Top DraftKings DFS Picks for UFC Baku: Fiziev vs. Torres

For the second time in the promotion's history, the world's combat sports leader will visit Azerbaijan on Saturday.

UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Torres -- or UFC Baku -- has 13 fights starting at 9 a.m. EST on Paramount+.

The main event is for a coveted lightweight ranking as Azerbaijan's own, Rafael "Ataman" Fiziev, looks to regain momentum against a surging Mexican knockout artist, Manuel "El Loco" Torres.

Every week, DraftKings Daily Fantasy has MMA contests featuring the full schedule of UFC fights. Here are this week's top plays in each pricing tier.

UFC Baku DFS Studs to Target

Daniil Donchenko ($9,400)

Credit to the UFC for finding anyone -- in this case Theodor Berggren -- willing to fight Daniil Donchenko on short notice.

The 24-year-old Ukrainian is only getting better, which is a frightening thought for a guy with a +4.58 striking success rate (SSR) through his The Ultimate Fighter finale and UFC debut. Donchenko blasted Alex Morono for a +60 striking differential as a newcomer in February.

Even in that decision, he posted 91 DraftKings points (DKPTs). He's a high-volume striker with considerable finishing upside, per 66.7% implied odds to win by early stoppage at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Berggren is an unknown, but he was submitted by Contender Series flameout Justin Burlinson just 19 months ago in Cage Warriors. Donchenko, with an edge in experience, could be a frightening sight.

Nazim Sadykhov ($9,000)

Four fighters from Azerbaijan will represent the home crowd on Saturday, but none seem as well-positioned for a win as Nazim Sadykhov.

The lightweight's 4-1-1 UFC record has come due to an equal mix of high-volume striking (9.76 significant strikes attempted per minute) and wrestling (1.10 takedowns landed per 15). Training in Las Vegas at "The Q" with Aljamain Sterling and Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani certainly doesn't hurt, either.

Matheus Camilo is 1-1 with the promotion himself, earning his first career win despite a -26 striking differential against Viacheslav Borshchev in November. He needed five takedowns, but will those be present opposite Sadykhov's 72% takedown D?

All three of Camilo's pro losses are by submission, and Sadykhov posted 121.7 DKPTs in his last trip to Baku via second-round knockout. There are a lot of paths to fantasy points for him on Saturday's main card.

UFC Baku DFS Mid Tier Picks

Javier Reyes ($8,500)

Don't blink in a Javier "Blair" Reyes bout.

Colombia's Reyes is a non-stop pressure fighter, landing 8.91 significant strikes per minute at the cost of his striking defense (47%). In some matchups, this might really bite him, but Kaan Ofli seems like a soft landing spot after his first two exciting appearances:

Javier Reyes was relentless for the finish 👊 #DWCS pic.twitter.com/e74drBplun
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 24, 2025

Ofli has yet to drop any of his four UFC-affiliated foes, and he's only managed 0.4 submission attempts per 15 minutes. Reyes hasn't been submitted since May 2018.

Sporting a seven-inch reach advantage, Reyes could really dictate the action in this fight from the opening bell. He's got a 31.7% implied chance to find yet another (T)KO, per oddsmakers.

Manuel Torres ($8,000)

This weekend's main event should be pivotal in daily fantasy. Rafael Fiziev and Manuel Torres have an 83.3% implied chance at an early finish, per DraftKings' odds.

That's largely due to the pace the latter provides. "El Loco" fights to his nickname, having posted 7.29 significant strikes per minute thus far with pristine accuracy (59%). All of his six UFC appearances have ended in the first round.

I will say that a five-round fight might bring out the most tame version of Torres yet, but that's all relative. His 3.94% knockdown rate (KD%) is gigantic, and Fiziev's striking defense (49%) is poorer on paper than perception.

UFC Baku DFS Underdog Plays

Andrey Pulyaev ($7,400)

I called Andrey Pulyaev "a rock in your shoe" on my show this week. UFC keeps trying to have him play the role of sacrifical lamb, and he keeps overperfoming.

Pulyaev, astoundingly, has a +0.70 SSR despite run-ins with top prospects Christian Leroy Duncan and Ateba Gautier. He survived to the final bell of both contests. The idea that Nursulton Ruziboev is a step up in power is a bit far-fetched.

Ruziboev's 4-1 record is a bit of a fib. Those opponents he's faced are 14-17 overall with UFC. He's actually struggled to a -0.30 SSR despite the light schedule.

Both of these lanky fighters -- 6'4" or taller at 170 pounds -- average south of 0.75 takedowns landed per 15 minutes. In a striking match, Pulyaev is, analytically, the better striker, and he's got a great reputation for avoiding power shots.

Michel Pereira ($7,000)

Shara "Bullet" Magomedov should be one of the most popular fighters in Saturday's contests, but I like the underdog.

It wasn't that long ago that Michel "Demolidor" Pereira was in the middleweight rankings after a 3-0 start in the division. He ran into the length of Abus Magomedov and insane pace of Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez, but everyone else has been vanquished:

Michel Pereira runs through Michal Oleksiejczuk and finishes him via rear-naked choke pic.twitter.com/m16b1KxytU
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) March 10, 2024

Magomedov, to me, still has a lot to prove. He's a one-dimensional striker with a glass eye, and that loss of vision shows in his poor striking defense (43%). As a result, he's not able to fight in the U.S., and I've always felt he has a ceiling in the promotion because of this.

Pereira is an extremely quick striker when fresh, and I think he's got a significant grappling advantage, averaging 1.21 takedowns and 0.7 submission attempts per 15 minutes historically.

Above all, the Brazilian is a good look in cash games, per this fight's 54.5% implied odds to see its full duration.

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