MAX HOLLOWAY VS. DUSTIN POIRIER OPENING BETTING ODDS FOR UFC 236
Even a bombshell dropped on the MMA world late Friday evening, when ESPN’s Brett Okamoto revealed that UFC president Dana White affirmed to him that there will be an interim lightweight title at stake in UFC 236. In 1 corner will probably be high lightweight contender Dustin Poirier, while in another corner UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will endure, trying to join the select few UFC fighters who have won straps in two weight classes. Below, I’ll give my initial thoughts on the struggle, and also what it means for the lightweight division.
Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway, UFC 236
Poirier and Holloway will meet in the primary event of UFC 236 for its interim lightweight name. The card takes place April 13 in State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The co-main occasion of the card is an interim middleweight title bout between Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum, meaning two fresh UFC champions will be crowned that night.
Before I enter the actual matchup between Poirier and Holloway, I must speak about what this means for the remaining lightweight division. Evidently, the choice to create an interim title means the promotion expects UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov to be out in the sidelines for some time. Really, he’s scheduled to return at the oldest in November because of his suspension stemming from the post-fight brawl in UFC 226. It is possible the UFC doesn’t even think he’ll return before the close of the season is up, and the branch obviously must keep moving around.
The fighter who has hurt the most with this news is obviously Tony Ferguson, who is on an 11-fight win streak and who was the former interim name holder this past year before he slipped to a TV cable and blew his knee out. Ferguson returned late last year in UFC 226 with a TKO win over Anthony Pettis and many figured he would be the next competitor for Nurmagomedov. But according to White, Ferguson turned down an interim title fight with Holloway, and Poirier jumped in and took his place instead. This implies for Ferguson going forward remains to be seen, but considering what happened to Colby Covington along with the welterweight division, it appears the UFC has already moved on.
As far as the Poirier vs. Holloway fight goes, it is an awesome matchup, and actually a rematch as the two previously fought at UFC 143 back in 2012, with Poirier beating Holloway by entry. Of course, that was Holloway’s UFC debut and he is a completely different fighter today. So is Poirier. They’re both would be the very best of their various games and this rematch should be amazing. Poirier (24-5, 1 NC) is unbeaten over his last five fights and is coming from a TKO win over Eddie Alvarez. Holloway (20-3) is on a 13-fight win series and hauled out Brian Ortega in his final fight. Both guys are really on top of the game right now and this ought to be an amazing fight.
The offshore sportsbooks dropped the opening betting odds for the struggle, with Holloway opening as a -230 gaming preferred, with all the comeback on Poirier at +170. The first betting action has arrived in on Holloway, however given Poirier’s past win over him I expect some actions to come in his way at some point or another. Either way, the sportsbooks can expect a large deal with this particular fight, which claims to be one of the most-anticipated bouts of the year.
Along with Poirier vs. Holloway, UFC 236 also features an interim middleweight title bout between Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum. You can have a look at my thoughts about the opening line for that bout here.
Launching Betting Odds
UFC 236:
April 13, 2019
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Main Event — Interim Lightweight Title
Max Holloway -230
Dustin Poirier +170
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