UFC Vegas 117 DraftKings DFS Preview and Picks
See the top DraftKings MMA DFS picks and strategy for UFC Vegas 117. Build winning lineups with our preview, analysis & fighter breakdowns.
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 $300k UFC Throwdown with $100k 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...
Main Event - Featherweight
Arnold Allen (20-4-0) v. Melquizael Costa (26-7-0)
DK Salaries: Allen ($8,600), Costa ($7,600)
Vegas Odds: Allen (-165), Costa (+140)
Costa is a solid opponent, but this is a clear step down in competition for Allen considering he last four fights came against Jean Silva, Giga Chikadze (the lone win), Movsar Evloev, and Max Holloway. Of course, Allen is just 1-3 during that stretch, so he should probably be grateful he's being given a main event slot here. I believe Arnold, who turned just 32 years of age this past January, has plenty of gas left in the tank despite the recent struggles.
On the other side, Costa has won six straight including four via stoppage (two knockouts, two submissions), so he's definitely worthy of this opportunity. If you're trying to poke holes in Costa's recent run, and it's difficult to do, you could say that unlike Allen, he hasn't been going up against top-level competition. His best win during the streak was probably his knockout victory over Dan Ige his last time out in February. Ige has legendary durability, so to be able to get him out of there in Round 1 is quite an accomplishment.
Not to make excuses for him, but it's easy to see how Allen lost those three previously mentioned fights. Against both Silva and Evloev, he couldn't defend a takedown. Against Holloway, he got eaten alive by volume on the feet, which is what Max does to everyone.
Arnold is a good fighter, but he's very much a generalist. He doesn't have any dynamic qualities and his game isn't built to come back if he falls behind on the scorecards early.
Costa certainly doesn't have the grappling pedigree of a Silva or especially an Evloev, but I can certainly see him attempting to steal a close round with his wrestling.
At 5-foot-10, Costa is a big featherweight. He's two inches taller than Allen and will have a three-inch reach edge.
Costa is hit or miss in terms of volume. We've seen him put up 100-plus significant strikes on a couple occasions, but in some of his other fights he's been considerably lower output. That said, he's typically more active than Allen.
In his last four fights, Arnold has landed no more than 76 significant strikes, and that was the Holloway bout which went five full rounds. In his last three three-round fights, all of which went the distance, Allen's maximum number of significant strikes landed was 61. Part of that was the result of spending so much time on the mat, but he's certainly not a high-volume striker by any means.
There's paths to Costa winning this fight, but I think Allen is the better overall fighter and his back is against the wall. If Mel had been going up against the level of competition Arnold had been facing, I'm confident he'd be the one entering off a rough patch. I have Allen via decision.
UFC VEGAS 117 PICK: Allen
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Co-Main Event - Featherweight
Doo Ho Choi (16-4-1) v. Daniel Santos (14-2-0)
DK Salaries: Choi ($7,800), Santos ($8,400)
Vegas Odds: Choi (+140), Santos (-170)
This fight was scheduled to take place in September before Choi withdrew due to injury.
Now 35 years old, very few fighters have had a stranger UFC run than Choi. He had a four-fight winless streak (0-3-1) from December 2016 to February 2023. Included in there was three-plus years on the sidelines. He has since scored back-to-back knockout victories over Bill Algeo and Nate Landwehr in a five-month span in 2024, only to be on the sidelines again ever since, with the originally-scheduled fight against Santos the only bout he had potentially lined up during his time away.
Santos has won four straight on the heels of a unanimous decision loss to Julio Arce in his UFC debut back in April 2022. The company has taken it very easy on him in terms of opposition level faced and Santos has taken full advantage. It's worth noting that Santos hasn't exactly been active himself, as he didn't have a single fight from June 2023 to May 2025.
Both of these guys are super fun to watch, so while this result means nothing in terms of the rankings, it should be an entertaining fight.
Choi has leaned on his wrestling more than I expected of late, but he's primarily a striker. He has excellent size at 5-foot-10, and he has a background in kickboxing, albeit with only two professional fights. The power is legitimate, as Algeo and Landwehr found out firsthand, and we've seen Choi take a legendary beating in the past and keep on ticking. Remember his UFC 206 war with Cub Swanson back in December 2016? It was one of the greatest fights in the history of the company and is in the UFC Hall of Fame for a reason.
Santos is typically more reliant on his grappling game for success. He's taken down four straight opponents, for a total of a dozen successful tries during that stretch.
I don't trust the Brazilian on the feet at all. He's overly aggressive -- the type of guy that will eat a blow in order to land two of his own. As a result, we've seen Santos have some high-volume striking performances in the past, although that will only work as long as his durability holds up. To be fair, Santos has never been knocked out in his pro career.
Choi's win condition is probably via knockout. While impressive at the time, neither of the finishes over Algeo or Landwehr have aged well. Now he's facing a guy in Santos with flawless durability to date. Toss in the four-year age difference and it's enough to swing me in Santos' (aka Willycat's) direction.
UFC VEGAS 117 PICK: Santos
Welterweight
Nikolay Veretennikov (14-7-0) v. Khaos Williams (15-5-0)
DK Salaries: Veretennikov ($7,900), Williams ($8,300)
Vegas Odds: Veretennikov (+100), Williams (-120)
Veretennikov will be 37 years old in late December and he's really struggled over the course of five UFC fights. He's looked worse than his 2-3 mark would lead you to believe. His two wins are against Francisco Prado via split decision and the corpse of Niko Price his last time out. Veretennikov had a ton of knockout wins on the regional scene prior to his UFC arrival, but outside of the Price fight, which I don't value in the least, the power hasn't transferred to the highest level. I don't see much reason for optimism moving forward.
Williams isn't in much better shape. He's lost back-to-back fights and will probably be fighting for his job here against Veretennikov. Khaos has been with the UFC since February 2020 and if you asked me prior to his company debut if he would have lasted six-plus years with the UFC, I would have almost certainly said absolutely not. He's capable of some huge performances here and there, almost always via knockout. And while Williams is not old, at age 32, he's not young. Any loss in hand speed would almost certainly spell the end.
One reason it's impossible to trust Veretennikov is because while he's entirely reliant on his power shots for success, he barely throws. Nikolay averages 2.69 significant strikes landed per minute.
In his three UFC fights which went the distance, Veretennikov significant strike totals are as follows: 9, 56, and 50.
To make matters worse, his takedown defense is awful, although Williams hasn't completed a takedown in his UFC career, so Veretennikov won't have to worry about that.
On the flip side, Khaos is a reckless brawler. He's going to have volume on his side (4.94 significant strikes landed per minute), plus durability, having never been knocked out in 20 pro fights.
I'm looking at this as almost a carbon copy of the prior fight.
I expect Williams to land more, and I expect Veretennikov to land the more notable blows. That gives Nikolay a chance in an empty UFC Apex where judges have typically valued damage over all in recent years, but again, with that low of volume, his win condition is probably knockout. Or, at a minimum, not a decision. The next time Khaos gets knocked out will be the first. If he can hang around to the final bell, I think he finds a way to win.
UFC VEGAS 117 PICK: Williams
Middleweight
Cody Brundage (11-9-1, 1NC) v. Andre Petroski (13-5-0)
DK Salaries: Brundage ($7,300), Petroski ($8,900)
Vegas Odds: Brundage (+180), Petroski (-220)
I'm struggling to relay any information about Brundage that I haven't repeated in the past. Set to turn 32 years old the day of this event, Cody is winless in his past four fights (0-3-1) and 3-7 (1NC) in his past 11. Two of the three setbacks in his current streak have come via split decision, including one against a legitimate prospect in Donte Johnson his last time out in March, but I struggle to see why the UFC continues to run Brundage out there. He rarely turns down a fight and there's value in that, but sooner or later you have to string together a few strong performances.
Petroski hasn't been much better of late, losing back-to-back fights and four of his past six. Given his age (35 years old in June) and the level of competition he's facing here, Andre will almost certainly be looking at a release if he comes up short. I'm not the least bit optimistic Petroski will be able to turn things around long term, but the UFC has given him a layup here and it's up to him to take full advantage.
Both of these guys have extensive backgrounds in wrestling.
Petroski averages 3.15 takedowns per 15 minutes while landing a whopping 51 percent of his attempts. His work from top position is typically minimal and as we all know, judges are scoring damage over positioning these days.
Andre racked up a ton of stoppage wins prior to his UFC arrival, but that has disappeared with the company. His last six wins have come via decision. Petroski's last knockout of any kind came in his UFC debut in August 2021. He's trying to win by controlling his opponent and going the distance, which is the incorrect way to go about things in 2026.
Offensively, Brundage is a mess. His takedown attempts are often reckless and poorly timed. He's a pretty strong guy and moderately dangerous in the first few minutes of a fight, but his cardio is lousy and he typically quickly gasses out. Here he's facing a guy in Petroski that defends the takedown at an 86 percent clip.
Neither guy accomplishes much of anything on the feet and I don't think that will matter here because there's almost zero chance both men, Petroski in particular, stand around and allow this to develop into a striking battle.
I have very little interest in backing Petroski at this point, but the truth of the matter is that I won't side with Brundage against any opponent. Between his poor cardio, limited skill set, and seemingly constant desire to look for an escape hatch, that's not a route I'm willing to take.
My best guess is that Petroski gets the better of the grappling and wins a decision.
UFC VEGAS 117 PICK: Petroski
Other Bouts
Bantamweight
Malcolm Wellmaker (10-1-0) v. Juan Diaz (15-1-1)
DK Salaries: Wellmaker ($9,200), Diaz ($7,000)
Vegas Odds: Wellmaker (-270), Diaz (+220)
UFC VEGAS 117 PICK: Wellmaker
Bantamweight
Timothy Cuamba (10-3-0) v. Bernardo Sopaj (12-3-0)
DK Salaries: Cuamba ($7,800), Sopaj ($8,400)
Vegas Odds: Cuamba (+130), Sopaj (-155)
UFC VEGAS 117 PICK: Sopaj
Light Heavyweight
Modestas Bukauskas (19-7-0) v. Christian Edwards (8-4-0)
DK Salaries: N/A
Vegas Odds: N/A
UFC VEGAS 117 PICK: Bukauskas
Light Heavyweight
Tuco Tokkos (11-5-0) v. Ivan Erslan (14-6-0, 1NC)
DK Salaries: Tokkos ($7,400), Erslan ($8,800)
Vegas Odds: Tokkos (+155), Erslan (-185)
UFC VEGAS 117 PICK: Erslan
Lightweight
Tommy Gantt (11-0-0, 1NC) v. Artur Minev (7-0-0)
DK Salaries: N/A
Vegas Odds: N/A
UFC VEGAS 117 PICK: Minev
Women's Bantamweight
Ketlen Vieira (15-5-0) v. Jacqueline Cavalcanti (10-1-0)
DK Salaries: Vieira ($7,700), Cavalcanti ($8,500)
Vegas Odds: Vieira (+145), Cavalcanti (-175)
UFC VEGAS 117 PICK: Vieira
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Women's Strawweight
Alice Ardelean (11-7-0) v. Polyana Viana (13-8-0)
DK Salaries: Ardelean ($8,700), Viana ($7,500)
Vegas Odds: Ardelean (-200), Viana (+165)
UFC VEGAS 117 PICK: Ardelean
Flyweight
Daniel Barez (17-7-0) v. Luis Gurule (10-3-0)
DK Salaries: Barez ($8,200), Gurule ($8,000)
Vegas Odds: Barez (+100), Gurule (-110)
UFC VEGAS 117 PICK: Gurule
Women's Strawweight
Shauna Bannon (7-2-0) v. Nicolle Caliari (8-4-0)
DK Salaries: Bannon ($7,200), Caliari ($9,000)
Vegas Odds: Bannon (+170), Caliari (-205)
UFC VEGAS 117 PICK: Caliari
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.
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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.
