Written by MMA Fighting’s UFC Fantasy League is back for Season 3!
With June in the books, we’ve officially reached the midway mark of 2024, and with that, the conclusion of Season 2 of the MMA Fighting UFC Fantasy League. While fans predicted Guilherme Cruz would hoist the trophy in Season 2, “The Brazilian Beast” wound up finishing dead last, and instead it was Alexander K. Lee who once again took top honors with an impressive 2425 team points, finishing 300 points ahead of runner-up E. Casey Leydon, thanks in no small part to Joshua Van who delivered an impressive 500 points this past season, second best behind only Merab Dvalishvili.
But we’ve no time to dwell on what has already happened, because with one season ending, a new one is set to begin, and as the UFC prepares to head to Nashville for Derrick Lewis vs. Tallison Teixeira, we here at MMA Fighting are all geared up for Season 3 of the fantasy league.
As a quick reminder, this is not a daily fantasy league like most MMA fantasy leagues are, but one built more akin to traditional fantasy sports. Alexander K. Lee, E. Casey Leydon, Mike Heck, Damon Martin, Jed Meshew, and Guilherme Cruz will draft teams as 12 fighters — one in each of the major weight classes and one wild card — and each fighter earns points for their team based on the scoring criteria below. This season runs through the end of 2025, where we’ll crown a new winner and then rack ‘em back up.
SCORING CRITERIA
+100 points for a win
+50 points for a finish
+50 points for a Performance of the Night or Fight of the Night bonus
+50 points for beating an opponent in the UFC rankings
+25 points for being in a title fight
+25 points for being in a main event fight
Easy enough? We sure hope so.
With all returning players, this season we decided to do reverse snake draft format, with the losers of Season 2 going first. Also, for an added layer of fun, each player designated one fighter from their Season 2 roster to retain, before we began the draft.
So without further ado, let’s get drafting!
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
The Keepers
Guilherme Cruz — Alexandre Pantoja
Pantoja is currently the longest-reigning male champion in the UFC, and appears to have a date with Joshua Van later this year. He’s also finished his previous two opponents and appears to only be getting better despite being 35.
Jed Meshew — Sergei Pavlovich
Pavlovich has made a career out of quick, brutal knockouts, and while he did not manage that in his decision win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik in February, his upcoming battle against Waldo Cortes-Acosta gives him another chance to score big.
Damon Martin — Islam Makhachev
It’s never a bad idea to take the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, especially as he appears poised to challenge for the welterweight title later this year.
Mike Heck — Ilia Topuria
The other man atop the pound-for-pound rankings, Topuria is on a rise the likes of which we have not seen since Conor McGregor. It’s unclear who is next for Topuria’s first lightweight title defense, but he will almost certainly be expected to finish whoever it is early.
E. Casey Leydon — Tom Aspinall
The only thing that held back Aspinall in Season 2 was Jon Jones refusing to fight him. Now that Aspinall is the undisputed champ and reportedly already has a date locked in, the heavyweight king is likely to deliver big points this time around.
Alexander K. Lee — Joshua Van
The second-highest point scorer in Season 2, Van has a date with Alexandre Pantoja sometime later this year, and given how frequently he fights, he might just get another one in, too.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Round 1
Cruz — Jean Silva (featherweight)
“Lord” scored 450 points for Lee in Season 2, and already has a fight booked against Diego Lopes. Should he win, Silva may find himself in a title fight before the end of the year.
Meshew — Shara Magomedov (middleweight)
“Bullet” faces Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC Abu Dhabi later this month, and with the promotion already planning a return to the UAE in October, there’s a good chance he gets at least two fights in this season.
Martin — Merab Dvalishvili (bantamweight)
The top scoring fighter for Season 2, Dvalishvili is not currently set to defend his title, but has mentioned several times he hopes to get two more title defenses in this year, if possible.
Heck — Khamzat Chimaev (middleweight)
When Chimaev fights, he almost always delivers impressive performances. The question is will he make it to the cage? We’ll find out soon as Chimaev is booked to challenge Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight belt in August at UFC 319.
Leydon — Zhang Mingyang (light heavyweight)
“The Mountain Tiger” has wowed fans during his brief UFC run, and now he’s main eventing UFC China against the always knockout-able Johnny Walker.
Lee — Dricus du Plessis (middleweight)
The current middleweight champion and one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, “DDP” is on a remarkable run through the UFC which he will try to continue against Chimaev.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Round 2
Lee — Max Holloway (lightweight)
The ‘BMF’ champ is the first lightweight off the board and scheduled to take on Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 318 later this month.
Leydon — Reinier de Ridder (middleweight)
The former two-division ONE champion, “RDR” has turned heads since joining the UFC and now has a date with Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi this month.
Heck — Ateba Gautier (wild card)
A 2024 Contender Series signing, Gautier scored a first-round KO and Performance bonus in his lone UFC fight thus far. He faces Robert Valentin at UFC 318.
Martin — Alexander Volkanovski (featherweight)
The reining featherweight champion, Volkanovski is not currently booked, though there have been many rumors about a rematch with Yair Rodriguez. Whoever it comes against, Volkanovski figures to defend his belt before the year is out.
Meshew — Kevin Holland (welterweight)
One of the busiest fighters in the sport, Holland somehow went undrafted in Season 2. That was a mistake as Holland fought three times already in 2024 and is booked against Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 318.
Cruz — Zhang Weili — strawweight
The strawweight champion picked up a big title defense over Tatiana Suarez earlier this year. Now she will either defend her title or, potentially move up to flyweight to challenge Valentina Shevchenko in a pound-for-pound superfight.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Round 3
Cruz — Tallison Teixeira (heavyweight)
A 2024 Contender Series signee, Teixeira knocked out Justin Tafa in just 35 seconds in his UFC debut in February. That earned him a main event spot against Derrick Lewis at UFC Nashville this Saturday.
Meshew — Fatima Kline (strawweight)
Just 1-1 in the UFC, Kline faces Melissa Martinez at UFC Nashville this weekend where she’s a massive -1100 betting favorite.
Martin — Michael Morales (wild card)
6-0 in the UFC, Morales is coming off a first-round stoppage of Gilbert Burns in May. Though he’s not currently booked, the Ecuadorian fighter should see the cage again before the year is out.
Heck — Magomed Ankalaev (light heavyweight)
The reigning champion, Ankalaev has been angling for a rematch with Alex Pereira, though it’s still up in the air whether or not that will happen. Jiri Prochazka has also been thrown around as a possible title challenger for “Big Ank.”
Leydon — Jacobe Smith (welterweight)
Smith had a harder-than-expected time against Niko Price at UFC 317, but he still got an impressive stoppage. The Contender Series product is one of the brightest prospects on the UFC roster.
Lee — Carlos Prates (welterweight)
Prates finally took an L in the UFC, dropping a decision to Ian Machado Garry in April. He’s rumored to be facing Geoff Neal later this year.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Round 4
Lee — Cory Sandhagen (bantamweight)
A perennial top contender at 135 pounds, Sandhagen is expected to finally get a shot at the undisputed title against champion Dvalishvili later this year.
Leydon — Steve Garcia (featherweight)
Currently on a five-fight winning streak, Garcia faces Calvin Katter in the feature bout of UFC Nashville.
Heck — Petr Yan (bantamweight)
A former bantamweight champion, Yan is on a two-fight winning streak and hopes to get a shot at the title when he faces Marcus McGhee at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Martin — Tatsuro Taira (flyweight)
Making his first appearance since suffering his first MMA loss back in October, Taira is not getting a soft rebound. He fights Amir Albazi in a UFC Apex main event in August.
Meshew — Morgan Charriere (featherweight)
Charriere takes on Nate Landwehr this weekend at UFC Nashville. After that, it would surprising if the French fighter did not appear at UFC Paris later this year.
Cruz — Caio Borralho (middleweight)
Speaking of UFC Paris, Borralho faces Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of that card in September. A win may earn him a crack at the middleweight belt.
Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC
Round 5
Cruz — Vinicius Oliveira (bantamweight)
A Contender Series product, “Lok Dog” has been electric in three UFC appearances, and now takes on Kyler Phillips at UFC 318.
Meshew — Daniel Zellhuber (lightweight)
Zellhuber faces aging veteran Michael Johnson at UFC 318. After that, it’s highly likely the Mexican fighter will take part at this year’s Noche UFC card in September.
Martin — Mauricio Ruffy (lightweight)
Another of the Fighting Nerds that have taken over MMA the past 18 months, Ruffy is not officially booked yet, though should fight at least once before the end of the year.
Heck — Waldo Cortes-Acosta (heavyweight)
On a five-fight winning streak, “Salsa Boy” gets his shot at title contention when he takes on Sergei Pavlovich at UFC Shanghai.
Leydon — Manel Kape (flyweight)
The question with Kape will always be whether or not he makes it to the cage. Kape was supposed to face Brandon Royval at UFC 317, but an injury forced him to withdraw. He is still recovering.
Lee — Jailton Almeida (heavyweight)
One of the “haves” at heavyweight, Almeida has put together a sterling run through the UFC thus far, and has been openly lobbying for a crack at heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Round 6
Lee — Azamat Murzakanov (light heavyweight)
5-0 in the UFC with four knockouts, Murzakanov has also struggled with getting to the cage. He is not currently booked.
Leydon — 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.
Heck — Ramazan Temirov (flyweight)
3-0 in the UFC since joining the promotion from Rizin, Termirov faces Asu Almabayev at UFc Abu Dhabi.
Martin — Marco Tulio (middleweight)
A Contender Series product, Tulio has two stoppage wins in two fights in the UFC. He faces Michel Pereira at UFC Shanghai.
Meshew — Carli Judice (women’s flyweight)
Just 1-1 in the UFC, Judice has earned a bonus for each of her fights in the octagon. She’ll face Nicolle Caliari at UFC318.
Cruz — Ian Machado Garry (welterweight)
Coming off his win over Carlos Prates, “IMG” is knocking on the door of a title shot, and may have a date lined up with former champion Belal Muhammad later this year.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Round 7
Cruz — Natalia Silva (women’s flyweight)
The No. 1 contender in the division after beating Alexa Grasso, Silva may be next in line for a title shot, depending on what happens with Zhang Weili.
Meshew — Brandon Moreno (flyweight)
The former two-time flyweight champion is not currently booked but has been linked to several possible matchups, and seems a shoe-in to compete at the Noche UFC card.
Martin — Marcin Tybura (heavyweight)
Currently on a two-fight winning streak, Tybura faces off with former PFL standout Ante Delija in his promotional debut in September.
Heck — Michael ‘Venom’ Page (middleweight)
Though “MVP” says he’s a welterweight, his previous fight was at 185 pounds and he’s currently booked against former middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier. Sounds like he’s a middleweight to me.
Leydon — Tatiana Suarez (strawweight)
Suarez suffered a crushing defeat against Zhang Weili in February and is not currently booked to compete. That’s always scary when it comes to Suarez, who has a history of not competing frequently.
Lee — Kennedy Freeman (women’s flyweight)
An undefeated prospect and Cage Warriors champion, Freeman makes her UFC debut against Yuneisy Duben at UFC Paris
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Round 8
Lee — Mayra Bueno Silva (women’s bantamweight)
Riding a three-fight losing streak, “MBS” returns to 135 pounds against Joselyne Edwards in the hopes of getting her career back on track in August.
Leydon — Wang Cong (women’s flyweight)
On a two-fight winning streak, Wang Cong is not currently booked to compete. She most recently fought at UFC 316 in June.
Heck — Jasmine Jasudavicius (women’s flyweight)
On a five-fight winning streak, Jasudavicius submitted Jessica Andrade at UFC 315. She is not currently booked.
Martin — Norma Dumont (women’s bantamweight)
Riding a five-fight winning streak, Dumont could be next in line for a title shot, depending what happens between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes.
Meshew — Nora Cornolle (women’s bantamweight)
3-1 in the UFC, Cornolle is scheduled to face Karol Rosa at an APEX card in August.
Cruz — Arman Tsarukyan (lightweight)
Tsarukyan weighed in as the backup fighter for UFC 317, and since then, the No. 1 lightweight contender has been stirring up potential fights with nearly everyone in the rankings.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Round 9
Cruz — Jiri Prochazka (light heavyweight)
After knocking out Jamahal Hill in January, the former light heavyweight champion has taken some time off to pursue his education, but could find himself in a title fight sooner rather than later given the 205 landscape.
Meshew — Bogdan Guskov (light heavyweight)
Riding a three-fight winning streak, Guskov squares up with Nikita Krylov at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Martin — Dominick Reyes (light heavyweight)
A full blown run on 205ers! Reyes is on a three-fight winning streak and improbably on the door of title contention. He’s been linked to a possible fight with Carlos Ulberg, among others.
Heck — Gillian Robertson (strawweight)
On a four-fight winning streak, Robertson is coming off a stoppage over Marina Rodriguez in May. She is not currently booked.
Leydon — Umar Nurmagomedov (bantamweight)
Nurmagomedov has not stepped in the cage since his disappointing defeat to Merab Dvalishvili in January. That being said, it’s a good bet his return will coincide with Islam Makhavchev’s welterweight title shot.
Lee — Alexia Tainara (strawweight)
A Contender Series product, Thainara won her UFC debut by submitting Molly McCann in March. She is not booked to compete at the moment.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
Round 10
Lee — Aaron Pico (featherweight)
A standout in Bellator, Pico makes his UFC debut against Movsar Evloev at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Leydon — Raquel Pennington (women’s bantamweight)
The former bantamweight champion, Pennington has not fought since dropping her title to Julianna Peña.
Heck — Movsar Evloev (featherweight)
19-0 with an impressive run through the UFC, a title shot still eludes Evloev, who needs to get past Pico to finally get his shot at gold.
Martin — Erin Blanchfield (women’s flyweight)
Blanchfield was supposed to take on Maycee Barber last Season, but Barber was forced out of the fight just moments before they walker to the cage. Blanchfield has not been rebooked yet.
Meshew — Malcolm Wellmaker (bantamweight)
One of the most exciting prospects to come out of Contender Series last year, Wellmaker has two first-round KOs and two Performance bonuses in his two UFC bouts.
Cruz — Karol Rosa (women’s bantamweight)
Rosa has alternated wins and losses over her past eight fights. She dropped a decision to Ailin Perez in January and now faces Nora Cornolle in August.
Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC
Round 11
Cruz — Anthony Hernandez (wild card)
“Fluffy” is on a seven-fight winning streak and takes on Roman Dolidze in the main event of an APEX card in August.
Meshew — Azamat Bekoev (wild card)
2-0 in the UFC, Bekoev faces off with Torrez Finney in August.
Martin — Sam Hughes (strawweight)
Riding a two-fight winning streak, Hughes takes on Shauna Bannon at UFC Paris.
Heck — Kayla Harrison (women’s bantamweight)
Harrison just won the title by stopping Julianna Peña and is not staring down a superfight with Amanda Nunes. The only questions is whether or not that will happen this year.
Leydon — Gregory Rodrigues (wild card)
“Robocop” just iced Jack Hermansson quickly at UFC 317, and at should be able to make a quick turnaround, though nothing is set.
Lee — Torrez Finney (wild card)
The only fighter to ever go 3-0 on Contender Series, Finney did not impress in his UFC debut, but get a chance at redemption against Bekoev next month.
And there you have it! The third MMA Fighting UFC Fantasy Draft is in the books! Who got snubbed and which picks were reaches? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll see you in December with the results and the next season.
Final Draft Results: