This article is part of our DraftKings MMA series.
Check out the top DraftKings MMA DFS picks and strategy for UFC 325: Volkanovski vs. Lopes, from Sydney, Australia. Build winning lineups with our preview, analysis & fighter breakdowns.
UFC 325 DraftKings DFS Preview and Picks
If you're hoping to turn the event into an opportunity to build your DFS bankroll, DraftKings.com has you covered with a full slate of contests, including a $600k UFC 325 Special with $200k to first place. Players get a $50,000 budget to select six fighters, and the scoring rules are noted at the bottom of the column. Let's get to the action...
UFC 325 Main Event - Featherweight Championship
(C) Alexander Volkanovski (27-4-0) v. Diego Lopes (27-7-0)
DK Salaries: Volkanovski ($8,500), Lopes ($7,700)
Vegas Odds: Volkanovski (-150), Lopes (+125)
We saw this fight last April, at which point Volkanovski won the vacant 145-pound title via a fairly routine unanimous decision. It's a very strange matchup to run back immediately from the champion's perspective, considering Volk hasn't fought since then. Admittedly, there are no other particular appealing matchups for Alex at the moment outside of Movsar Evloev.
Volkanovski fought Ilia Topuria for the featherweight crown in February 2024 and was knocked out in Round 2. Given his current age (37), there was no guarantee he would ever get back in the title picture had Topuria had an extended reign at 145 pounds, but he decided to move up to lightweight and vacate the belt in the process, which set up Volkanovski v. Lopes I. Just like that, Alex was back on top and will now be competing in his 11th straight title fight.
You can argue all day whether or not Lopes should be put back in this position so quickly, but the bottom line is that he is coming off a meaningful win. He faced Jean Silva in a five-round main event in San Antonio in September. The finish came via a brutal spinning elbow in a fight in which Lopes was upwards of a +200 underdog. He's shown far more good than bad with the company, but I still don't trust him completely, for reasons I'll get into momentarily.
The first fight between the two played out almost exactly like I expected.
Volkanovski outworked Diego on the feet to the tune of a 158-63 edge in significant strikes landed. The former had no issues closing the distance despite the fact Lopes is five inches taller. At 5-foot-6, Alex has been fighting taller and longer guys his entire career.
Lopes isn't a great wrestler, but he stuffed 10-of-11 takedown attempts in the first fight. It goes without saying, but he needs a repeat performance in that area to have any shot here.
All that said, a Round 2 Lopes knockdown was the biggest moment of the prior matchup. He clearly has more pure power than Volk, and in a bout scheduled for 25 minutes, he'll have plenty of time to potentially get to that power edge.
The DraftKings salaries and betting odds both seem correct here.
I would wager the most likely outcome is similar to the first fight. That being Volk is the more active guy and racks up rounds, while Lopes is a threat to end the bout at any moment.
I have time for the latter as an underdog play mostly because this card gets really thin, really quickly, despite the fact there's 14 fights on it. I still think Volkanovski finds a way to win.
UFC 325 PICK: Volkanovski
Interested in backing this or other selections on sites like PrizePicks? Check out the Best MMA Picks & Prop Bets by comparing lines to our projections using the RotoWire Picks & Props tool.
UFC 325 Co-Main Event - Lightweight
Dan Hooker (24-13-0) v. Benoit Saint-Denis (16-3-0, 1NC)
DK Salaries: Hooker ($7,000), Saint Denis ($9,200)
Vegas Odds: Hooker (+250), Saint Denis (-310)
Set to turn 36 years old the day before Valentine's Day, Hooker continues to get notable opponents despite middling results. He's 4-5 in his past nine fights dating back to June 2020, and there's a three-fight winning streak included in there. Three of those previously mentioned wins were via decision, with two being split, so it could be a whole heck of a lot worse. Hooker has long had difficulty winning the "big" fight throughout the course of his career. It feels as if this is his last chance to make a run when you take into account his age and the fact he competes in a loaded lightweight division.
Saint-Denis suffered back-to-back knockout losses to Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano back in 2024. He has since rebounded with three straight stoppage wins over Kyle Prepolec (submission), Mauricio Ruffy (submission) and Beneil Dariush (knockout) and suddenly finds himself right back on track with another favorable matchup heading his way here.
Hooker is about as tough as they come, and that has been the case his entire UFC run. You may be able to get him out of there -- he's been knocked out three times in his career -- but you're surely going to have to work for it. The issue is that his brawling, reckless style of fighting plays directly into absorbing a ton of damage. It's too late in the game for Hooker to change how he goes about things.
Saint-Denis is equally aggressive, but he goes about things in a much smarter way. He'll swarm his opposition if an opening presents itself, but his overall body of work is much more targeted and concentrated.
The greatest difference-maker in this fight, not surprisingly, figures to be BSD's grappling. He's averaging 4.33 takedowns per 15 minutes. I wouldn't call Saint-Denis an elite wrestler from a technical standpoint, but he's supremely strong and is going to get you to the mat if he gets to your hips.
Then there's the fact we've seen Hooker repeatedly grounded in the past. He works off of his back, but I don't like his chances if Saint-Denis is able to turn this into a grappling match -- if for no other reason than it takes away from Hooker's ability to generate volume and damage on the feet.
The price seems high in what projects to be a violent fight, but when you combine Hooker's durability issues with BSD's grappling advantage, the latter becomes a pretty easy pick.
UFC 325 PICK: Saint-Denis
Fiviev vs. Ruffy: Next Lightweight Contender?
Rafael Fiziev (13-4-0) v. Mauricio Ruffy (12-2-0)
DK Salaries: Fiziev ($8,000), Ruffy ($8,200)
Vegas Odds: Fiziev (+100), Ruffy (-120)
If you're a fan of a high-end striking battle, this is the fight for you.
Fiziev won six straight from October 2019 to July 2022. He then lost twice to Justin Gaethje via decision, sandwiched between a knockout loss to Mateusz Gamrot due to a knee injury. To Fiziev's credit, he was likely looking at a release had he come up short against Ignacio Bahamondes in June, but he responded with a clean sweep on the scorecards. He gets another stiff test here against Ruffy.
The Brazilian began his UFC run with three straight wins (Jamie Mullarkey, James Llontop, King Green) before being submitted by Saint-Denis in September. It was a highly concerning performance from Ruffy on multiple fronts, with the most obvious being Saint-Denis is lightyears better than the prior three guys he defeated. Ruffy's power is insane, but the rest of his game remains a very large question mark.
Fiziev's offensive strategy is actually very similar to that of Volkanovski. It's volume-over-power on the feet with excellent takedown defense mixed in. He throws a lot of kicks and excels at keeping his opponent off balance in striking exchanges.
Fiziev doesn't wrestle much, but he's capable of landing a well-timed takedown here and there. It won't be easy to go that route against the bigger Ruffy, but I wouldn't rule out Rafael attempting to steal a close round by trying to go to his wrestling.
Ruffy is three inches taller and will have and four-inch reach edge. Both are notable numbers given the fact it's far more likely than not the entirety of this fight will be spent on the fight.
Mauricio is fairly low-volume on the feet (3.84 significant strikes landed per minute) considering how reliant he is on his stand-up for success.
Heck, he found himself on the short end of a 90-67 count in terms of significant strikes landed against Llontop despite winning a unanimous decision. I'd be shocked if he was able to get past Fiziev with that type of gap between the two.
As long as he avoids getting toppled with one huge blow, I think Fiziev is in great position to pull an upset here. The volume figures to be on his side, and in a 15-minute fight, Ruffy doesn't have as much time to land that one big blow. The fight is lined as a pick 'em, which it essentially is in my eyes, but I see enough potential positives to roll with Fiziev.
THE PICK: Fiziev
Like this underdog suggestion? Try it out with different lineup combinations and generate up to 150 unique builds with our DraftKings UFC Lineup Optimizer.
Tuivasa vs. Teixeira: Slugfest at Heavyweight
Tai Tuivasa (15-8-0) v. Tallison Teixeira (8-1-0)
DK Salaries: Tuivasa ($7,100), Teixeira ($9,100)
Vegas Odds: Tuivasa (+245), Teixiera (-305)
Tuivasa will once again be on the main card of a numbered event despite the fact he has lost five fights in a row and is without a victory dating back to February 2022. Neither of those facts are misprints. Four of the five defeats are via stoppage (two knockouts, two submissions), while the most recent setback was a split decision to the since-released Jair Rozenstruik back in August 2024. If you're looking for positives, Tuivasa is still somehow just 32 years old.
Teixeira won each of his first eight professional fights via first-round stoppage (one submission, seven knockouts), at which point he was thrown into a main event spot against Derrick Lewis in July and lasted all of 35 seconds. He doesn't have a single notable win in his career, and his lone official victory with the UFC came over Justin Tafa.
To be fair, if you're going to continue to use Tuivasa, this is the spot in which you do so.
First of all, Tai remains extremely popular in his native Australia. Second, Teixeira represents the only type of opponent he can potentially beat, that being a one-dimensional striker that won't force Tuivasa to try to defend takedowns or drain his extremely limited gas tank.
The breakdown of this fight is as simple as you'd imagine. I expect a very concentrated slugfest that doesn't last long.
Tuivasa is a massive man at 6-foot-2, but he's giving up a ridiculous five inches in height and eight inches (!!!) in reach to Teixeira.
If Tallison stands at distance and doesn't fight foolishly, he should be able to to win this fight without issue.
Any Tuivasa win is coming via knockout, so if you're an underdog betting type, that's the play. Even though this is the type of fight he can theoretically win on paper, the size differential and the fact Tai looks completely washed leaves little doubt about the most likely outcome.
UFC 325 PICK: Teixeira
Salkilld vs. Mullarkey: Next Lightweight Prospect?
Quillan Salkilld (10-1-0) v. Jamie Mullarkey (18-8-0)
DK Salaries: Salkilld ($9,700), Mullarkey ($6,500)
Vegas Odds: Salkilld (-1050), Mullarkey (+675)
Having just turned 26 years old in late December, Salkilld is a legitimate prospect at 155 pounds. He made his UFC debut in roughly a year ago and fought three times in 2025, knocking out Nasrat Haqparast and Anshul Jubli, in addition to taking a unanimous decision from Yanal Ashmouz. The Haqparast fight was the most recent -- it came in late-October -- and by far the most impressive result of the three. He gets another winnable fight here.
Mullarkey has survived six-plus years on the UFC roster despite the fact he is rocking a career 6-6 mark with the company. He's just 2-3 in his past five fights, and outside of a split decision win over Michael Johnson back in 2022, has constantly come up short whenever tasked with facing halfway decent competition. I expect Mullarkey to hover around the .500 mark moving forward, and he won't even have the obvious crowd advantage in this fight considering both combatants are from Australia.
Salkilld's advanced numbers are sort of pointless because it's such a small sample size, but they're highly intriguing to look at nonetheless. He's averaging 5.49 significant strikes landed per minute in addition to connecting on 7.77 takedowns per 15 minutes. The massive takedown production was result of the fact he got Ashmouz to the mat on eight separate occasions.
Salkilld has the look of a solid all-around fighter. He's a good athlete, has power and is a threat on the mat.
Mullarkey is a pure brawler despite the fact he has a BJJ black belt. He's shown the ability to consistently land takedowns against lesser grapplers, but I don't think he's going to be able to go that route against Salkilld.
The biggest thing holding Mullarkey back, as has been the case his entire career, is a lack of durability. Six of his eight career losses have come via knockout. We've seen some fights in which he's taken a beating before being put away and others in which one punch seemingly out of nowhere topples him. It's an ongoing issue that isn't going away, and I only expect it to get worse as he ages. Mullarkey will be 32 years old in August.
This fight is a total pass for me. Think about the Ateba Gautier fight from a week ago. A guy with elite, all-world power that went off as upwards of a -1000 favorite and struggled, although he did win a clear decision.
Your DraftKings lineup is all but shot if you invest $9,700 in one single fighter and he doesn't perform at an elite level. I'll try my luck elsewhere, even though I expect Salkilld to win easily.
UFC 325 PICK: Salkilld
UFC 325 Prelims Picks & Predictions
Light Heavyweight
Junior Tafa (6-4-0) v. Billy Elekana (9-2-0)
DK Salaries: Tafa ($7,300), Elekana ($8,900)
Vegas Odds: Tafa (+205), Elekana (-250)
UFC 325 PICK: Elekana
Middleweight
Cam Rowston (13-3-0) v. Cody Brundage (11-7-1, 1NC)
DK Salaries: Rowston ($9,300), Brundage ($6,900)
Vegas Odds: Rowston (-360), Brundage (+255)
UFC 325 PICK: Rowston
Middleweight
Jacob Malkoun (8-3-0) v. Torrez Finney (11-0-0)
DK Salaries: Malkoun ($8,600), Finney ($7,600)
Vegas Odds: Malkoun (-155), Finney (+130)
UFC 325 PICK: Finney
Welterweight
Jonathan Micallef (8-1-0) v. Oban Elliott (12-3-0)
DK Salaries: Micallef ($8,400), Elliott ($7,800)
Vegas Odds: Micallef (-135), Elliott (+115)
UFC 325 PICK: Elliott
Featherweight
Kaan Ofli (13-4-1) v. Yi Zha (26-5-0)
DK Salaries: Ofli ($7,400), Yi ($8,800)
Vegas Odds: Ofli (+180), Yi (-220)
UFC 325 PICK: Yi
Lightweight
Sangwook Kim (13-3-0) v. Dom Mar Fan (8-2-0)
DK Salaries: Kim ($7,500), Fan ($8,700)
Vegas Odds: Kim (+145), Fan (-175)
UFC 325 PICK: Fan
Featherweight
Keiichiro Nakamura (7-1-0) v. Sebastian Szalay (10-1-0)
DK Salaries: Nakamura ($8,100), Szalay ($8,100)
Vegas Odds: Nakamura (+110), Szalay (-130)
UFC 325 PICK: Szalay
Bantamweight
Sulang Rangbo (10-3-0) v. Lawrence Lui (7-1-0)
DK Salaries: Sulang ($9,000), Lui ($7,200)
Vegas Odds: Sulang (-260), Lui (+210)
UFC 325 PICK: Sulang
Flyweight
Aaron Tau (11-1-0) v. Namsrai Batbayar (9-1-0)
DK Salaries: Tau ($7,900), Batbayar ($8,300)
Vegas Odds: Tau (+115), Batbayar (-135)
UFC 325 PICK: Tau
Note: All odds accurate as of time of posting, and taken from the DraftKings Sportsbook, if available. Check out DraftKings to bet on MMA Odds and use the DraftKings promo code for a great welcome offer.
In search of a new, legal sportsbook? Get in on the action with our best sportsbook promo codes, as well as these selections for the best sports betting sites and sports betting apps.
DraftKings MMA Scoring
Note: Scoring has been updated as of early-2021! Please review the scoring changes below.
Moves Scoring
Strikes: +0.2 PTS
Significant Strikes (SS): +0.2 PTS
Control Time: +0.03 PTS/SECOND
Takedown (TD): +5 PTS
Reversal/Sweep (REV): +5 PTS
Knockdown (KD): +10 PTS
Fight Conclusion Bonuses
1st Round Win (1rW+): +90 PTS
2nd Round Win (2rW+): +70 PTS
3rd Round Win (3rW+): +45 PTS
4th Round Win (4rW+): +40 PTS
5th Round Win (5rW+): +40 PTS
Decision Win (WBD+): +30 PTS
Quick Win Bonus: +25 PTS
(fight is finished in 60 seconds or less)
Scoring Notes
- Significant Strikes are any Distance Strike or Clinch/Ground Strikes that are considered "Power Strikes" by official scorers.
- A Significant Strike will count as both a strike and a significant strike and will be worth a total of 0.4 Pts
- Control Time is the time spent in the dominant position on the ground or in the clinch. +0.03 points are awarded per second.
- A Knockdown is awarded to a fighter who knocks his/her opponent down due to debilitation for what the official scorers consider an appreciable amount of time.
- A Quick Win Bonus is awarded to the winning fighter if they win in the first round in 60 seconds or less.
