Dustin Poirier vs Justin Gaethje UFC 291 7/25/2023 Picks, Odds, and Prediction
On Saturday, July 29, the UFC will go to Salt Lake City with a unique pay-per-view lineup that excludes UFC championship bouts. Instead, viewers will witness Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje 2, a rematch of their 2018 Fight of the Year in which the official BMF championship was on the line.
Headlines Poirier vs. Gaethje Return of UFC to Utah’s Delta Center In April 2018, the two fought through a challenging four rounds, with Gaethje losing to strikes. The victor will earn the BMF Belt with the retiring champion, Jorge Masvidal, wrapping the trophy around their waist. Poirier and Gaethje are in striking reach of a match with UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, even though only a symbolic championship is on the line. A solid performance might position them for a showdown.
The Diamond’s Brilliance: A Preview of Dustin Poirier’s Fight
Since 2017, Dustin Poirier (29-7, -110) has lost twice in championship matches, once to Khabib and once to Charles Oliveira. Both were chokes using the rear naked. The Diamond knows his window of chance for the third opportunity is closing on him. Therefore, success here is essential.
Max Holloway, Dan Hooker, Conor twice, and most recently, Michael Chandler, who Tapped out by a rear-naked choke, were among the opponents Poirier recently defeated. During his whole career, he was also superior to Anthony Pettis, Eddie Alvarez, Gaethje, etc.
He is among the top lightweights globally because of his superb punching, strong grappling, and wrestling. In addition, Poirier has a muscular build for a lightweight, and there are few men with that type of physique. As a result, he frequently learns to slow down in the championship rounds since his cardio can no longer support him at that weight.
Dustin Poirier vs Justin Gaethje UFC 291 7/29/2023 Picks, Odds, and Prediction
Gaethje’s Thunderous Showdown: A Tense Fighting Preview
The sole difference between Justin Gaethje’s (24-4, +105) submission losses to Khabib and his submission losses to the same opponents in all his championship fights is that Gaethje lost with a triangle choke. The Highlight earned those opportunities to challenge for the title thanks to an awe-inspiring run of wins.
After beating Michael Johnson when he first entered the UFC, he lost to Alvarez and Poirier twice by KO. Still, after that, he defeated James Vicks, Edson Barboza, Donald Cerrone, and Tony Ferguson, all by KO. Hard left-right punches landed on each of them.
Nineteen of Gaethje’s 24 victories came by way of knockout. He has the highest output of all the players and is likely the toughest hitter in the division. We must also discuss how well he integrates boxing and kickboxing in his combinations. However, he could be an expert wrestler, and when he faces off against more skilled opponents, he frequently gets into difficulty.
Justin Gaethje vs. Dustin Poirier Gaethje is a much better fighter than when he first faced Poirier, but he is still limited compared to the Diamond. We anticipate Poirier eventually taking the fight to the mat because he knows he might suffer in the stand-up. Although Poirier’s ground game is substantially superior, we are still considering Gaethje’s since it is the sole reason to predict his victory in this matchup. The odds are -110, which is quite acceptable in this situation.
Prediction: Dustin Poirier -110
Location: Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah
Date: Saturday, July 29, 2023
Main Card: 10:00 PM ET
Prelims: 8:00 PM ET
Watch on: ESPN and ESPN+
