Another Saturday night means more UFC action, as the UFC continues to run unabated despite the raging COVID-19 virus in the United States. UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs Hooker is the last in a run of events at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas before – FIGHT ISLAND!! – the octagon departs for UFC Fight Island on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Dustin Poirier v Dan Hooker
The main event features an exciting (hopefully) matchup between two hard-hitting top lightweight contenders in Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker. Poirier is currently a healthy 20/51* favourite over Hooker. While Poirier looked horrible in his last fight, against current UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, everyone looks bad against Khabib. As long as his head and heart are still in the sport, then he should be able to take care of the New Zealander on Saturday. Poirier is a far better MMA wrestler and a skilled striker – he just has a more complete package than Hooker.
Mike Perry v Mickey Gall
Other than that, the rest of the card is pretty barren of big name fighters. In the co-main event, slugger, and ultimate Florida Man, Mike Perry, finally gets a favourable matchup from the matchmakers in grappler Mickey Gall. Gall is strictly a grappling jiu-jitsu player, while Perry has very good wrestling defense. There’s a good chance Perry will turn his lights out with one of his power punches. While Perry at 2/7 might not be worth your while, Perry via (T)KO at 2/3 is, and it’s a very likely occurance.
Philipe Lins v Tanner Boser
Elsewhere, I like heavyweight Philipe Lins as a pick ‘em in his fight against Tanner Boser (both currently at 20/23). Lins lost his UFC debut against legend Andrei Arlovski, but he’s got a stellar resume. He’s got a size as well as vast experience advantage over Boser, and a well-rounded game and exceptional finishing skills. He has stated that he plans on using his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to try to finish Boser on Saturday, so the various prop bets for Lins to win via submission are worth a look at.
Khama Worthy v Luis Pena
If you’re looking for a live dog to go with this weekend, look no further than Khama Worthy. He stormed onto the UFC scene, knocking out top prospect Devonte Smith with a left hook in the first round of his UFC debut. He’s an underdog on Saturday against ‘Violent Bob Ross’ Luis Pena, currently sitting on the board at 37/20. While Pena could probably win this match going away if he relied on his strong wrestling, he’s vowed to keep it standing and swing away with ‘The Deathstar’. That wouldn’t be wise. Worthy is worthy of an underdog bet (ha).
Sean Woodson v Julian Erosa
If you want a lock (like that really exists), then Sean Woodson at 2/11 is your man. He’s a massive 145-pounder, measuring in at 6’2” with a 79-inch reach – just unheard of numbers for a featherweight. On Saturday he’ll be going up against another large featherweight (not as large as him though) in Julian Erosa, who just signed on for this fight as a replacement earlier in the week. He’s a journeyman fighter who has never shown he is able to compete at the UFC level – he’s gone 1-4 in his two previous stints with the organization, getting cut from the roster twice. Woodson should carve him up on the feet and, despite not finishing a whole lot of fights (only two TKOs and one submission among his seven wins), has a chance to finish Erosa with strikes, as he has lost two of his last three via (T)KO (including his last fight, over a year ago, via a head kick knockout).
Jeff Fox’s Tips for UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs Hooker
| Jeff’s Picks | Odds |
| POIRIER v Hooker | 20/51 |
| PERRY v Gall (by (T)KO) | 2/3 |
| LINS v Boser | 20/23 |
| WORTHY v Pena | 37/20 |
| WOODSON v Erosa | 2/11 |
Watch all the action from 11pm on BT Sport in the UK.
*All odds correct at time of writing
