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DraftKings MMA, UFC DFS Lineup Picks - UFC Paris: Imavov vs. Borralho on 9/6/25. Alen's MMA DFS analysis to build winning daily fantasy UFC lineups.
After taking Labor Day Weekend off, the leading promotion is back, only this time, it heads back to Accor Arena in Paris, France. The event will mark the promotion's fourth consecutive annual visit to Paris and first since UFC Fight Night 243. The card looks to be worth the wait, as we have a stacked card headlined by a middleweight title eliminator bout between surging stars Caio Borralho and Nassourdine Imavov. With Khamzat Chimaev as the new middleweight champion, the race to be next in line for a shot at the belt is heating up fast.
The co-main event features a three-round lightweight bout between the French star Benoit Saint Denis and surging striking specialist Mauricio Ruffy. To open up the UFC Paris main card, we have Axel Sola facing off against Rhys McKee in a welterweight bout, followed by a lightweight bout between Bolaji Oki and Mason Jones. Also on the main card, Modestas Bukauskas and submission specialist Paul Craig are scheduled for a light heavyweight bout.
In this article, I will be providing you with my fantasy MMA lineup picks for UFC Paris: Imavov vs. Borralho on 9/6/25. Give me a follow on X @sumpor5. Good luck!
DraftKings MMA Middleweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Nassourdine Imavov, $7.8K - vs. Caio Borralho
Leading middleweight contenders Imavov and Borralho are scheduled for a five-round bout in the main event of UFC Paris on Saturday. The winner of this fight will likely be the next contender for the divisional crown that Chimaev holds.
Watch out for his right hand 👊@Imavov1 is ready for a knockout in front of his home crowd! 🗣️
[ #UFCParis | SEP 6 SAT | 3pmET on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/ksTZovmA3E
— UFC (@ufc) September 5, 2025
Imavov has earned his slot atop the middleweight division with an impressive second-round TKO victory over former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya that earned him his first "Performance of the Night" bonus.
That extended his win streak to four fights, which included a unanimous decision victory over Brendan Allen, a fourth-round TKO win over former title contender Jared Cannonier, and a majority decision victory over Roman Dolidze.
While Imavov suffered a defeat to Sean Strickland at light heavyweight, he appears more comfortable at middleweight, and he's still improving, as evident in his recent performances.
Borralho has been thriving at middleweight. Every time Borralho steps inside the Octagon, he showcases his high fight IQ, good striking, great grappling, and most of all, patience. He competed on Dana White's Contender Series back in September 2021 against Aaron Jeffery, winning via unanimous decision, but surprisingly, he did not earn a contract from White.
He fought again on White's Contender Series against Jesse Murray, beating him via first-round TKO. This time, Borralho earned his UFC contract, and now, he's won all seven of his UFC fights. He was last seen in action back in August 2024 at UFC Vegas 96, where he defeated Cannonier via unanimous decision.
Imavov enters this fight with an MMA record of 16-4 with one NC and 8-2 with one NC in the UFC. He is averaging 4.45 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 55%. Imavov is absorbing 3.26 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 58%. His grappling is solid, averaging 0.85 takedowns every 15 minutes and 1.1 submission attempts over the same period. Imavov has a takedown accuracy of 32% and his takedown defense is 78%.
Borralho comes into this fight with an MMA record of 17-1 with one NC and 7-0 in the UFC. He is averaging 3.61 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 60%. Borralho is absorbing 2.34 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 62%. Regarding his wrestling, Borralho is averaging 1.56 takedowns every 15 minutes. His takedown accuracy 60% and his takedown defense is 76%.
It's hard to pick a winner of this fight. Both fighters have good fundamentals, and neither of them has shown any glaring weaknesses. It could be said that Imavov was a bit tired against Strickland, but he hasn't displayed any fatigue in his last five fights.
Imavov is known for his striking, while Borralho is known for his methodical approach, patience, and grappling. It should also be noted that Borralho only suffered one loss in his career, and it was in his second professional fight, which means that he's been undefeated in his last 17 bouts.
That being said, I'm picking Imavov to win this fight. I think he'll defend takedown attempts, and I think he'll be able to outpoint Borralho with his striking.
DraftKings MMA Lightweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Mauricio Ruffy, $8.8K - vs. Benoit Saint Denis
In Saturday's UFC Paris co-main event, surging Ruffy is scheduled to take on extremely durable Saint Denis. Ruffy will look for his eighth consecutive win while Saint Denis looks to win back-to-back fights.
"OH MY GOODNESS" 😱
Will @RuffyMMA add another highlight to his reel in the #UFCParis co-main event? pic.twitter.com/jKxt7lrONd
— UFC (@ufc) September 3, 2025
Ruffy started his pro career with five straight wins, all ending via TKO/knockout. He then suffered his first and only loss to Manoel Sousa after getting knocked out in the second round of their contest. Since then, Ruffy has looked incredible, winning his next seven fights with six of those seven fights ending in a TKO/knockout.
Ruffy fought on White's Contender Series 65, where he earned his UFC contract by defeating Raimond Magomedaliev via third-round TKO. He finished Jamie Mullarkey in his UFC debut at UFC 301. Ruffy was last seen in action at UFC 313, where he knocked out King Green after landing a beautiful spinning wheel kick.
Saint Denis made his UFC debut back in 2021 in the welterweight division on short notice against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos at UFC 267, but unfortunately for Saint Denis, it didn't go his way as he lost via unanimous decision. After that, Saint Denis moved down a weight class and made his UFC lightweight debut against Niklas Stolze, finishing him via second-round submission.
Saint Denis was on a five-fight winning streak, and he looked like he might be a problem at lightweight, but he came across Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano, losing back-to-back fights. He bounced back in his last fight by submitting Kyle Prepolec.
Ruffy enters this fight with an MMA record of 12-1 and 3-0 in the UFC. He averages 4.54 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 58%. Ruffy absorbs 4.59 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 61%. He has not shown any grappling ability, but has a takedown defense of 100%.
Saint Denis enters this fight with an MMA record of 14-3 with one NC and 6-3 in the UFC. He is averaging 5.39 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 55%. Saint Denis is absorbing 4.61 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 41%. His grappling is also elite, averaging 4.19 takedowns every 15 minutes and 1.5 submission attempts during the same period. Saint Denis has a takedown accuracy of 39% and a takedown defense of 70%.
Saint Denis has showcased inhuman levels of durability, but I don't think he can beat the elite lightweights the way he keeps fighting, and even though it's too soon to say if Ruffy's elite or not, he's a terrific striker and a great counter-striker. If Saint Denis fights, for example, like he did against Poirier, I have no doubts that Ruffy will catch him and put him to sleep.
I'm not sure that Saint Denis can win even if he comes with a more methodical approach against Ruffy. My prediction is that Ruffy is going to catch Saint Denis and put him to sleep either in the first or the second round.
DraftKings MMA Heavyweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Ante Delija, $8.2K - vs. Marcin Tybura
On Saturday's UFC Paris prelims, former PFL Heavyweight Tournament champion Ante Delija is scheduled to face off against his former foe, Marcin Tybura. Their first fight ended after Delija suffered a leg injury in the first round. Delija, who is making his UFC debut, will look to win back-to-back fights, while Tybura will look to extend his win streak.
First time in UFC gear for Ante Delija 🇭🇷 🩳 #UFCParis pic.twitter.com/bKSMo42z1j
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 3, 2025
Under the tutelage of MMA legend Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Delija won the 2022 PFL Heavyweight Tournament by beating the likes of Matheus Scheffel and Renan Ferreira. He hasn't been active that much, as he's fought only once per year since 2023, beating the likes of Renan Ferreira, Matheus Scheffel, and Maurice Greene but losing to Valentin Moldavsky.
He was last seen in action in April of 2024 at FNC 22, where he finished Yorgan De Castro via first-round TKO.
Tybura and Delija fought a decade ago at M-1 Challenge 61, where Delija suffered a leg injury, granting Tybura the win via TKO, making Tybura the new champion. A lot has happened since then. Tybura signed with the UFC and made his debut back in 2016 at UFC Fight Night 86, where he lost to Timothy Johnson via unanimous decision.
Since joining the promotion, Tybura has gone 14-8. He last fought in March at UFC London, where he defeated Mick Parkin via unanimous decision. Mostly known for his grappling and knockout power, Tybura has finished 17 out of his 27 opponents; nine by TKO/knockout and eight by submission.
Tybura comes into this fight with an MMA record of 27-9. He is averaging 3.60 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 48%. Tybura is absorbing 3.31 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 55%. Regarding his wrestling, Tybura is averaging 1.39 takedowns every 15 minutes. His takedown accuracy 33% and his takedown defense is 75%.
This first fight against a veteran like Tybura will prove to be a huge test, but my prediction is that Delija is going to win this via unanimous decision. Tybura is durable, and Delija doesn't exactly possess devastating knockout power, but his aggression and his striking are going to be too much for Tybura. Tybura has better jiu-jitsu, but his wrestling is not better than Delija's.
I think the fight will play out on the feet, and when it comes to striking, Delija is leagues above Tybura.
