UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs Hooker - Predictions, Betting Odds & Picks

• Two top-5 lightweights look to stake their claim for the next shot at the undisputed UFC lightweight championship
• This will be the last event held at the UFC Apex for the next month as the UFC will move locations to Fight Island for the next several weeks
• A grudge match between the trash-talking Mike Perry and Mickey Gall will also take place on the card

The UFC continues its reign over the sports world as they present another high-quality card from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas this Saturday. The event, headlined by two top-5 lightweights in Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker, will be the last event at the Apex for more than a month as the promotion will begin hosting fights on Yas Island.

The co-main event will see the return of the ever outspoken Mike Perry. Perry has outwardly insulted his opponent, Mickey Gall, over the past month, and the two will get to settle the score this Saturday.

The main card was to be kicked off by a women’s bantamweight bout between Aspen Ladd, who was coming off of her first loss in the UFC, and Sara McMann. However, it was announced late last week that Ladd had to pull out of the fight due to tearing both her ACL and MCL in one of her knees. At the time of writing it is unclear if the UFC will find a last-minute replacement opponent for McMann.

All odds taken from DraftKings sportsbook.

Dustin Poirier vs Dan Hooker – Lightweight Division

Dustin “Diamond” Poirier (25-6, 1 no-contest)

Over the past three years, Dustin Poirier has made a huge name for himself and has dominated the lightweight division. Since a 2016 loss to Michael Johnson, “The Diamond” has gone on to win five straight (with a no-contest mixed in), earn five post-fight bonuses, and win the interim UFC lightweight title in a fight where he dominated the then-featherweight champ, Max Holloway.

His career culminated to his latest fight; against undisputed lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. The two fought in Abu Dhabi at UFC 242 last September where Poirier would fall short, tapping out to a rear-naked choke in the third round. Now he looks to take out another top-five lightweight opponent to put his name immediately back into the title picture.

A former featherweight fighter, Dustin Poirier stands at 5 ft. 9 in. tall and has a reach of 72 inches. Known for his incredibly strategic striking game as a southpaw, Poirier also holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Tim Credeur. The Louisiana native trains out of Florida with the legendary American Top Team gym. He has been fighting professionally since 2009, is 31-years-old, and is currently ranked as the third-best lightweight in the UFC and the 11th-best fighter on the UFC pound-for-pound list.

Dan “Hangman” Hooker (20-8)

Dan Hooker returned to the lightweight division in 2017 and immediately took off. He won four fights in a row, including wins over Jim Miller and the now number-one contender in the welterweight division, Gilbert Burns. His momentum was stopped in 2018 when he suffered a TKO loss to Edson Barboza. But Hooker bounced back by winning his next three fights in a row – with two wins over highly ranked opponents in former title challenger Al Iaquinta and, most recently, Paul Felder. The fight with Felder took place earlier this year and the split-decision win was awarded Fight of the Night honors.

Tall and lanky, Hooker will have a three-inch advantage in both height and reach. Like Poirier, Hooker also trains with one of the most famous MMA gyms on the globe: City Kickboxing. He trains under Eugene Bareman and also spends time at Tiger Muay Thai. He has a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and enters this fight as the number-five ranked lightweight in the UFC.

Our Pick

Dustin Poirier via TKO (+105).

Mike Perry vs Mickey Gall – Welterweight Division

“Platinum” Mike Perry (13-6)

The past few years have not been kind to Mike Perry’s mixed martial arts record. Perry has just two wins over the past two years and has gone 2-5 since December 2017. In the summer of 2019, Perry fought Vicente Luque and lost via split-decision. Many remember that fight for Perry’s horrendously broken nose. Perry returned from the injury in December of last year to take on Geoff Neal at UFC 245. Neal would TKO Perry in the first round.

All my opponents have been top tier for the past 3 years. The best welterweights out there. So I’ve struggled a bit. To have a weak ass opponent like @mickeygall for a real paycheck is a dream come true. Lol thanks @ufc

— Platinum Mike Perry (@PlatinumPerry) June 7, 2020

Standing at 5 ft. 10 in. tall, Perry possesses a reach of 71 inches. He now trains out of Florida at the Fusion XL Academy after spending the past several years with Jackson-Wink MMA. He has been fighting professionally in MMA since 2014 and is 0-1 as a pro boxer. He holds a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He is currently unranked in the UFC welterweight division.

Mickey Gall (6-2)

Mickey Gall stepped into most fight fans’ world when he welcomed former professional wrestler C.M. Punk into the world of the UFC, submitting Punk in just over two minutes. He is now 4-2 in the UFC. After a disappointing loss to Diego Sanchez following a bad weight cut last March, Gall stepped back into the winner’s circle last August when he earned a unanimous decision victory over Salim Touahri.

Like Dan Hooker over Poirier, Gall will be the taller, lankier fighter in this matchup, standing four-inches taller and having a three-inch reach advantage over Mike Perry. The 28-year-old trains at the Gracie New Jersey Academy and holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under David Adiv. He has been fighting professionally since 2015 and has yet to crack into the UFC welterweight rankings.

Our Pick

Mickey Gall via submission.

Brendan Allen vs Kyle Daukaus – Middleweight Division

Brendan “All In” Allen (14-3)

Brendan Allen was on a three-fight winning streak when he was featured on Dana White’s Contender Series. Since then he has had two UFC fights and has won them both. His latest fight was earlier this year, in February, and he took on Tom Breese. Allen defeated Breese via TKO in the dying seconds of the first round.

Brendan Allen was originally expected to face Ian Heinisch but the latter suffered an injury and was forced to pull out.

Standing at 6 ft. 2 in. tall, Allen has a reach of 77 inches. He trains with the infamous Roufusport team with the likes of Tyron Woodley and Paul Felder. At just 24-years-old, the Louisiana native is riding a six-fight winning streak.

Kyle Daukaus (9-0)

Making his UFC debut as a last-minute fill-in, Kyle Daukaus enters the octagon undefeated as a professional. Like his opponent, he has a win on the Contender Series, and his last two pro fights were with CFFC – both of which he won with second-round d’arce chokes.

The 27-year-old Daukaus will stand one-inch shorter than his opponent and will also come up one-inch short in the reach department. He has finished all but one of his professional fights by submission. He currently trains at Martinez BJJ and hails from Philadelphia.

Our Pick

Kyle Daukaus via submission.

Gian Villante vs Maurice Greene – Heavyweight Division

Gian Villante (17-11)

Gian Villante has been a member of the UFC roster since 2013 and his time with the promotion has gone back-and-forth, literally trading wins and losses and holding a promotional record of 7-8. His last win was a split-decision victory over Ed Herman. His most recent octagon appearance came last February against Michal Oleksiejczuk. He lost the fight in the first round via TKO.

Aged 34, the American fighter stands at 6 ft. 3 in. and has a 76-inch reach. Fighting professionally since 2009, Villante is a former NCAA Division I wrestler and he holds a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Matt Serra, with whom he trains. He is also a former Strikeforce competitor.

Maurice “The Crochet Boss” Greene (8-4)

After appearing on the Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters series (in which he made it to the semi-finals), Greene went on to compete at the show’s finale, winning his UFC debut against Michel Batista via submission. Greene would win his next two fights in a row before being stopped by Sergei Pavlovich last October. Greene last fought on the UFC 246 card earlier this year but was once again defeated – this time by Aleksei Oleinik by armbar submission. He looks to break his two-fight losing streak this Saturday.

At 33-years-old, Greene will stand four inches taller than Villante and will have a six-inch reach advantage over his opponent. Greene currently trains at The Performance Compound with coach Brock Larson, whom he holds a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under. He has been fighting professionally since 2012.

Our Pick

Maurice Greene via submission.