UFC 291 Odds: Betting Lines & Props For Poirier vs. Gaethje 2

The UFC heads to Salt Lake City on Saturday, July 29, for an event headlined by a lightweight rematch between fan favorites Dustin Poirier () and Justin Gaethje () at UFC 291. Sportsbooks have already released UFC 291 odds on the entire fight card.

In the co-main event, former middleweight champ Alex Pereira () moves up in weight to take on former light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz (). Below, we’ll take a closer look at odds and prop bets at top sports betting sites for this UFC pay-per-view event.

UFC 291 odds for main event

Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje
Total rounds: Over/Under

These two last fought in 2018, with Poirier snatching a fourth-round TKO victory after chipping away at Gaethje for the better part of the first three rounds. Gaethje’s undoing in that fight was being a little too predictable, and also a little too easy to hit. Poirier wisely refrained from getting drawn into the kind of slugging exchanges that Gaethje prefers and instead picked away at him on the entries and the exits, while wearing Gaethje down in the process.

Gaethje is a smarter and more varied fighter now than he was then, but so is Poirier. Neither one has lost to anybody but champions in the last few years. But in terms of all-around ability, Poirier probably still has the bigger toolbox from which to draw. At the same time, Gaethje’s power and resilience make it hard to ever count him out of a fight.

Poirier can sometimes start slowly, so Gaethje’s best chance may come in the first two rounds. Once Poirier settles into a fight, he only gets tougher to deal with.

UFC 291 co-main event odds

Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
Total rounds: Over/Under

Pereira recently made the decision to move up to light heavyweight after losing his middleweight title to Israel Adesanya in their rematch in April. That leaves a lot of questions about how his style and his power will translate at the 205-pound class, especially since it represents a 20-pound jump from middleweight, where he was used to always being the bigger fighter.

Blachowicz is no stranger to fighting championship-level middleweights attempting a move up in weight. He used his size and his wrestling ability to stifle Adesanya’s bid for a second UFC title, and he’s probably going to enjoy some of the same advantages over Pereira.

If anything, Pereira’s takedown defense and ground game seem weaker than Adesanya’s, which should make that aspect even easier on Blachowicz. The difference is that Pereira is also bigger and with greater one-strike power. As long as it remains a pure kickboxing bout, he should have the edge. The question is how long he’ll be able to keep it there if Blachowicz is truly intent on taking him down.

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Full UFC 291 odds and fight card

All the UFC betting odds are available here for the upcoming match. Odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook and are subject to change.

How to watch UFC 291

• Early prelims, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+
• Prelims, 8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN/ESPN+
• Main card, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN+ pay-per-view