After the success of UFC Vegas 44 over the weekend, the mixed martial arts world turns its attention to the next stop on the schedule: UFC 269. The pay-per-view event is set to go down this Saturday with a card filled with several entertaining matchups. While any fight could steal the show, all eyes will be on the championship main event.
UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira is slated to defend his title against former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier in the main event of the night. Just by the names alone, it isn’t tough to see how this is the most highly-anticipated matchup on the card.
There’s a lot of information to take in ahead of UFC 269, which is why this betting guide has everything you need to know from general information to who’s favoured to win the fight (odds courtesy of Bovada).
UFC 269 General Information
UFC 269 will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, December 11. The early prelims will begin at 6:15 p.m. EST and can be viewed on the UFC Fight Pass. The preliminary card will begin at 8 p.m. EST and can be viewed on ESPNEWS and ESPN+.
Meanwhile, the main card will start at 10 p.m. EST and can be seen on ESPN+ or pay-per-view providers for $69.99 USD.
UFC 269 Odds: Charles Oliveira vs Dustin Poirier
Odds via Bovada as of Monday, December 6
- Record: Charlies Oliveira (c) (31-8-0) vs Dustin Poirier (28-6-0)
- Moneyline: Oliveira (+145) vs Poirier (-170)
- Total: 4.5 Rounds — Over (+250), Under (-350)
- Method of victory: N/A
Check back on Bovada.lv later this week for updated odds and prop markets.
Oliveira Enters as Underdog
With just +145 odds to retain his championship, Oliveira will enter the cage at UFC 269 as the underdog. That might be pretty shocking to some considering that the 32-year-old Brazilian is currently on a nine-fight winning streak, with his last loss coming in December 2017.
The last time we saw Oliveira was when he captured the UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 262 back in May. He defeated Michael Chandler for the vacant title, scoring the TKO victory at 0:19 in the second round. Not only that but his win gave him the UFC record for most finishes (17) in the company’s history.
It’s no secret that Oliveira is one of the best grapplers in the game, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him trying to take things down to the mat. He has 14 career submission victories and averages 2.64 takedowns and 2.72 submissions per 15 minutes. Meanwhile, the challenger has a 61% takedown rating. Poirier can certainly handle himself on the mat, however, it’s hard not to like the champion with his current momentum.
Oliveira can also hold his own on his feet, proven by his three knockout victories in his last five bouts. Even though he’s the underdog, Oliveira has all the tools to walk out of UFC 269 with his first successful defense.
Can Poirier Become Champion Again at UFC 269?
Since debuting in 2012, the interim UFC Lightweight Championship is the only title that Poirier has held in the company. He defeated Max Holloway for it in April 2019, however, he lost it in his first defense just five months later to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Nevertheless, Poirier has rebounded well since the loss. He’s won each of his subsequent three fights, with his last two victories coming via TKO over Connor McGregor. With that rivalry in his past, the Lafayette, Louisiana native is now favored at -170 odds to be the next UFC Lightweight Champion.
While Oliveira’s win streak is impressive, Poirier is 8-1 in his last nine bouts, so he isn’t too far off from the champion. He also knows that Oliveira can get easily overwhelmed, as proven during the first round of his fight against Chandler. If he can keep the fight on his feet, Poirier should have the advantage with his 5.62 significant strikes landed per minute and 14 professional MMA knockouts. It also helps that 50% of Oliveira’s career losses have come from being knocked out.
Bovada has also projected the fight to last fewer than five rounds. With Poirier being the odds-on favorite, it’s clear that the sportsbook thinks he’ll be able to finish Oliveira off sometime before the fifth round.
