UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Torres takes place this Saturday from National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan. The card kicks off with the Prelims at 9:00 AM EDT on Paramount+, followed by the Main Card at 12:00 PM EDT on Paramount+. Rafael Fiziev takes on surging lightweight contender Manuel Torres as both fighters look to make a major statement in one of the UFC’s toughest divisions. Fiziev brings elite striking, speed, and experience against top competition, while Torres enters with serious power, aggression, and finishing upside. This fight will be an exciting, high-level battle that should set the tone for a strong card from Baku. This is going to be an action-packed fight that has the potential to end at any time. As always, head on over to our DFS ownership page for full ownership breakdowns of these fights.
Check out all the latest UFC odds, stats, predictions, and matchup breakdowns for the entire fight card below. 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 Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Torres
`Main Event
Fighter(s)
Price
Opponent
Risk
Rafael Fiziev vs Manuel Torres
8000/8200
-
Stackability: Moderate
Rafael Fiziev remains a stocky kickboxer whose reputation flows as a kickboxer with diverse kick combinations, fluid stance switches, and a bit of offensive wrestling. At 33, he enters with only one win in his last five with visibly diminished snap on his signature spinning attacks — looking a half-step slow version of his prior self. Manuel Torres is the archetypal finisher as a lightweight. He profiles as the division's most violent finisher: a 5'10" power puncher with all but one stoppage win. He is the UFC's #1 knockdowns-per-15 rate (3.93), rarely seeing round two with a sneaky back-control submission game. He is still hittable, and unproven cardio remains a genuine question mark. Fiziev’s best version is a layered, range-and-angle striking performance over five rounds, while Torres can make it a brawling, explosive fight where the power and sequences of violence tilt his way. Torres carries the highest ceiling on the entire card in a pure pick'em. But five rounds of elite pace isn't something we've seen from El Loco, and with the technical advantage with Fiziev, it will be interesting to see if it gets past the first waves of danger.
Expensive Fighters
Expensive
Fighter(s)
Price
Opponent
Risk
Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev
9500
Julius Walker
Somewhat-Safe
Yakhyaev is a 25-year-old light heavyweight prospect with serious athleticism, fast double-leg takedowns, exceptional back-control submission instincts, and remarkable poise. He has already taken losses to recognizable names and finished his last 5 opponents inside 3 minutes, including 2 first-round rear-naked chokes in his UFC debut and follow-up. I expect more of the same with Hunter finding the range early, hitting a double-leg and taking the back for a third straight RNC.
Daniil Donchenko
9400
Theodor Berggren
Somewhat-Safe
Daniil Donchenko, the Season 33 TUF winner, with explosive double-leg takedowns, plus power and volume, with brutal top-position ground-and-pound. He showed real cardio dropoff after a 10-8 R1 vs. Morono in February 2026, which is the main worry going forward. His overall skills and matchup still trend towards an early finish.
Shara Magomedov
9200
Michel Pereria
Somewhat-Safe
Shara "Bullet" is a 6'2" Dagestani kickboxer who lands highly accurate, throwing kicks at varying speeds to dictate range. Of late, he's been better defending takedowns via intercepting knees, and has only lost to a purer striker in Michael Page. Magomedov doesn't seem to respect Pereira as an opponent, and I look for him to push his offensive striking, keeping the fight on his terms. His floor in a win is a three-round kickboxing match where the concern is the relative absence of a proven offensive wrestling if it gets messy. Magomedov is the chalky core play of the night and should deliver on an R1 KO.
Ikram Aliskerov
9100
Brunno Ferreira
Somewhat-Safe
Ikram Aliskerov is a middleweight with the elite volume, serious one-punch power, very good chain wrestling, and brutal top-position ground-and-pound. All said he carries a fatal counter-uppercut flaw, no head movement, doesn't check leg kicks, and has been beaten twice in a similar fashion. Aliskerov has a clear path to break Ferreir's rhythm, punish over-commitments, and bring controlled violence.
Nazim Sadykhov
9000
Matheus Camilo
Somewhat-Safe
Black Wolf Sadykhov is a Baku-born, Long Island-trained Serra-Longo pressure fighter who blends fast-paced volume kickboxing with disguised level changes, solid grappling, and excellent fight IQ. As a lightweight, he is heavily dependent on dictating pace and was shown to be outclassed by a bigger, faster foe. He gets a real ceiling boost from the fans and home crowd. I expect Sadykhov to bring high-volume pressure, time TDs off the punch, and continue to build towards a R2 finish.
Mid-Range Fighters
Mid-Range
Fighter(s)
Price
Opponent
Risk
Asu Almabayev
8900
Charles Johnson
Moderate
Asu Almabayev is a flyweight who runs the Khabib blueprint at 125 — a fast double-leg, plus-power pocket boxing to set up the takedown, and elite top-position grappling to create submission opportunities; his only UFC loss came to Manel Kape, and he's been on a 2-fight win streak with finishes of Jose Ochoa and Alex Perez. Asu profiles as a fighter who solves matchups through persistence more than optics, winning minutes more than moments. If he can touch the hips repeatedly, he is dangerous even without flashy finishing moments. Almabayev has a great wrestler ceiling with TDs without having to spend all the way up.
Nursulton Ruziboev
8800
Andrey Pulyaev
Moderate
Ruziboev has already shown he belongs with a submission game and underrated ability to take the back. The DFS environment isn't the best here, but I look for Nursuton to use his experience, stay poised unless there is an obvious finish, and keep Pulyaev reacting and generally on his back foot.
Farman Hasanov
8600
Eric Nolan
Moderate
This dude has four fights, but he has at least fought in LFA. He's from Baku and gets an ideal local-newcomer setting as it gets. That’s useful context, but it still leaves us short on deep UFC-level data. My expectation is for Hasanov to be fueled by the crowd and use his explosiveness and wrestling advantage to control Nolan. I'm not sure there is enough for ground and pound versus a sub, or if we just see three rounds of top control.
Javier Reyes
8500
Kaan Ofli
Somewhat-Risky
Reyes has the fresher upside because his first-round DWCS and debut finishes demanded immediate attention. The challenge is proving it translates once the opponent has a full camp and a read on what you want to do. Look for Reyes to be the aggressor, counter, and/or go 'first and third' in striking exchanges and force Ofli to fight at his pace.
Jean Matsumoto
8400
Bekzat Almakhan
Somewhat-Risky
People see him as a possible contender; so far, the judges have not let him live on the margins. Matsumoto's best skill against top-level competition is survivability and poise rather than highlight violence. Against his opponent, that may be exactly what is required. Given Almakhan's punching power and ability to change things at any moment, staying safe and maintaining control can prove to be a convincing win but 'mid' from a DFS perspective.
Abus Magomedov
8300
Michael Oleksiejczuk
Somewhat-Risky
Abus Magomedov is a veteran with a fast-starting, well-rounded boxing-and-wrestling approach that produced a few UFC wins, but his cardio drops noticeably after the halfway mark. His durability has dipped, and he tends to get hurt early in fights, but Abus remains a credible veteran because his losses have generally come against meaningful opposition. The issue is whether he can keep a younger Oleksiejczuk at the fight length he prefers, because his tools still force respect.
Tahir Abdullayev
8300
Jefferson Nascimento
Somewhat-Risky
Abdullayev comes in as another Azerbaijani fighter off three straight submissions. He is mostly a finisher with decent regional scene fights to pace his role opening the card in his home city.
Paydown Fighters
Pay-Downs
Fighter(s)
Price
Opponent
Risk
Michal Oleksiejuczuk
7900
Abus Magomedov
Somewhat-Risky
Oleksiejczuk, the Polish southpaw with a solid blend of volume-and-power as a middleweight, strong head movement, and three straight wins since joining the Fighting Nerds, leaves little doubt he is the best dog play outright. His takedown defense is inconsistent, and 5 of his 6 UFC losses have come by submission. Michal will need to be disciplined with his forward pressure, maintain his improved decision-making, and deny Abus the cage space to make it pretty. If so, look for momentum to change early in R2 and Hussar to roll.
Jefferson Nascimento
7900
Tahir Abdullayev
Somewhat-Risky
Nascimento’s unbeaten LFA path is the more formally credentialed résumé here, and undefeated newcomers often carry real confidence into these spots. Perhaps he dragged into a firefight against a home-country opener with the crowd's energy. Jefferson will need to balance the need for composure versus playing BJJ and hunting subs on his back.
Bekzat Almakhan
7800
Jean Matsumoto
Somewhat-Risky
Almakhan’s UFC form is more dangerous than his record looks. As a very legit power puncher and KO finisher for bantamweight, Almakhan is live at all moments against an opponent with Matsumoto's defensive deficiencies.
Kaan Ofli
7700
Javier Reyes
Somewhat-Risky
Ofli, a TUF alumnus, has a reputation for building momentum in layers, coming in off a pair of wins. That can be useful against a debut sensation despite a 6" reach disadvantage. Look for "Genghis" Kaan to turn it into a full mixed martial arts fight counter versus and speed & power exchanges.
Eric Nolan
7600
Farman Hasanov
Risky
Nolan brings a big finishing rate as an underdog. Returning to welterweight, his best path looks to be a measured fight with pace and forward pressure. He looks capable on his feet, but also was not physically capable at 185 to keep from getting mauled on the mat.
Andrey Pulyaev
7400
Nursulton Ruziboev
Risky
Pulyaev is still proving himself, but there is promise. Ruziboev is a real step up, but in a fight that looks to stay standing and go the distance, Pulayaev is live to win minutes as the more crafty striker.
Charles Johnson
7300
Asu Almabayev
Risky
"InnerG" Johnson brings a combination of boxing power and credible power punching. He has gone 6-2 since 2024 with knockouts of current champion Joshua Van and prospect Lone'er Kavanagh, but remains hittable and is perhaps on the decline after a KO loss and split decision coming back. His clearest path is not a mystery: stay upright and make the fight happen in open space, bringing a first-layer takedown defense plus enough jabs/counters to punish every miss and turn a control fight into a standing fight.
Matheus Camilo
7200
Nazim Sadykhov
Risky
Matheus Camilo is a lengthy sniper with plus power on the counter and a capable submission grappling game from top position. His fight management, defensive wrestling, and bottom-position grappling all remain underdeveloped. As the fight develops, Camilo is capable of baiting shots to look for counters or ultimately and most likely be threatening subs off the bottom.
Brunno Ferreira
7100
Ikram Aliskerov
Risky
"The Hulk" comes in as a shorter, brawny, southpaw delivering a thunderous right hook, some strong-man takedowns and judo throws, plus a dangerous top-position grappling game. He's coming in off a R1 KO loss, and his durability and reach are clear liabilities at middleweight. The optics on Ferreira are binary — if he gets the kind of early fight he wants, he is live against almost anyone; if he gets pulled into a deeper technical fight, his edge narrows.
Michel Pereira
7000
Abus Magomedov
Risky
Michel "Demolidor" Pereira, who reinvented himself into a Top 10 contender with an eight-fight win streak through 2024 but has lost three of his last four (including a one-minute knockout by Kyle Daukaus), has stopped pulling the trigger on either his wrestling or his spinning offense. His best and worst versions are so far apart, and given the fight in front of him, there are no assurances he looks to grapple or take the fight to the mat. Perhaps there is something still left, and he can make the fight physical, mix the clinch early, threaten takedowns enough that Magomedov’s stance and range discipline break down.
Theodor Berggren
6800
Daniil Donchenko
Risky
Theodor Berggren is a 26-year-old Swedish southpaw kickboxer with hand speed, athleticism, and some power. He takes the fight on short notice and from what's out there, has glaring defensive holes - hands down, poor footwork is due to be exposed. After getting wrestled down, he's shown a puncher's chance late against low-level competition.
Julius Walker
6700
Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev
Risky
Julius Walker is a tall, lengthy, accurate-punching light heavyweight with some offensive wrestling but a glaring gas-tank problem and defensive head positioning issues. Walker has at least faced some real UFC competition and will look to make Yakhyaev work longer, turn the fight from explosive moments into slower exchanges, and find an opportunity to exploit.
