The MMA Fighting crew launched a UFC Fantasy League for the latter half of 2024, where participants draft fighters for a season spanning the final 13 events of the year, with points awarded based on specific criteria like wins and performances, and the league is set to run until June 30 before transitioning to its third season.
We’re back! For the latter half of 2024, the MMA Fighting crew launched a project we’ve been cooking up: a UFC Fantasy League.
Think traditional fantasy sports but with a twist—drafting fighters for the season’s final 13 events. Alexander K. Lee emerged as our first champion, largely thanks to picks like Khamzat Chimaev, Jon Jones, and Ilia Topuria. It was such a blast that we’re doing it again. Time to draft those UFC fighters!
We’ve simplified the rules a bit and added more folks to the mix. Every participant drafts fighters across all 11 UFC weight classes plus one wild card spot. Fighters earn points based on wins, finishes, bonuses, and rankings. The season runs until June 30, then onto Season 3!
SCORING CRITERIA
- +100 points for a win
- +50 points for a finish
- +50 points for Performance or Fight of the Night bonus
- +50 points for beating a ranked opponent
- +25 points for being in a title fight
- +25 points for being in a main event
Easy enough? We hope so. This season features Guilherme Cruz, E. Casey Leydon, Damon Martin, returning champ Alexander K. Lee, Mike Heck, and Jed Meshew in our six-man league. After spinning the Wheel of Justice, Lee gets the first pick, followed by Meshew, Cruz, Leydon, Martin, and Heck in this snake draft format.
Without further ado, let’s get drafting!
Round 1
Lee kicks things off with Umar Nurmagomedov (bantamweight). Given his upcoming title fight and potential for more bouts before July, he’s poised to score big.
Meshew goes with Tatiana Suarez (strawweight), who’s set to face Zhang Weili for the strawweight title at UFC 312. Risky? Maybe. But high reward if she stays active.
Cruz selects Alex Pereira (light heavyweight), who doesn’t have anything scheduled yet but could be eyeing either a light heavyweight title defense or heavyweight shot.
Leydon surprises everyone by picking Dricus du Plessis (middleweight), the middleweight champ ready to defend against Sean Strickland at UFC 312.
Martin chooses Islam Makhachev (lightweight), the top pound-for-pound fighter defending his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311.
Heck rounds out Round 1 with Ilia Topuria (featherweight), last season’s point machine for Lee and expected to defend his title soon.
Round 2
Heck smartly picks Payton Talbott (bantamweight), a breakout candidate facing Raoni Barcelos at UFC 311.
Martin opts for Brandon Royval (flyweight), locking in some guaranteed points with his fight against Manel Kape on March 1.
Leydon makes a speculative choice with Charles Oliveira (lightweight), rumored to be fighting Max Holloway or Dan Hooker.
Cruz drafts Renato Moicano (lightweight), who faces Beneil Dariush at UFC 311—a win could put him on track for a title shot.
Meshew snatches Jailton Almeida (heavyweight) from Lee’s clutches; Almeida fights Serghei Spivac at UFC 311 with high scoring potential.
Lee retaliates by taking Jean Silva (featherweight), one of Meshew’s favorites expected to deliver big against Melsik Baghdasaryan at UFC Seattle.
Round 3
Lee continues his streak by picking Jiri Prochazka (light heavyweight), who faces Jamahal Hill next weekend at UFC 311.
Meshew counters with Sergei Pavlovich (wild card), banking on quick wins like his upcoming fight against Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC Saudi Arabia.
Cruz selects Nassourdine Imavov (middleweight), set to battle former champ Israel Adesanya at UFC Saudi Arabia—a potential big scorer if he maintains momentum.
Leydon takes Tom Aspinall (heavyweight) despite uncertainty about his next fight; his first-round finishes make him an enticing pick if he competes.
Martin drafts Jamahal Hill (light heavyweight), setting up an intriguing head-to-head against Lee’s Prochazka next weekend.
Heck stays true to form by picking Anthony Hernandez (middleweight), who rematches Brendan Allen at UFC Seattle—a likely point earner given their history.
And there you have it! The second MMA Fighting UFC Fantasy Draft is in the books! Notable names were left off this time around—Julianna Peña was the only champion not drafted. Who got snubbed and which picks were reaches? Let us know in the comments; we’ll see you in July with results and next season’s draft!