By Kenny Burgess
UFC 291 is this weekend, Jul. 29, in Salt Lake City, and it should be one of the most exciting events of the summer. The PPV is headlined by a major rematch in the main event, but there are many exciting fights, with some close betting odds. We’re going to preview some of the major fights and review the lines that oddsmakers have set.
Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje
This main event is a highly touted rematch between two of the sport’s best strikers. Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje last met five years ago and the world has been waiting on this rematch. Poirier won the first matchup and is favored to win again at -145 while Gaethje is a +125 underdog. Since their first meeting, both fighters have had eight fights and both have gone 6-2, with both of their losses coming to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira in lightweight title fights. Poirier and Gaethje are the No. 2/3 ranked lightweights, and this match will be for the vacant lightweight title. Both of these guys are willing to stand in there and exchange punches, so this should be a highly entertaining fight with the title on the line.
Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
The co-main event should be one of the tighter fights on the card and UFC fans will get to see the return of Jan Blachowicz, who enters with an impressive 29 wins, nine of which have come via knockout, so he is an extremely dangerous fighter. Blachowicz last fought in December 2023 at UFC 182 and enters the fight as a slight favorite at -120, and might have a slight edge over Alex Pereira, who will enter his first fight in the light heavyweight division. Pereira is going up one weight class for this fight and his money line odds to win this fight currently sit at -110. After losing his middleweight title at UFC 287, Pereira immediately announced that he wanted to move up a weight class. Now that Pereira doesn’t have to cut down to 185, some believe he might be even more powerful/dangerous. The division’s title was recently vacated and while the title won’t be on the line in this fight, the winner very well could be due for a title shot.
Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira
This welterweight bout on the main card should also be an entertaining fight that can go either way. Stephan Thompson, at 40 years old, still remains one of the best welterweights in the world, and enters the match as a -165 betting favorite in addition to being the seventh-ranked fighter in the class. Thompson won his last match against Kevin Holland in December 2022, and this should be a bit of a measuring stick match as Michel Pereira enters as the 15th-ranked welterweight, who should be looking to make a statement. Michel has been hot as of late and is riding a five-match winning streak heading into this weekend, but he is still a +140 underdog. Both fighters are known to be aggressive strikers, so this should be an action-packed match to kick off the main card.
Photo credits: UFC, Justin Gaethje, Alex Pereira, & Stephen Thompson‘s Instagrams
