UFC 331 Van vs. Pantoja 2. The UFC makes its return to Los Angeles, California, as the Flyweight title is on the line between two fighters at different points in their career. Joshua Van is 24 years old and has already obtained the title, but it was with some controversy, as Pantoja had a fluke injury in their initial fight. Pantoja looks to regain his title now that he is healthy, but at his age, he is almost ancient for a division that relies almost entirely on speed. The fights kick off at 5:30 PM ET on Paramount+ with the Prelims, and the Main Card starts at 9:00PM. As always, head on over to our DFS ownership page for full ownership breakdowns of these fights.

Check out all the latest UFC on ESPN odds, stats, predictions, and matchup breakdowns for the entire fight card below, and always feel free to reach out to me in discord or on twitter at @MikeIannoneDFS. Now let's look at some UFC DFS top picks and plays for Saturday's event. Good luck with your MMA daily fantasy lineups!
 

MMA DFS Playbook for UFC 331: Van vs Pantoja 2

Main Event

Fighter(s)

Price

Opponent

Risk

Odds

ITD

Joshua Van vs Alexandre Pantoja

8300/7900

-

Stackability: Low

-138/ 110

140.0/200.0

After a disappointing first matchup that saw Pantoja lose his belt by way of a first-round arm injury, these two look to put on a Main Event for the ages this week. Van is only 24 years old and is improving massively fight to fight. He has been working on his grappling a ton lately, having had matchups with Pantoja and Taira exclusively for the past year, and his improvements are showing more and more every fight. I picked Pantoja to win in their first matchup, but after seeing Van's takedown defense, I believe this is his fight to lose. Van can land 200+ significant strikes if this stays standing, and Pantoja can land 5+ takedowns even in a loss. I'll have someone from this fight in 100% of my lineups leaning more towards Van.



 

Expensive Fighters

Expensive

Fighter(s)

Price

Opponent

Risk

Odds

ITD

Gable Steveson

9900

Sean Sharaf

Somewhat-Safe

-3,333

-950

Steveson's only downside is the cost it takes to get him in the lineup. He is one of the highest wrestling pedigrees that the UFC has even seen, and even if he opts to keep it standing, he will still be able to win this fight by KO.

Arman Tsarukyan

9100

Mauricio Ruffy

Somewhat-Safe

-333 

-163. 

This is a five-round co-main event, so whoever wins it probably puts up enough volume to score well even in a decision. If Arman gets his takedowns, which he eventually will, he should be able to put on a performance that scores above 100 fantasy points. Ruffy is a dangerous striker, so he has to be careful early in the fight.

Robelis Despaigne

9800

Tai Tuivasa

Somewhat-Safe

-1,000

-549. 

Despaigne had a rough run in the UFC but went to Karate Combat and looked great. His takedown defense has always been an issue, but Tai isn't someone who normally tries to wrestle. If this stays on the feet, Robelis wins by KO in the first five minutes.

Ryan Gandra

9400

Osman Diaz

Moderate

-500 

-400. 

Gandra is still very green, but the UFC isn't rushing him along. If this fight goes fifteen minutes, it'll be close, but it's more likely that Gandra lands something that KOs Diaz and KOs him early. This is a card with a lot of finishing power in the high-priced fighters, so while he would normally be 40-50% owned at this price and odds, I think he gets overlooked this week.

Joanderson Brito

9200

Giga Chikadze

Moderate

-400 

-163. 

Brito has a ton of power and better wrestling. Giga has high-level striking, but he doesn't throw much volume. As long as Brito stays out of Giga's kicking range, he should be able to land heavy shots and get this fight where he wants it.



 

Mid-Range Fighters

Mid-Range

Fighter(s)

Price

Opponent

Risk

Odds

ITD

Iwo Baraniewski

8700

Alonzo Menifield

Moderate

-225 

-200. 

The mid-range is very small this week due to the main event being in it and a fight cancellation between Moicano and Ortega. Iwo is similar to fighters like Terrance McKinney, where he is going to go out there and try for the knockout even if it means that he is defensively irresponsible. Someone in this fight is scoring 100+, and I'm banking on it being Iwo, but I will have both fighters in my lineup.

Casey O’Neill

8500

Eduarda Moura

Moderate

-225 

240.0 

O'Neill can throw up volume and is a much more decorated fighter than Moura. Casey should be able to choose where this fight takes place, but she likely doesn't get the finish. I'm confident she wins, maybe even more confident than Iwo, but she doesn't have the same ceiling as other fighters in this range.

Brunno Ferreira

7800

Edmen Shahbazyan

Somewhat-Risky

140 

200.0 

This fight is similar to the Iwo fight but not as likely to finish. Ferreira has better cardio, but he'll have to survive an early onslaught. Both of these men throw with a ton of power, but cardio is clearly favoring Ferreira, which makes me more likely to pick him since he can get the finish in any round.

Edmen Shahbazyan

8400

Brunno Ferreira

Somewhat-Risky

-175 

120.0 

Edmen was one of the most hyped-up prospects of the past 5 years when he entered the scene, but his lack of takedown defense and cardio was his Achilles heel. He still has a ton of power and can end this fight in the first round if he lands clean on Brunno. Brunno is returning quickly from a KO loss, so he has shown that he can be cracked, but I don't know if Edmen has the speed to land and get the finish.

Alonzo Menifield

7500

Iwo Baraniewski

Somewhat-Risky

175 

240.0 

Menifield is a veteran and the best fighter Iwo has fought in the UFC. If Menifield slows this fight down against the cage and wears down Iwo, he can turn this fight in his favor. He also has a ton of power, so if this is just a brawl in the pocket, it will be close to 50/50, with whoever hits the chin first winning the fight.



 

Paydown Fighters

Pay-Downs 

Fighter(s)

Price

Opponent

Risk

Odds

ITD

Mauricio Ruffy

7100

Arman Tsarukyan

Somewhat-Risky

250 

350.0 

He's part of a five-round co-main event, and he has the striking advantage. In a strictly striking fight, I would take him against almost anyone in the division, so if he keeps it standing, he can win this fight. He will either look like he should have been the favorite, or he will get absolutely dominated on the ground and look like he should have been +1000.

Patricio Freire

7300

Doo ho Choi

Somewhat-Risky

210 

600.0 

He's aging and clearly past his prime, but Doo ho Choi isn't a top-10 fighter in the division. This will be a close fight, and while Choi has more power, I do think Pitbull will be able to land his own shots. He's an underdog for a reason, but he has a live shot to win this.

Michael Aswell

7200

Joo Sang Yoo

Risky

200 

600.0 

He's similar to Pitbull; he is going to land his shots, he's giving up power, but his opponent isn't some top prospect. His durability isn't great, so he's below Pitbull, but he likely gets to a decision if he wins and scores 70-80pts.

Tai Tuivasa

6600

Robelis Despaigne

Risky

450 

600.0 

Tai has power, and this is the worst fighter he has fought during his losing streak. He's clearly past his prime, but he has the power to win this fight. If he opts to wrestle, he can definitely win because Robelis has shown no ability to get up off of his back.

Marlon Vera

7400

Charles Jourdain

Risky

175 

350.0 

Vera always starts slowly, but he swears he is going to come in with a better game plan...I don't believe him. If he shoots for takedowns and starts quickly, he can win this fight; otherwise, he is going to lose a decision.

Osman Diaz

6800

Ryan Gandra

Risky

350 

450.0 

He may land more volume, but he is giving up power. If Gandra lands clean, he is getting KO'd, but if he lands first on Gandra and keeps him in his range, he can win this fight; I just don't think it happens.

 

Sample Lineup

Live Dogs

Pantoja, Ruffy, Ferrera, Menifield, Tuivasa

Picks and Stats

   

Joshua Van

vs

Alexandre Pantoja

$8,300

DFS Salary

$7,900

17-2-0

Record

30-6-0

9

Knockouts

8

2

Subs

12

-138 

Vegas Odds

110 

   

Arman Tsarukyan

vs

Mauricio Ruffy

$9,100

DFS Salary

$7,100

23-3-0

Record

14-2-0

9

Knockouts

13

6

Subs

0

-333 

Vegas Odds

250 

   

Patricio Freire

vs

Doo Ho Choi

$7,300

DFS Salary

$8,900

37-9-0

Record

17-4-1

12

Knockouts

14

12

Subs

1

210 

Vegas Odds

-275 

   

Gable Steveson

vs

Sean Sharaf

$9,900

DFS Salary

$6,300

4-0-0

Record

4-2-0

4

Knockouts

4

0

Subs

0

-3,333

Vegas Odds

1200 

   

Alonzo Menifield

vs

Iwo Baraniewski

$7,500

DFS Salary

$8,700

18-6-1

Record

9-0-0

11

Knockouts

7

3

Subs

2

175 

Vegas Odds

-225 

 

0

 

Marlon Vera

vs

Charles Jourdain

$7,400

DFS Salary

$8,800

23-12-1

Record

18-8-1

8

Knockouts

8

10

Subs

7

175 

Vegas Odds

-225 

   

Tai Tuivasa

vs

Robelis Despaigne

$6,600

DFS Salary

$9,600

14-10-0

Record

6-2-0

13

Knockouts

6

0

Subs

0

450 

Vegas Odds

-649 

   

Michael Aswell

vs

Joo Sang Yoo

$7,200

DFS Salary

$9,000

11-5-0

Record

9-1-0

6

Knockouts

4

0

Subs

1

200 

Vegas Odds

-250 

   

Ryan Gandra

vs

Osman Diaz

$9,400

DFS Salary

$6,800

10-1-0

Record

10-4-0

6

Knockouts

7

2

Subs

2

-500 

Vegas Odds

350 

   

Edmen Shahbazyan

vs

Brunno Ferreira

$8,400

DFS Salary

$7,800

16-6-0

Record

15-4-0

13

Knockouts

9

1

Subs

5

-175 

Vegas Odds

140 

   

Casey O’Neill

vs

Eduarda Moura

$8,500

DFS Salary

$7,700

11-2-0

Record

12-2-0

4

Knockouts

4

2

Subs

5

-225 

Vegas Odds

175 

   

Giga Chikadze

vs

Joanderson Brito

$7,000

DFS Salary

$9,200

15-6-0

Record

19-5-1

9

Knockouts

8

1

Subs

8

300 

Vegas Odds

-400