MMA Fighting UFC Fantasy League: Season 3 Draft Results

The MMA Fighting UFC Fantasy League returns for its third season!

With June now complete, we`ve reached the halfway point of 2024 and the conclusion of Season 2. While many predicted Guilherme Cruz would take the title, “The Brazilian Beast” finished last. Instead, Alexander K. Lee secured top honors again with an impressive 2425 points, finishing 300 points ahead of E. Casey Leydon. Joshua Van contributed significantly with 500 points, second only to Merab Dvalishvili.

But there`s no time to dwell on the past, as one season ends, another begins. As the UFC heads towards upcoming events, MMA Fighting is ready for Season 3 of the fantasy league.

A quick reminder: this is not a daily fantasy format but one more similar to traditional fantasy sports. Alexander K. Lee, E. Casey Leydon, Mike Heck, Damon Martin, Jed Meshew, and Guilherme Cruz will draft teams of 12 fighters each – one from each major weight class and one wild card. Fighters earn points based on scoring criteria. This season runs until the end of 2025, at which point we will crown a new winner.

Scoring criteria are used to award points for fighter performance.

With all returning players, this season utilizes a reverse snake draft format, with the last-place finishers from Season 2 picking first. Adding an extra layer of strategy, each participant designated one fighter from their Season 2 roster to retain before the draft commenced.

So, without further delay, here are the draft picks!

Guilherme Cruz`s Picks

• Retained: Alexandre Pantoja – Currently the longest-reigning male champion in the UFC, likely facing Joshua Van later this year. He has finished his last two opponents and seems to be improving despite being 35.
• Jean Silva (Featherweight) – Scored 450 points for Lee in Season 2, booked against Diego Lopes. A win could put him in title contention by year-end.
• Zhang Weili (Strawweight) – The strawweight champion successfully defended her title against Tatiana Suarez earlier this year. She may defend her title again or potentially move up to flyweight for a superfight against Valentina Shevchenko.
• Tallison Teixeira (Heavyweight) – A 2024 Contender Series signee who knocked out Justin Tafa in 35 seconds in his UFC debut. This earned him a main event spot against Derrick Lewis.
• Caio Borralho (Middleweight) – Faces Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Paris in September. A win could put him in contention for the middleweight belt.
• Vinicius Oliveira (Bantamweight) – A Contender Series product who has impressed in three UFC appearances. He takes on Kyler Phillips at UFC 318.
• Ian Machado Garry (Welterweight) – Coming off a win over Carlos Prates, “IMG” is nearing a title shot and may face former champion Belal Muhammad later this year.
• Natalia Silva (Women`s Flyweight) – Ranked No. 1 contender after beating Alexa Grasso. She could be next in line for a title shot, depending on Zhang Weili`s plans.
• Arman Tsarukyan (Lightweight) – Weighed in as the backup fighter for UFC 317. The No. 1 lightweight contender has been actively seeking potential fights against various ranked opponents.
• Jiri Prochazka (Light Heavyweight) – After knocking out Jamahal Hill in January, the former champion took time off but could quickly find himself in a title fight given the division`s landscape.
• Karol Rosa (Women`s Bantamweight) – Has alternated wins and losses recently. She dropped a decision to Ailin Perez and now faces Nora Cornolle in August.
• Wild Card: Anthony Hernandez – “Fluffy” is on a seven-fight winning streak and faces Roman Dolidze in the main event of an APEX card in August.

Jed Meshew`s Picks

• Retained: Sergei Pavlovich – Known for quick, brutal knockouts. While his last win was a decision, his upcoming fight against Waldo Cortes-Acosta offers another chance for big points.
• Shara Magomedov (Middleweight) – “Bullet” faces Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC Abu Dhabi this month. With another UAE event planned in October, he has a good chance of fighting multiple times this season.
• Kevin Holland (Welterweight) – One of the sport`s busiest fighters. He fought three times in 2024 already and is booked against Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 318.
• Fatima Kline (Strawweight) – Currently 1-1 in the UFC. She faces Melissa Martinez this weekend at UFC Nashville, where she is a significant betting favorite.
• Morgan Charriere (Featherweight) – Takes on Nate Landwehr at UFC Nashville this weekend. It would be unsurprising if the French fighter also appears at UFC Paris later this year.
• Daniel Zellhuber (Lightweight) – Faces veteran Michael Johnson at UFC 318. The Mexican fighter is highly likely to participate in this year`s Noche UFC card in September.
• Carli Judice (Women`s Flyweight) – Just 1-1 in the UFC, but has earned a bonus in each of her fights. She is scheduled to face Nicolle Caliari at UFC 318.
• Brandon Moreno (Flyweight) – The former two-time flyweight champion is not currently booked but has been linked to several potential matchups and seems a certainty to compete at the Noche UFC card.
• Bogdan Guskov (Light Heavyweight) – Riding a three-fight winning streak, Guskov is set to face Nikita Krylov at UFC Abu Dhabi.
• Malcolm Wellmaker (Bantamweight) – An exciting prospect from Contender Series last year with two first-round KOs and two performance bonuses in his two UFC bouts.
• Wild Card: Azamat Bekoev – 2-0 in the UFC, Bekoev is scheduled to face Torrez Finney in August.

Damon Martin`s Picks

• Retained: Islam Makhachev – Always a strong pick as the top pound-for-pound fighter, especially with potential to challenge for the welterweight title later this year.
• Merab Dvalishvili (Bantamweight) – The top scoring fighter from Season 2. He`s not currently booked to defend his title but hopes to get two more title defenses in this year.
• Alexander Volkanovski (Featherweight) – The reigning featherweight champion is not currently booked, but rumors suggest a rematch with Yair Rodriguez. He is expected to defend his belt before the year ends.
• Wild Card: Michael Morales – 6-0 in the UFC, coming off a first-round stoppage of Gilbert Burns. Though not currently booked, the Ecuadorian should compete again this year.
• Tatsuro Taira (Flyweight) – Making his first appearance since his only MMA loss in October. He faces a tough test against Amir Albazi in a UFC Apex main event in August.
• Mauricio Ruffy (Lightweight) – Another of the “Fighting Nerds.” He is not officially booked but should fight at least once before the end of the year.
• Marco Tulio (Middleweight) – A Contender Series product with two stoppage wins in two UFC fights. He faces Michel Pereira at UFC Shanghai.
• Marcin Tybura (Heavyweight) – On a two-fight winning streak, Tybura faces former PFL standout Ante Delija in Delija`s promotional debut in September.
• Norma Dumont (Women`s Bantamweight) – Riding a five-fight winning streak, Dumont could be next in line for a title shot depending on the outcome between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes.
• Dominick Reyes (Light Heavyweight) – On a three-fight winning streak, Reyes is improbably close to title contention. He has been linked to a possible fight with Carlos Ulberg, among others.
• Sam Hughes (Strawweight) – Riding a two-fight winning streak, Hughes takes on Shauna Bannon at UFC Paris.

Mike Heck`s Picks

• Retained: Ilia Topuria – The other man at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings. His rise is reminiscent of Conor McGregor`s. It`s unclear who his first lightweight title defense will be against, but he is expected to finish early.
• Khamzat Chimaev (Middleweight) – When Chimaev fights, he almost always delivers impressive performances. The question is whether he will make it to the cage. He is booked to challenge Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight belt at UFC 319 in August.
• Wild Card: Ateba Gautier – A 2024 Contender Series signing who scored a first-round KO and Performance bonus in his only UFC fight so far. He faces Robert Valentin at UFC 318.
• Magomed Ankalaev (Light Heavyweight) – The reigning champion has been pushing for a rematch with Alex Pereira, although it`s uncertain if that will happen. Jiri Prochazka has also been mentioned as a potential challenger.
• Petr Yan (Bantamweight) – A former bantamweight champion on a two-fight winning streak. He hopes to earn a title shot when he faces Marcus McGhee at UFC Abu Dhabi.
• Waldo Cortes-Acosta (Heavyweight) – On a five-fight winning streak, “Salsa Boy” gets his shot at relevance when he takes on Sergei Pavlovich at UFC Shanghai.
• Ramazan Temirov (Flyweight) – 3-0 in the UFC since joining from Rizin. Temirov faces Asu Almabayev at UFC Abu Dhabi.
• Michael ‘Venom’ Page (Middleweight) – Although “MVP” claims to be a welterweight, his previous fight was at 185 lbs, and he`s booked against former middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier. He appears to be a middleweight pick here.
• Jasmine Jasudavicius (Women`s Flyweight) – On a five-fight winning streak after submitting Jessica Andrade at UFC 315. She is not currently booked.
• Gillian Robertson (Strawweight) – On a four-fight winning streak, coming off a stoppage over Marina Rodriguez in May. She is not currently booked.
• Kayla Harrison (Women`s Bantamweight) – Just won the title by stopping Julianna Peña and is now looking at a potential superfight with Amanda Nunes. The question is whether it happens this year.
• Movsar Evloev (Featherweight) – 19-0 with an impressive UFC run, but a title shot still eludes him. He needs to defeat Aaron Pico to finally get his championship opportunity.

E. Casey Leydon`s Picks

• Retained: Tom Aspinall – The only thing that hindered Aspinall in Season 2 was Jon Jones avoiding him. As the undisputed champ reportedly with a date locked in, the heavyweight king is expected to deliver significant points this season.
• Zhang Mingyang (Light Heavyweight) – “The Mountain Tiger” has impressed in his brief UFC career and is now main-eventing UFC China against the always knockout-vulnerable Johnny Walker.
• Reinier de Ridder (Middleweight) – The former two-division ONE champion has turned heads since joining the UFC and is scheduled to face Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi this month.
• Jacobe Smith (Welterweight) – Smith had a tougher-than-expected fight against Niko Price but secured an impressive stoppage. The Contender Series product is considered one of the brightest prospects on the UFC roster.
• Steve Garcia (Featherweight) – Currently on a five-fight winning streak, Garcia faces Calvin Kattar in the feature bout of UFC Nashville.
• Manel Kape (Flyweight) – The main question with Kape is whether he makes it to the cage. An injury forced him out of a fight against Brandon Royval. He is still recovering.
• Dustin Poirier (Lightweight) – A future Hall of Famer, Poirier makes the final walk of his career when he faces Max Holloway in a trilogy fight at UFC 318 this month.
• Tatiana Suarez (Strawweight) – Suffered a tough defeat against Zhang Weili in February and is not currently booked. Her history of infrequent competition is a concern for fantasy points.
• Wang Cong (Women`s Flyweight) – On a two-fight winning streak, Wang Cong is not currently booked to compete. She last fought in June.
• Umar Nurmagomedov (Bantamweight) – Hasn`t fought since his disappointing loss to Merab Dvalishvili in January. His return is likely to coincide with Islam Makhachev`s potential welterweight title shot.
• Raquel Pennington (Women`s Bantamweight) – The former bantamweight champion has not fought since losing her title to Julianna Peña.
• Wild Card: Gregory Rodrigues – “Robocop” quickly finished Jack Hermansson at UFC 317 and should be able to turn around quickly, though nothing is scheduled.

Alexander K. Lee`s Picks

• Retained: Joshua Van – The second-highest point scorer in Season 2. He is scheduled to face Alexandre Pantoja later this year and, given his frequent activity, might fit in another fight as well.
• Dricus du Plessis (Middleweight) – The current middleweight champion and a top pound-for-pound fighter. “DDP” is on a remarkable run in the UFC which he will try to continue against Khamzat Chimaev.
• Max Holloway (Lightweight) – The `BMF` champ is the first lightweight picked. He`s scheduled to take on Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 318 this month.
• Carlos Prates (Welterweight) – Prates suffered his first UFC loss via decision against Ian Machado Garry in April. He is rumored to be facing Geoff Neal later this year.
• Cory Sandhagen (Bantamweight) – A consistent top contender at 135 lbs. Sandhagen is expected to finally get an undisputed title shot against champion Dvalishvili later this year.
• Jailton Almeida (Heavyweight) – One of the standout heavyweights. Almeida has had a stellar run in the UFC and has openly campaigned for a fight against champion Tom Aspinall.
• Azamat Murzakanov (Light Heavyweight) – 5-0 in the UFC with four knockouts. Murzakanov has faced issues getting fights booked and is not currently scheduled.
• Alexia Tainara (Strawweight) – A Contender Series product who won her UFC debut by submitting Molly McCann in March. She is not currently booked.
• Aaron Pico (Featherweight) – A prominent Bellator fighter making his UFC debut against Movsar Evloev at UFC Abu Dhabi.
• Movsar Evloev (Featherweight) – (Also picked by Mike Heck – Note: This appears to be an error in the source text, as Evloev is listed for both). *Following the source exactly, listing him under both.* 19-0 with an impressive UFC run, a title shot still eludes him. He needs to defeat Aaron Pico to finally get his championship opportunity.
• Wild Card: Torrez Finney – The only fighter ever to go 3-0 on Contender Series. Finney didn`t impress in his UFC debut but gets a chance at redemption against Bekoev next month.

And there you have it! The third MMA Fighting UFC Fantasy Draft is complete!

Who do you think was overlooked, and which picks were surprisingly early? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. We will see you in December with the results and details for the next season.