UFC Fight Night DFS Picks & Lineups: Cejudo vs. Song Cheat Sheet, 2/22

UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Song takes place this Saturday live from The UFC Apex in Las Vegas Nevada. The card kicks off with the Prelims at 6:00PM EST on ESPN+, followed by the Main Card at 9:00PM EST on ESPN+. 

The Main Event features former two division champion Henry Cejudo taking on rising prospect Song Yadong in a fight to move up the 135 lb rankings. Cejudo is an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling and Yadong is a great striker, so this is going to be a battle of wrestler vs. striker in an action-packed Main Event.

Check out all the latest UFC Fight Night DFS picks and lineups, plus matchup breakdowns for the entire fight card below and as always feel free to reach out to me in Discord or on X/Twitter at @MikeIannoneDFS.

Now let's look at my UFC Fight Night cheat sheet for Saturday's event. Good luck with your UFC Fight Night DFS picks and lineups!

UFC Fight Night DFS Picks & Lineups: Cejudo vs. Song Cheat Sheet, 2/22

Main Event UFC DFS Picks

The main event this week is another aging veteran vs. up-and-coming young gun fight that we have had headlines for the last few weeks. Cejudo has one of the best combat sports resumes of all time, including two UFC division titles and an Olympic gold medal for wrestling so there aren't many holes in his game. Yadong has stumbled whenever he tries to take the step into the top five, but this will be his 15th UFC fight at only 28 years old so he's still improving. In his prime Cejudo rag dolls him and dominates this fight with his wrestling if he wanted to, but Yadong has quick striking, and the power could really change the outcome here. I won't be betting on the fight at these odds, but I am leaning towards Yadong on DK, but in cash games I am going to be stacking the fight.

Expensive UFC DFS Picks

Mansur is a massive favorite so obviously we have to put him at the top this week as a power wrestler. If this fight gets out of the first round, I'm nervous about his cardio, but Mansur should dominate this fight early.

There is a big gap between Mansur and the other guys in this range this week mainly because I know what Mansur is going to try to do. Silva can dominate this fight with his wrestling, but I don't know if he wants to do that so this may be a kickboxing fight. Melsik is a high-level kickboxer so that plays into his strengths which is a concern at this price. Silva should win and I think the later the fight goes on the more likely he is to mix in wrestling, but by that point it might be too little too late.

Fluffy isn't as likely to win as the top two guys but if he does, I expect a high score. DraftKings Sportsbook has him lined at Over/Under 5.5 takedowns and it is juiced to the over, so I expect him to be highly owned. In a decision win he still probably scores around 100, and he is always live for a submission. I personally line this fight closer to -185/+170 but this is a pure upside play.

Ruziboev is tough to pin down. He has more submission wins than KOs in his career but since entering the UFC he has either won his fight by KO or lost by decision. McConico has been KO'd twice in his short career and if Ruziboev lands clean he should KO him here too. 

This is more a play against Cerqueira than a play on Bukauskas. Cerqueira looked horrible in his first UFC and when he faced any adversity he just shelled up and didn't even throw back. Bukauskas doesn't do anything exceptionally well, he is just a big body at 205 with some power but if he lands clean early, he can put up a big score. Cerqueira trains with Jailton Almeida so if he actually uses his wrestling this time this will be a much closer fight than expected.

Mid-Range UFC DFS Picks

Menifield has the power to end this fight early, and Walker is still sort of learning on the job. I might actually place a bet on Walker because if this fight gets extended, I expect him to win, but that is a big IF since Menifield can end the fight with one big shot.

Cutelaba either lands a ton of takedowns and can survive, or he gets KO'd by anyone with any sort of cardio. Aslan is going to throw heavy hands, and I expect them to trade shots until one of them drops. This is another high upside low floor play.

I'm taking a shot on Fili this week. When Fili is at his best, he gets his wrestling going, and although Costa has solid submission skills, I don't think it is going to be enough to deter Fili. Costa also lacks the power to get Fili's respect. He is a contrarian play that I am only going to play in a few GPP lineups, but as an underdog at $8200 I expect him to be low owned with a decent ceiling.

I've been back and forth on this fight all week, but I think that should be reason enough to back the dog. Font is aging and has been knocked down (not out) in a bunch of fights so eventually he's going to get KO’d, but I don't think it's this week. Font is going to outland Matsumoto; it really comes down to if Matsumoto can use his wrestling and I'm not sure this step up in competition is going to be easy for him. Font probably doesn't get the KO, and he doesn't score well in decisions, but at $7600 any win might be enough to get to the optimal lineup.

This is a weird fight. Vanderford was a Bellator title contender, and he comes in "on short notice" but I don't really think this is short notice. Vanderford bounces back and forth between 170lbs and 185lbs and the fact that he is taking a short notice fight at 170 lbs makes me think he was preparing for it. This is a tossup fight, but the fighters who normally beat Vanderford are much higher level than Veretennikov.

If he gets his wrestling going, he probably dominates the fight. This was lined much closer earlier in the week, but taking Cutelaba is always a wild ride. Never forget this guy lost by KO because he was faking being hurt to land a counter shot and he was faking so well that the ref called the fight off.

He’s low volume but he lands heavy. I don't expect him to look great in this fight, but if he lands clean there is a chance he will put up a big score. I won't be playing with him.

Pay-Down UFC DFS Picks

Someone in this fight probably scores well, and Julius should be able to take over once they get out of Round 1. He has heart, he has decent striking, but he's going to need a chin to survive the early power.

Allen is a good wrestler, good striker, but this is a really high-level match up for him. If he keeps it standing, he can win this, and if he uses his wrestling offensively, he has a chance too. If he ends up on the bottom, he probably gets cooked, and Hernandez is nonstop from the opening bell so if you are going to beat him you have to put up a good score on DK.

I actually like Simon this week which is something I haven't said in a while. Basharat fights close fights and even when Simon is at his worst, he is good for a few takedowns per fight. He is going to lose while on the feet but if his wrestling gets going, he can win this fight.

He has a grappling advantage, I just don't know if he'll be able to get the fight down to use it. 

He's on short notice, he has a decent resume, and Ruziboev struggles if he can't land his big KO shot. If this gets into the second or third round, he is going to be live to win this fight.

He is a great striker but Silva and the Fighting Nerds gym in general have been rolling. Even if he goes even on the number of landed strikes with Silva, he is going to be receiving the harder shots. If it stays standing, he has a chance but still is facing an uphill battle.

He is the biggest underdog we have seen in the UFC in a while. He is going to be having to fight off takedowns and power the entire fight, but if he gets out of the first round maybe he can win the fight. I won't be playing him.

UFC DFS Optimizer: Sample UFC Fight Night Lineup

MMA DFS Strategy: Live Dogs

• Cejudo, Allen, Walker, Cutelaba, Simon

Cejudo vs. Song UFC Fight Night Picks & Stats