X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

UFC 215: MMA Main Card Predictions and DFS Picks

Justin Bales gives his DraftKings MMA DFS lineup picks for the UFC 215 Main Card. Get a head start on your UFC DFS lineups for DraftKings.

What's up RotoBallers. In this column, I will be taking a look at the main card for UFC 215. Our analysis will help you with your DraftKings MMA lineups. We will be keeping track based on picking winners and losers. We will also predict how the fight will be finished, but that will not reflect in the records (Justin's Record: 142-73).

MMA has one of the best sweats in DFS. Two fighters compete at a time with only one coming out as the winner. It's the best feeling in the world when you are watching the main event of a show and know you need a first round knockout to win the entire tournament. And nothing feels worse than when you need a first round knockout by Stipe Miocic to win thousands of dollars in a tournament, but when he lands that knockout punch, you realize that you placed 14th because Jacare Souza was too dominant in a previous fight. This was a serious scenario that I had to live through when Miocic won the Heavyweight Championship. Without anymore waiting, here are our DFS lineup picks and DraftKings analysis for the main card at UFC 215.

Editor's Note: Interested in RotoBaller's MMA DFS Cheat Sheet with advanced fighter statistics, deep analysis and detailed insights from MMA DFS Expert Justin Bales? Let us know here.

 

Jeremy Stephens vs Gilbert Melendez

The main card starts out with two aging veterans, who have a combined 3-9 record in their last 12 fights. Both fighters come with tremendous power, but they also both enter the octagon with great chins. Melendez is the more active striker, while Stephens is a bit more efficient. Stephens also comes with more power in his punches. Both fighters come with solid grappling credentials, so this fight will likely stay standing. Meledez could land more strikes in this fight, but Stephens’ strikes will result in more damage, which will sway the judges.

Jeremy Stephens via Unanimous Decision

 

Ilir Latifi vs Tyson Pedro

Latifi has been in the UFC long enough that we know what we are getting with him. He’s a powerful striker that uses wrestling to control his fights. He has only lost to high-level competition in the UFC, as well. Pedro is a bit more of an unknown. He is 2-0 in the UFC, but he was dropped against Khalil Rountree before landing a takedown and finishing him via submission. He then looked outstanding against Paul Craig, as he worked his way into a crucifix position to win by TKO. Pedro will not be able to overpower Latifi in the same fashion he did with Craig and he will not win if the fight gets to the ground as easy as he did against Rountree. This is too big of a step up in competition for Pedro, and Latifi is going to solidify his spot in the top-10 this weekend.

Ilir Latifi, TKO, 2nd Round

 

Neil Magny vs Rafael Dos Anjos

This fight is a sleeper contender for Fight of the Night. Magny has found plenty of success in the UFC, compiling an 11-2 record since 2014. Dos Anjos, on the other hand, was an elite lightweight before winning a unanimous decision against Tarec Saffiedine in his welterweight debut. Dos Anjos has the grappling advantage in this fight, but the majority of it will likely play out on the feet. Magny is a slightly more accurate fighter and he will have a ridiculous 10-inch reach advantage. If Magny can keep Dos Anjos on the outside, he should find a victory. That will be easier said than done, though, and Dos Anjos’ defense will be key in this fight. Dos Anjos has elite striking defense, giving him a slight advantage on the feet.

Rafael Dos Anjos via Unanimous Decision

 

Amanda Nunes vs Valentina Shevchenko

We are finally going to get Nunes against Shevchenko for the title this weekend. These two have fought before, but it was only three rounds. Nunes won the first two rounds, giving her the decision win, but Shevchenko took over in the third round, and many believe if it were a five round fight, she would have easily won. With that being said, fighters train different for five round fights and Nunes did what she had to do to win. I expect Nunes to slow her pace down slightly in order have energy in the championship rounds. Nunes is the better striker at distance in this fight, while Shevchenko does most of her work in the clinch. Nunes failing to knockout Shevchenko in their first fight is concerning, but I believe Nunes is simply too powerful for Shevchenko to continuously eat her punches. Nunes also proved to be the much more threatening fighter on the ground, and she should edge out her opponent in a competitive fight.

Amanda Nunes, TKO, 2nd Round

 

Demetrious Johnson vs Ray Borg

I want to say that Borg has a chance to unseat the champion this weekend, but I simply do not believe that is true. He’s an impressive fighter, but at only 24 years old, he has yet to reach his prime. Johnson, on the other hand, has been fighting the best his division has to offer for the last five years. No one has truly come close to defeating him. Johnson is the more accurate and active striker. He also comes with better striking defense. He has better wrestling, as well, to go along with a more diverse submission game. This is not a question of if Johnson is going to win, but only how is he going to win.

Demetrious Johnson, TKO, 4th Round




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Back in Toronto's Lineup
Joe Mixon

to Start Season on Non-Football Injury List
Jaylen Wright

Not Expected to Play in Week 1
Jakobi Meyers

Requests Trade
Jauan Jennings

Not Practicing on Monday, has Avoided IR for Now
Matthew Stafford

Taking 11-On-11 Reps on Monday
Zhang Mingyang

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Johnny Walker

Gets Back In The Win Column
Brian Ortega

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Aljamain Sterling

Proves Too Much For Brian Ortega
Chris Sale

Penciled in to Start on Saturday
Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Suffers Unanimous-Decision Loss
Sergei Pavlovich

Wins Decision At UFC Shanghai
Terry McLaurin

Signs Three-Year Extension with Commanders
Kevin Borjas

Drops Decision At UFC Shanghai
Sumudaerji

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Kiefer Crosbie

Still Winless In The UFC
Taiyilake Nueraji

Gets His First UFC Win
Ryan Blaney

Earns his Second Daytona Cup Series Win
Tyler Reddick

Locks Into the 2025 Playoffs Despite Underwhelming Daytona Performance
Erik Jones

Misses the 2025 Playoffs Despite Top-Five Run at Daytona
Justin Haley

Best Performance of 2025 Falls Short of Victory at Daytona
Chase Burns

To Throw Bullpen on Tuesday
Kyle Larson

Enters Playoffs As Co-Points Leader
Alex Bowman

Advances to Playoffs Despite Crashing at Daytona
Cole Custer

Finally Shows Signs of Life at Daytona
Daniel Suarez

Lame-Duck Daniel Suarez Delivers Clutch Second-Place Finish
Logan Gilbert

Punches Out 13 in Victory
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez Battling Arm Soreness
Marcus Semien

Out 4-6 Weeks, Could Miss Rest of Season
Ranger Suárez

Ranger Suarez Strikes Out 11 in Win
Cal Raleigh

Sets Catcher Home Run Record
Yordan Alvarez

Likely to Return on Tuesday
Jacob deGrom

to Start on Monday
Kyle Tucker

Homers Twice in Win
Chris Sale

Likely to Return Next Weekend
Brian Robinson Jr.

to be RB2
Najee Harris

to be Ready Week 1?
De'Von Achane

Making Good Progress
Jaylen Wright

Considered "Week-to-Week"
Marcus Semien

Placed on Injured List
Jackson Merrill

Heads to 10-Day Injured List
Jordan Love

Says He'll Play in Week 1
Brice Turang

Absent on Saturday, "Touch-and-Go" With Wrist Injury
Chase Elliott

Despite Being Winless at Daytona, Chase Elliott is Probably the Best DFS Option
Ryan Blaney

Will Likely Lead a Lot at Daytona
Kyle Larson

a Poor DFS Option at Daytona
Christopher Bell

Consistent Enough to Consider for DFS
Chris Buescher

Now Must Win His Way Into Playoffs
Ryan Preece

Being One of the Slowest-Starting Fords Makes Ryan Preece a Strong DFS Option
Ross Chastain

Leads a Lot on Drafting Tracks
Daniel Suarez

Now in Desperation Mode With his Career on the Line
Chase Briscoe

Tendency to Finish Better Than He Runs May Reap Dividends at Daytona
Lamar Jackson

Should Practice on Monday
Carson Hocevar

Hard to Forecast Since He's Rarely Given 100 Percent at Daytona
Michael McDowell

has a Solid Drafting Record
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Arguably Starting Too Well for Place-Differential Points
Austin Dillon

Will Likely Be Too Conservative for DFS Consideration
Matt Chapman

Activated and Starting on Saturday
Moses Moody

Warriors Not Interested in Trading Moses Moody
Kevin Durant

Rockets Expected to Agree on New Contract
Trey Murphy III

Warriors, Spurs Interested in Trey Murphy III
Zack Wheeler

to Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
Yoán Moncada

Yoan Moncada Hits a Pair of Home Runs on Friday
Willy Adames

Belts Two Solo Home Runs on Friday
CAR

Luke Kunin Joins Panthers on One-Year Deal
Auston Matthews

Says His Health is "Good" Before Start of Season
Roope Hintz

"Feeling Good" Ahead of New Season
Matthew Tkachuk

Recovering From Surgery
Marco Rossi

Wild Re-Sign Marco Rossi to Three-Year Deal
Bubba Chandler

Records Four-Inning Save in Debut
Walker Buehler

Officially Moving to Bullpen
NBA

Malik Beasley Now Drawing Interest from Teams
Brian Robinson Jr.

Traded to 49ers
Zhang Mingyang

Set For UFC Shanghai Main Event
Johnny Walker

In Dire Need Of Victory
Brian Ortega

An Underdog At UFC Shanghai
Aljamain Sterling

Set For UFC Shanghai Co-Main Event
Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Sergei Pavlovich

A Favorite At UFC Shanghai
Kevin Borjas

Set for UFC Shanghai Main-Card Bout
Sumudaerji

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kiefer Crosbie

Set To Open Up UFC Shanghai Main Card
Taiyilake Nueraji

Set For His UFC Debut
Connor Ingram

Clears Player Assistance Program
Frank Nazar

Inks Seven-Year Extension With Blackhawks
COL

Victor Olofsson Signs One-Year Deal With Avalanche
Tee Higgins

has Injury Scare on Thursday
Dallas Cowboys

Micah Parsons Expected to Play in Week 1
Chris Godwin

Expected to be Activated from the PUP List
Dru Smith

Aims to Be Healthy for Training Camp
Jayson Tatum

Provides Injury Update
RJ Barrett

Considered a Trade Candidate
Golden State Warriors

Warriors "Remain Very Confident" About Signing Al Horford
Jahmir Young

Agrees to Deal With Heat
Devaughn Vele

Traded to Saints
Demarcus Robinson

Issued Three-Game Suspension
Lamar Jackson

Dealing With Minor Foot Injury
Lamar Jackson

Suffers Apparent Hand Injury
Hideki Matsuyama

Looks to Bounce Back at Tour Championship
Corey Conners

Looking to Reverse Struggles at East Lake
Joe Mixon

Could Begin Season on PUP List
Cameron Young

Stays Hot Ahead of Tour Championship
Harris English

Aims for Complete Game at East Lake
Sepp Straka

Back in Action at East Lake
Ben Griffin

a Strong Value Play at East Lake
Rory McIlroy

Chasing Another Win at East Lake
Patrick Cantlay

Finishes Tied for 30th at BMW Championship
Ludvig Aberg

Finishes Tied For Seventh at BMW Championship
Collin Morikawa

Finishes Tied for 33rd at BMW Championship
Keegan Bradley

Finishes Tied for 17th at BMW Championship
Robert MacIntyre

Finishes Second at BMW Championship
J.J. Spaun

Finishes Tied for 23rd at BMW Championship
Scottie Scheffler

Wins BMW Championship
Harry Hall

Hot at the Right Time for Tour Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound at Tour Championship
Jacob Bridgeman

has One Weakness Heading to Atlanta
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Not Expecting to Be Moved Before the Season
Nick Taylor

a Long Shot to Win Tour Championship
Josh Giddey

Bulls Not Interested in Sign-and-Trade Deal Involving Josh Giddey
Brian Harman

Trying to Crack Top 20 at Tour Championship
Andrew Novak

Attempts to Bounce Back in Atlanta
Oscar Tshiebwe

Signs New Two-Way Deal With Jazz
Justin Rose

Seeks Even More Success at Tour Championship
Washington Wizards

Alondes Williams Joins Wizards for Training Camp
Washington Wizards

Wizards Add Skal Labissiere for Training Camp
CBJ

Brendan Smith Joins Blue Jackets on Tryout Deal
STL

Milan Lucic Joins Blues for Tryout

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP