately, his UFC debut didn't go his way. After dominating Paul Craig for almost three rounds, Craig sank in a triangle choke submission, forcing Ankalaev to tap out with only a second remaining in the fight. That was his only professional loss, and since then, Ankalaev has gone 13 fights without a loss.
He fought for the title back in December 2022 at UFC 282 against former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. Still, the fight ended in a split draw, leaving the light heavyweight division without a champion. Ankalaev would get his title shot again in 2025 against Pereira, only this time, he captured the title with a close unanimous decision victory over “Poatan” at UFC 313 this past March.
Before losing the title, Pereira was on a five-fight winning streak that included four consecutive championship bouts. His first fight at light heavyweight was against Blachowicz, and the bout ended in a split decision win for Pereira. He won the title in his next bout by finishing Jiri Prochazka via second-round TKO.
Pereira defended his title three times: against Jamahal Hill, Prochazka again, and Khalil Rountree, winning each by knockout, before losing to Ankalaev last time out. "Poatan" said that he went into the fight with Ankalaev injured, so it will be interesting to see how he performs in the rematch.
Ankalaev enters this fight with an MMA record of 21-1-1 with one NC and 12-1-1 with one NC in the UFC. He averages 3.66 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 52%. Ankalaev absorbs 2.46 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 57%. His grappling is also decent, averaging 0.80 takedowns every 15 minutes. He has a takedown accuracy of 22% and a takedown defense of 87%.
Pereira enters this fight with an MMA record of 12-3 and 9-2 in the UFC. He is averaging 5.00 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 62%. Pereira is absorbing 3.50 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 53%. Regarding his grappling, Pereira is averaging just 0.11 takedowns every 15 minutes. Pereira has a takedown accuracy of 50% and a takedown defense of 78%.
Although Pereira defended all 12 of Ankalaev’s takedowns in their first matchup, he was tentative; he did not let his hands go, connecting on just 76 of 137 attempted significant strikes. Pereira is always dangerous, but I don't think his striking will be enough. Ankalaev is more well-rounded, and although I'm not sure he'll be able to take Pereira down, he will definitely give him something to think about.
I don't think Ankalaev will be able to finish Pereira, but I can see him winning via unanimous decision. My prediction is that Ankalaev will make a successful title defense and defeat Pereira via unanimous decision.
DraftKings MMA Bantamweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Merab Dvalishvili, $9.3K - vs. Cory Sandhagen
Merab Dvalishvili and Cory Sandhagen are scheduled to face off in the co-main event of UFC 320 on Saturday. Dvalishvili will look to defend his title for the third time, while Sandhagen, who looks to play spoiler, finally gets his shot at bantamweight gold.
The Machine has been UNSTOPPABLE 😤@MerabDvalishvil looks to defend his bantamweight title for a third time at UFC 320!
[ TOMORROW at 10pmET on @ESPN PPV ] pic.twitter.com/aYKfK2hUxa
— UFC (@ufc) October 3, 2025
Dvalishvili signed with the leading promotion back in 2017, but he had a rough start. First, he lost his UFC debut to Frankie Saenz by split decision, and then he lost to Ricky Simon via technical third-round submission. Since losing to Simon, Dvalishvili has been unstoppable, winning 13 consecutive fights.
Known for his relentless wrestling and for having the best cardio in the UFC, Dvalishvili has defeated former title challengers Marlon Moraes and John Dodson, and former champions Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, and Henry Cejudo before challenging for the title. Last August, he dominated Sean O'Malley for five rounds to become the new bantamweight champion.
Dvalishvili defended his title two times, defeating Umar Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision, and more recently, O'Malley again, only this time, he submitted O'Malley in the third round.
Sandhagen has been on a tear, having won four of his last five fights. For five years, he’s resided in the upper echelons of the bantamweight rankings. Interestingly enough, this is Sandhagen’s first crack at the undisputed title after falling short in multiple title eliminators and an interim title fight against Petr Yan. Not including Umar Nurmagomedov, Sandhagen has only lost to former champions in the UFC.
Known for his striking and stance switching, Sandhagen has wins over top contenders like Song Yadong, Marlon Vera, and Deiveson Figueiredo, to name but a few.
Dvalishvili enters this fight with an MMA record of 20-4 and 13-2 in the UFC. He is averaging 4.31 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 42%. Dvalishvili is absorbing 2.48 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 56%. His grappling is elite, as he averages 5.84 takedowns every 15 minutes. He has a takedown accuracy of 35% and a takedown defense of 82%.
Sandhagen enters this fight with an MMA record of 18-5 and 11-4 in the UFC. He is averaging 5.06 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 45%. Sandhagen is absorbing 3.34 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 56%. Regarding his wrestling, Sandhagen is averaging 1.28 takedowns every 15 minutes. Sandhagen has a takedown defense of 34% and a takedown defense of 63%.
Sanhagen's striking is unorthodox, and there's definitely a chance Sandhagen could knock Dvalishvili out like he knocked out Frankie Edgar, but I don't see it happening. Dvalishvili's wrestling is elite, and seeing how he dismantled O'Malley twice and outwrestled Nurmagomedov, I think he'll do the same to Sandhagen.
Although Sandhagen has solid wrestling and ground game, he has had trouble with wrestlers in the past. My prediction is that Dvalishvili will dominate Sandhagen en route to a unanimous decision win.
DraftKings MMA Middleweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Joe Pyfer, $8.7K - vs. Abus Magomedov
On Saturday, Joe Pyfer is scheduled to take on Abus Magomedov on the UFC 320 main card opener. Pyfer looks for his third consecutive win, while Magomedov will look to win his fourth consecutive fight.
BE. JOE. PYFER. @joe_pyfer96 adds another big knockout to his resume!! 👊 pic.twitter.com/7KRKS8vmih
— UFC (@ufc) April 9, 2023
Pyfer’s first shot at the UFC came on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020 against Dustin Stoltzfus, but he wasn't able to continue after suffering an arm injury. He got another shot at the UFC two years later on Dana White's Contender Series against Ozzy Diaz, only this time, he emerged victorious.
Pyfer has only lost once since signing with the UFC, and it was back in 2024 at UFC Vegas 86 to Jack Hermansson. The 29-year-old Pyfer got back in the win column in his next fight by defeating Marc-Andre Barriault via first-round knockout. He was last seen in action in June at UFC 316, where he soundly defeated Kelvin Gastelum via unanimous decision.
Magomedov made his UFC debut in 2022 at UFC, and he had a successful promotional debut as he finished Dustin Stoltzfus in under 20 seconds. However, his next two fights didn't go his way. First, he got dominated by Sean Strickland before suffering a TKO loss in the second round of their contest, and then, he lost to Caio Borralho via unanimous decision.
After suffering back-to-back losses, Magomedov got back in the win column by defeating Warlley Alves by unanimous decision. In his last bout, Magomedov defeated Michel Pereira via unanimous decision to extend his win streak to three.
Pyfer enters this fight with an MMA record of 14-3 and 5-1 in the UFC. He is averaging 3.74 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 43%. Pyfer absorbs 3.20 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 54%. His grappling is also solid, averaging 1.35 takedowns every 15 minutes. He has a takedown accuracy of 42% and a takedown defense of 60%.
Magomedov enters this fight with an MMA record of 28-6-1 and 4-2 in the UFC. He averages 3.21 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 48%. Magomedov absorbs 3.68 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 56%. His grappling has been elite, averaging 2.65 takedowns every 15 minutes. He has a takedown accuracy of 57% and a takedown defense of 100%.
Magomedov has looked good in his last three fights, but there are still questions about his cardio. He has a more well-rounded skillset, but Pyfer is a powerful fighter with good hands and a strong top game on the ground as well. I haven't seen anything from Pyfer that would make me believe he could one day be the champion, but I'm confident he's going to beat Magomedov.
Pyfer has a better gas tank than Magomedov, has knockout power in both of his hands, and my prediction is that Pyfer will knock Magomedov out in the second or the third round.
