RADIO
Following UFC 313 this past Saturday, the UFC heads back to the Apex this weekend for UFC Vegas 104, headlined by a rematch between ranked middleweights Marvin Vettori and Roman Dolidze. The last time Vettori fought Dolidze, Vettori secured an impressive win via a unanimous decision. In the co-main event of UFC Vegas 104, Chidi Njokuani will be looking to continue his rise in the welterweight division when he faces off against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, who is looking to get back in the win column.
Alexander Hernandez takes on Kurt Holobaugh on the main card of UFC Vegas 104. Also on the main card, Da’Mon Blackshear and Cody Gibson are scheduled for a bantamweight bout, and Diyar Nurgozhay faces off against Brendson Ribeiro at light heavyweight after SeungWoo Choi and Kevin Vallejos open up the UFC Vegas 104 main card.
In this article, I will be providing you with my fantasy MMA lineup picks for UFC Vegas 104: Vettori vs. Dolidze 2 on 3/15/25. Give me a follow on X @sumpor5. Good luck!
DraftKings MMA Middleweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Marvin Vettori, $8,200 - vs. Roman Dolidze
Marvin Vettori and Roman Dolidze are set to meet for a second time when they rematch one another in the UFC Vegas 104 headliner on Saturday. Vettori returns after a long layoff, looking to get back in the win column, while Dolidze will look to extend his win streak to three.
Their first meeting was a BATTLE ⚔️@MarvinVettori & @RomanDolidzeUFC run it back SATURDAY in the #UFCVegas104 main event! pic.twitter.com/2mmnpABpLp
— UFC (@ufc) March 13, 2025
Vettori was scheduled to face Brendan Allen in April 2024 but was forced to withdraw and has been on the sidelines ever since. The Italian was last seen in action at UFC Vegas 75, with his last fight resulting in a decision loss to Jared Cannonier. Before that bout, Vettori faced off against Dolidze, beating him via unanimous decision. Vettori has never been finished in 27 professional appearances. He has gone 7-3 in his last 10 fights.
After losing to Vettori, Dolidze was defeated by Nassourdine Imavov via majority decision. Dolidze then came in on short notice and defeated his former training partner, Anthony Smith, at Light Heavyweight. Following his fight with Smith, Dolidze beat Kevin Holland via TKO after Holland was unable to continue due to a rib injury. Since making his UFC debut in 2020, Dolidze has gone 8-3.
Vettori enters this fight with an MMA record of 19-6-1 and 9-5-1 in the UFC. He is averaging 4.56 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 45 percent. Vettori absorbs 4.24 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 56 percent. His grappling is solid, averaging 1.66 takedowns every 15 minutes. Vettori has a takedown accuracy of 45 percent and a takedown defense of 69 percent.
Dolidze enters this fight with an MMA record of 14-3. He averages 3.16 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 42 percent. Dolidze absorbs 3.38 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 50 percent. In regards to his grappling, Dolidze is averaging 1.33 takedowns every 15 minutes. He has a takedown accuracy of 42 percent and a takedown defense of 33 percent.
The first time they met, Vettori outstruck Dolidze and was able to push the pace and control the Georgian for the majority of the fight. Since this is a five-round fight, I think Vettori will outwork Dolidze again. Vettori has a much better gas tank than Dolidze, and considering how durable Vettori is, I don't see Dolidze finishing him. My prediction is that Vettori will win by unanimous decision again.
DraftKings MMA Welterweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, $8,400 - vs. Chidi Njokuani
The co-main event of UFC Vegas 104 features a welterweight scrap between seasoned fighters Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Chidi Njokuani. Zaleski dos Santos looks to win back-to-back fights, while Njokuani will look for his third consecutive victory.
In his last fight back in November 2024, Zaleski dos Santos got back in the win column by defeating Zach Scroggin via first-round TKO. Before that fight, Zaleski dos Santos lost a decision to Randy Brown and fought to a draw with Rinat Fakhretdinov. Zaleski dos Santos has won 11 of his past 15 bouts, going 11-3-1 in those 15 fights. He is now 3-1-1 in his past five fights, a run that includes a one-sided, unanimous decision victory over Benoit Saint Denis.
Njokuani started his UFC career in 2022 with back-to-back first-round knockout victories over Marc-Andre Barriault and Dusko Todorovic. Njokuani then went on a three-fight losing streak and was close to being cut from the promotion. After that, Njokuani decided to drop to welterweight, and since then, he's gone 2-0 in his last two.
Zaleski dos Santos enters this fight with an MMA record of 25-8-1 and 11-4-1 in the UFC. He is averaging 4.33 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 41 percent. Zaleski dos Santos is absorbing 3.41 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 56 percent. His grappling is decent, averaging 0.70 takedowns every 15 minutes. Zaleski dos Santos has a takedown accuracy of 20 percent and a takedown defense of 68 percent.
Njokuani enters this fight with an MMA record of 24-10 and 4-3 in the UFC. He averages 4.59 significant strikes and has a striking accuracy of 63 percent. Njokuani absorbs 2.67 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 56 percent. He has shown no grappling ability but has a takedown defense of 74 percent.
This is most likely going to be a striking battle. Zaleski dos Santos has the power advantage over Njokuani. Njokuani has also been knocked out five times compared to Zaleski dos Santos, who has been knocked out once. Also, Zaleski dos Santos has a better gas tank than Njokuani and is the more technically sound fighter of the two. My prediction is that Zaleski will find Njokuani's chin and knock him out in the third round.
DraftKings MMA Bantamweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Da'Mon Blackshear, $9,200 - vs. Cody Gibson
On Saturday, Da'Mon Blackshear is scheduled to take on Cody Gibson on the main card of UFC Vegas 104. Blackshear will look to win back-to-back fights and start a winning streak, while Gibson looks for his third consecutive win.
Blackshear has been a part of some entertaining fights, but he has been constantly inconsistent. He was last seen in action back in November at UFC Vegas 100, where he got back in the win column by submitting Cody Stamann via a first-round rear naked choke. Before that, Blackshear was on a two-fight skid, having lost to Mario Bautista via unanimous decision and to Montel Jackson via first-round knockout. He's gone 3-2 in his last five. That includes a 2023 Submission of the Year twister against Jose Johnson.
Gibson is a longtime veteran who is currently on his second UFC stint. He made his way back to the big stage through "The Ultimate Fighter" in 2023. During his second run in the UFC, Gibson has gone 2-2. Gibson has won back-to-back fights to move himself to 3-5 in the UFC. In his last bout, Gibson defeated Chad Anheliger via unanimous decision. Before that bout, Gibson submitted Brian Kelleher via a first-round arm triangle choke.
Blackshear enters this fight as the favorite with an MMA record of 15-7-1 and is 3-3-1 in the UFC. He is averaging 4.30 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 47 percent. Blackshear is absorbing 4.06 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 49 percent. His grappling has been solid, averaging 2.17 takedowns every 15 minutes and 1.4 submission attempts during the same period. He has a takedown accuracy of 37 percent and a takedown defense of 68 percent.
Gibson enters this fight with as the underdog an MMA record of 21-10. He is averaging 3.47 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 44 percent. Gibson is absorbing 3.36 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 57 percent. He also has solid grappling, averaging 2.18 takedowns every 15 minutes. Gibson has a takedown accuracy of 40 percent and a takedown defense of 68 percent.
Blackshear is a tricky grappler with a strong submission game and good cardio. Gibson has some solid boxing skills and Blackshear has shown weakness on the feet, so Gibson could find success striking, but I think eventually Blackshear will take Gibson down and control him on the ground. My prediction is that Gibson will win this fight either by unanimous decision or by submitting Gibson inside two rounds.
