UFC 291: Poirier versus Gaethje 2 Odds
The UFC (or Ultimate Fighting Championship) is a globally recognised American mixed martial arts platform.
UFC has grown to become the best-known competitive martial arts program in the world. It is specially known for its high-profile regular events featuring fighters who excel in different disciplines.
In fact the organisation was originally founded back in 1993 to create a platform where different martial arts could compete against each other.
Early UFC events had minimal rules and were considered fairly brutal. The sport has evolved into a more organised, regulated competition that has helped improve its image, maintain fighter safety – and allowed it to receive regulatory approval.
Today’s UFC has tightly-controlled weight classes, time limits, rounds, and stringent rules. This has helped UFC gain wider acceptance and attract larger audiences.
At the same time UFC has expanded its reach globally. It has produced some of the best- known top MMA fighters including Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre.
The UFC’s regular numbered events feature a mix of championship bouts, showcase fights and up-and-coming talent. They are usually held in major arenas and broadcasted worldwide, reaching millions of fans through pay-per-view, television, and streaming.
Now UFC 291 is fast approaching and its headline bout is creating quite a fever of excitement.
Poirier against Gaethje has all the ingredients to be a UFC classic. Both fighters are popular, entertaining and skilled American martial artists.
Dustin Poirier
Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier (born January 1989 in Louisiana) is a former UFC Lightweight Champion. He is ranked Number 13 in UFC overall pound-for-pound rankings.
Poirier is of French Cajun heritage and dropped out in the ninth grade because of repeatedly getting into street fights.
The 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) southpaw fighter weighs 156 lb (71 kg; 11 st 2 lb). He is part of the American Top Team and fights out of Coconut Creek, Florida.
Poirier has won 29 of his 37 fights with 14 knockouts along the way. His speciality is that he has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu – but mostly finishes opponents with his boxing skills.
These powerful striking skills have earned him significant victories over elite-level fighters such as Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, Dan Hooker, Max Holloway, and Conor McGregor.
Justin Gaethje
Gaethje is also a highly-rated UFC lightweight, officially ranked number three. His particular speciality is wrestling.
Born in Arizona in 1988, his mother has Mexican ancestry, his father is of German descent.
His grandfather was an American army boxer.
The young Gaethje began wrestling at the age of four years old. By the time he reached High School he was almost unbeatable and became a two-time Arizona state champion.
Gaethje has some of the best wrestling credentials in the UFC’ss lightweight division but in the cage he rarely looks for takedowns. Instead he is known for the knockout power in his punches and frightening leg kicks.
His own amateur MMA career began back in college where he amassed a 100% win rate in seven fights.
Not surprisingly he then turned pro in 2011. In his debut fight he beat future UFC fighter Kevin Croom in the first round via a knockout.
Two years later he joined the World Series of Fighting (WSOF) and he became the Lightweight Champion. He successfully defended this WSOF belt five times – then decided to vacate it to join UFC in 2017.
In his UFC debut he beat veteran Michael Johnson via a technical knockout in the second round of a feisty battle. The victory earned Gaethje the Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night awards.
Hus UFC debut was also named the best fight of 2017 and its second round was called the
best round of the year.
But in 2018 Gaethje came up against another committed and skilled lightweight – Dustin Poirier.
The Arizonan lost to the Louisianan via a TKO in the fourth round. It was thrilling to-and-fro battle throughout however – and either fighter could have been victorious.
The bout earned Gaethje his third consecutive Fight of the Night bonus and it was judged the best UFC fight of 2018.
Amazingly, it was reported after the fight that Gaethje’s leg kicks had caused a tear in Poirier’s quadriceps muscle – unbeknown to the eventual victor.
Now the two fighters are facing a rematch on July 29, 2023 at UFC 291.
Experts are split on their predictions. This is going to be hard to forecast but note that BetMGM is usually first to market with their UFC odds.
Poirier won their close battle five years ago but Gaethje’s kicks caused him huge problems.
Both men are 34 years old, weigh 70kg and are highly committed aggressive fighters.
Pundits can’t choose
