Ryan Wohl gives his picks for this week’s UFC 322 PPV headlined by Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev at Madison Square Garden.

The UFC is back in New York City for its annual stop at The World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden. UFC 322 features an unbelievable five-fight Main Card with two title fights at the top. Jack Della Maddalena is defending his title against former 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev in the Main Event. Two of the greatest women’s fighters in the world, Valentina Shevchenko and Zhang Weili, will face off in the co-main event for the Women’s Flyweight title.

The Early Prelims begin at 6:00 p.m. ET, with the Prelims starting at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and Disney+. The UFC 322 Main Card starts at 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV. Check out my favorite fighters to add to your daily fantasy lineup for UFC 322.

Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $600K UFC 322 Special [$200K to 1st]

Bo Nickal ($9,100)

Bo Nickal entered the UFC with tremendous hype, and throughout his first four fights in the promotion, he lived up to his potential. However, Nickal suffered his first defeat in his MMA career against Reinier de Ridder in May. But now, for the first time in MMA, Nickal is entering a fight with a ton of doubters.

Just because Nickal lost to RDR doesn’t diminish his previous accomplishments. Nickal won three NCAA Division 1 and Big Ten Championships before beginning his MMA career 7-0 with six finishes. In Nickal’s first three fights in the UFC, he totaled 100-plus fantasy points as he picked up a finish in each.

Nickal returns to attempt to get back on track against Rodolfo Vieira, who is seven years older with an 11-3 record. Vieira comes from the popular Fighting Nerds team in Brazil and is coming off a victory against Tresean Gore in August. On paper, Nickal stands one inch taller (6’1″ vs. 6’0″) with a three-inch reach advantage (76″ vs. 73″) over Vieira.

Although Vieira averages more significant strikes per minute, Nickal is the more accurate striker while being better defensively. Nickal is at his best when he displays his elite wrestling ability. He lands 3.34 takedowns per 15 minutes at a 53 percent rate. If Nickal isn’t passive as he was against RDR, he should be able to put together an elite performance.

Valentina Shevchenko ($8,200)

Valentina Shevchenko is defending her title against Zhang Weili in the co-main event of this card. Shevchenko is currently in the midst of her second title reign and defeated Manon Fiorot in her last bout. She has 10 title wins in her UFC career, one away from tying Amanda Nunes, who has the most in women’s history.

Weili, 36, is 10-2 in the UFC while being 6-2 in title fights. Since losing to Rose Namajunas for the second time in November 2021, Weili has won five consecutive fights, including four title victories. Along with Makhachev, Weili is also attempting to become a two-division champion.

In this fight, the defending champion has a three-inch larger standing reach (66″ vs. 63″) while being taller (5’5″ vs. 5’4″) than Weili. On the feet, this is a close fight with Weili having a slight edge. Weili averages two more significant strikes per minute, but Shevchenko is better defensively (63% vs. 54%).

To beat Weili, Shevchenko will need to be the aggressor and get this contest to the ground, where she has her most significant advantage in this fight. Shevchenko has scored 100-plus points in back-to-back fights and in six of her previous eight bouts. The “Bullet” is 11-1-1 in her last 13 contests, and although she is 37 years old, she has still been one of the most consistent women’s fighters in the UFC.

Jack Della Maddalena ($7,000)

Jack Della Maddalena is headlining UFC 322 at MSG as the reigning Welterweight Champion and is the fourth cheapest fighter on this card at $7,000. That is because JDM isn’t defending his title against any challenger, but the former Lightweight Champion, Islam Makhachev. Makhachev has won 15 consecutive fights, but Della Maddalena is on an 18-fight winning streak.

JDM has recorded at least 106 fantasy points in five of his eight contests in the UFC. Recently, he defeated Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision, scoring 106.8 points. Della Maddalena proved he can thrive as an underdog and find success against a great wrestler like Muhammad. JDM displayed elite takedown defense in this bout, as Muhammad only landed three of nine attempts in their fight.

Della Maddalena is not only a great striker but one of the best in the history of the UFC’s Welterweight division. He averages 6.78 significant strikes per minute, the second most in division history. JDM lands 4.21 more significant strikes per minute than Makhachev does.

On the ground, where Makhachev excels, he averages 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes at a 53 percent rate. JDM has all the tools to neutralize the former champion’s game plan, with his 69 percent takedown defense. Adding JDM at this low price to your lineup is a no-brainer, given the upside he possesses.

Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $600K UFC 322 Special [$200K to 1st]