UFC 291 Odds: Betting Lines For Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje
The UFC heads to Salt Lake City’s Delta Center on Saturday, July 29 for a UFC 291 card headlined by a highly-anticipated rematch that will also crown the second BMF champion in the promotion’s history.
Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje went to war in their first meeting in 2018, and fans have been eagerly waiting for the two men to try and earn the BMF title (as well as a possible lightweight title shot) when they rematch in the UFC 291 main event.
There’s no title on the line in the night’s co-main event, but former UFC champions Alex Pereira and Jan Błachowicz will be acutely aware that an impressive performance could put them in line to fight for the light heavyweight title that Jamahal Hill recently vacated due to injury.
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The rest of the event’s main card and prelims are stacked with big names and exciting matchups that fans won’t want to miss, and you can check out the best betting lines (courtesy of Oddschecker) for every fight from UFC 291 below.
Early Prelims
Women’s Flyweight: Miranda Maverick (-250) vs. Priscila Cachoeira (+250)
Women’s flyweights are set to kick off UFC 291, with Cachoeira attempting to win three fights in a row for the first time in the UFC and Maverick looking to rebound from her loss at UFC 289. Maverick is the younger fighter and is favored to get back on track here, but “Zombie Girl” has already shared the Octagon with some of the promotion’s top flyweights.
Welterweight: Matthew Semelsberger (-200) vs. Uros Medic (+180)
This well-matched welterweight bout could end up being one of the more entertaining scraps on the UFC 291 prelims. Medic has yet to go the distance in his nine-fight pro career, and although Semelsberger’s last four bouts have gone to decision the 30-year-old also has a pair of knockouts in under a minute during his time with the UFC.
Men’s Flyweight: CJ Vergara (-150) vs. Vinicius Salvador (+136)
The night’s early prelims will close out with what should be a fast-paced battle in the men's flyweight division. Vergara has alternated wins and losses since joining the UFC and recently earned his first finish in the promotion, but Salvador will be hungry for his first UFC victory after coming up short in his debut earlier this year.
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Prelims
Welterweight: Jake Matthews (-250) vs. Darrius Flowers (+225)
Matthews was originally set to take on Miguel Baeza at UFC 291, but now the Australian will welcome Flowers to the Octagon in a short-notice bout. “Beast Mode” earned a UFC contract on Contender Series last year, and he’ll have a difficult test for his promotional debut against an experienced veteran in Matthews.
Middleweight: Roman Kopylov (-200) vs. Claudio Ribeiro (+180)
Both of these middleweights have flashed the ability to take things to the ground since joining the UFC, but this fight has all the makings of a back-and-forth striking battle. Kopylov has started to put things together by stopping his last two opponents, while Ribeiro is making a quick turnaround after picking up his first UFC victory in May.
Heavyweight: Derrick Lewis (+190) vs. Marcos Rogério de Lima (-210)
A former heavyweight title challenger, Lewis has now been stopped in three-straight fights against top competition. This matchup with de Lima appears to be a bit of a step back for “The Black Beast”, but the Brazilian seems to have finally settled into the heavyweight division and is coming off back-to-back wins.
Welterweight: Trevin Giles (+275) vs. Gabriel Bonfim (-325)
The night’s featured prelim is a welterweight bout that will see Bonfim put his unbeaten record on the line against a longtime UFC veteran in Giles. “Marretinha” impressed in his promotional debut at UFC 283 when he snatched up a submission in under a minute, and Giles will need to upset the Brazilian in order to even his record since dropping down to welterweight.
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Main Card
Welterweight: Michael Chiesa (+125) vs. Kevin Holland (-148)
Styles make fights, and on paper this welterweight matchup looks like a classic grappler vs. striker affair. Chiesa could be on the verge of losing his ranking in the division’s Top 15 if he drops his third fight in a row, and Holland will enter the night feeling confident after he knocked out Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 287.
Lightweight: Tony Ferguson (+310) vs. Bobby Green (-375)
Once considered to be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the UFC roster, Ferguson has now lost five fights in a row and is a sizeable underdog against Green. “King” has long been an underrated member of the UFC’s lightweight division, and if Ferguson were to suffer yet another loss it’s worth wondering if it may be the last time fans see him in the Octagon.
Welterweight: Stephen Thompson (-143) vs. Michel Pereira (+135)
Thompson reminded fans that he’s still an elite welterweight when he defeated Kevin Holland in his last fight, and now he’s tasked with halting Pereira’s considerable momentum. The Brazilian’s five-fight win streak has him sitting at #15 in the welterweight rankings, and fans will be hoping that a matchup with “Wonderboy” will produce some fantastic striking exchanges.
Light Heavyweight: Jan Błachowicz (-110) vs. Alex Pereira (+102)
Two former champions meet in the night’s co-main event, with Pereira making his light heavyweight debut after losing his middleweight title in a rematch with Israel Adesanya. Fans already saw Błachowicz use a grappling-heavy approach to stifle “The Last Stylebender” at UFC 259, and it will be interesting to see if the Polish fighter employs a similar game plan to avoid Pereira’s devastating power.
Lightweight: Dustin Poirier (-140) vs. Justin Gaethje (+130)
A rematch more than five years in the making, this fight could easily have headlined UFC 291 even without the inclusion of the BMF title. Both lightweights have competed eight times since their last meeting with their only losses coming in title fights, and whoever comes out on top here should be next in line to challenge the winner of the UFC 294 rematch between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira.
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