UFC 291 Fight Card Preview, Odds, and Schedule

The MMA world is buzzing as UFC 291 is set to take over the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday, July 29. The thrilling 12-fight pay-per-view card is one that you don’t want to miss, whether it’s the blockbuster main event matchup or something on the preliminary card.

Running it back for the BMF strap ?#UFC291 Fight Week is HERE!

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— UFC (@ufc) July 24, 2023

Betting News is here to make your life easier ahead of the upcoming PPV event. Here’s a look at the full UFC 291 card, complete with the latest betting odds and all of the event information that you need to know

UFC 291 Main Card and Odds (Odds as of Monday, July 24)

The UFC 291 odds listed below are via BetOnline Sportsbook.

UFC 291 Main Event: Dustin Poirier (-153) vs. Justin Gaethje (+133)

MMA enthusiasts are clamoring for the UFC 291 main event as Dustin Poirier (29-7, 1NC) and Justin Gaethje (24-4) are set to collide. These lightweights aren’t strangers, though. They headlined UFC on FOX 29 five years ago, resulting in a fourth-round TKO win for Poirier.

Since that victory, Poirier has gone on a 6-2 run, which even included capturing the interim lightweight championship at one point. He finished four opponents during that span, which includes a submission victory over Michael Chandler in his most recent fight at UFC 281.

Meanwhile, Gaethje has experienced his fair share of ups and downs since last fighting Poirier. For starters, the “Highlight” went on a four-fight winning streak after that loss, knocking out names like Tony Ferguson, Donald Cerrone, and Edson Barboza during that span.

Unfortunately, Gaethje hasn’t had much consistency lately. He’s bounced back between wins and losses in his last four fights. Having said that, he was victorious in his previous outing, overcoming Rafael Fiziev by majority decision back in March.

The UFC also recently announced that the winner of Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 will be awarded the vacant BMF title, further adding to the stakes.

UFC 291 Co-Main Event: Jan Błachowicz (-113) vs. Alex Pereira (-107)

The UFC 291 main card’s co-main event features former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz (29-9-1) taking on ex-middleweight champion Alex Pereira (7-2) in a light heavyweight contest.

Blachowicz has excelled in becoming a household name in recent years, going 10-2-1 in his last1 3 fights. After notching four KO/TKO victories in a seven-fight span, the talented brawler failed to recapture the light heavyweight title at UFC 282, fighting Magomed Ankalaev to a 15-minute draw.

Pereira dazzled fans with an impressive 4-0 start to his UFC career that saw him knockout Israel Adesanya for the middleweight championship at UFC 281. Much to his dismay, Pereira only held the gold for five months, losing to Adesanya via knockout in April.

Welterweight: Stephen Thompson (-160) vs. Michel Pereira (+140)

Oddsmakers currently favor Stephen Thompson (17-6-1) over Michel Pereira (28-11, 2NC) ahead of their welterweight scrap this weekend.

After being a dominant force earlier in his run, Thompson can’t seem to build much momentum. He’s an underwhelming 4-5-1 in his last 10 fights, however, he most recently knocked out Kevin Holland at UFC on ESPN 42 in what was deemed the ‘fight of the night.’

Meanwhile, Pereira is in the midst of the best run of his career. The Brazilian battler heads to Salt Lake City riding a five-fight winning streak. One of those victories came via submission, but the latest four were all earned through some form of decision.

Lightweight: Tony Ferguson (+325) vs. Bobby Green (-390)

Tony Ferguson (25-8) has an uphill battle in his path when he goes head-to-head with Bobby Green (29-14-1, 1NC) at UFC 291.

Ferguson currently finds himself on a five-bout losing streak — the longest of his career. He was finished in three of those outings, including when he submitted to Nate Diaz’s guillotine choke in his latest fight back in September.

Despite how the odds are on his side, Green hasn’t exactly been dining on victories. The former KOTC Lightweight Champion only has two wins in his previous seven fights. Things didn’t go as he planned when he faced Jared Gordon three months ago as the fight ended in a no-contest after Gordon was left unconscious after an accidental head collision.

Welterweight: Michael Chiesa (+125) vs. Kevin Holland (-145)

The main card action also includes a welterweight fight between Michael Chiesa (18-6) and Kevin Holland (24-9, 1NC).

At one point, Chiesa was on top of the world with four consecutive wins over a 25-month span. The positive vibes came to a screeching halt at UFC 265 with a submission loss to Vicente Luque followed by a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Sean Brady just three months later — the last time that Chiesa stepped foot into the octagon.

At the same time, Holland has three wins in five fights since rejoining the welterweight division. Things looked dicey with back-to-back losses to Khamzat Chimaev and Stephen Thompson, however, Holland snapped out of his funk nicely with a KO win over Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 287.

UFC 291 Preliminary Card

Welterweight: Gabriel Bonfim (-310) vs. Trevin Giles (+260)

Die-hard combat sports enthusiasts will want to turn into the UFC 291 preliminary card to see the undefeated Gabriel Bonfim (14-0) go toe-to-toe with Trevin Giles (16-4).

Bonfim has succeeded at carrying his perfect ways to the UFC, notching back-to-back submission victories over Trey Waters and Mounir Lazzez to start his run. On the flip side, Giles is also coming off two straight wins, getting by Louis Cosce and Preston Parsons by points.

Heavyweight: Derrick Lewis (+150) vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (-175)

Expect the sparks to fly when ex-UFC Heavyweight Championship challenger Derrick Lewis (26-11, 1NC) goes to war with Marcos Rogerio de Lima (21-8-1) this Saturday night.

Lewis hopes to put his losing ways in the rearview at the Delta Center after getting finished in his three most recent bouts, losing twice by knockout and once by submission. Standing in his way is none other than Lima, who improved to 4-1 in his last five fights with a unanimous decision win over Waldo Cortes-Acosta at the end of April.

Middleweight: Roman Kopylov (-235) vs. Claudio Ribeiro (+200)

Roman Kopylov (10-2) searches for his third win in a row when he meets with Claudio Ribeiro (11-3) in a middleweight matchup.

Kopylov has gained some recent attention after knocking out Alessio Di Chirico and Punahele Soriano, which includes ‘performance of the night’ honors for beating the latter. Meanwhile, Ribeiro bounced back from his first-ever UFC loss with a TKO win against Joseph Holmes at UFC 288.

Welterweight: Jake Matthews (-300) vs. Darrius Flowers (+250)

Also featured on the UFC 291 preliminary lineup is a welterweight fight between Jake Matthews (18-6) and Darrius Flowers (12-5-1).

Matthews is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Matthew Semelsberger in his latest fight, dropping him to 1-2 in his last three outings. On the other hand, this fight serves as Flowers’ PPV debut. He made his return on Dana White’s Contender Series 2022, landing a first-round TKO victory over Amiran Gogoladze.

UFC 291 Early Prelims Card

Flyweight: C.J. Vergara (-156) vs. Vinicius Salvador (+136)

C.J. Vergara (11-4-1) aims to keep the momentum rolling when he meets with Vinicius Salvador (14-5) for some early prelims fun.

While Vergara scored a TKO win over Daniel Da Silva in his most recent contest, the 32-year-old has yet to win consecutive fights at the UFC level. Meanwhile, Salvador returns to the octagon for the first time in just over four months after his unanimous decision loss to Victor Altamirano.

Welterweight: Matthew Semelsberger (-163) vs. Uros Medic (+143)

Another intriguing early UFC 291 fight is one that puts Matthew Semelsberger (11-5) on a welterweight collision course with Uros Medic (8-1).

Semelsberger can’t afford another loss after coming up short twice (by points) in his three previous fights. At the same time, Medic hopes to start a new winning streak after dazzling with his knockout win against Omar Morales back in May 2022.

Women’s Flyweight: Miranda Maverick (-350) vs. Priscila Cachoeira (+285)

Lastly, Miranda Maverick (11-5) is the major favorite in her get-together with Priscila Cachoeira (12-4) in Salt Lake City.

Maverick must live up to the hype that her odds bring after only fighting to a 2-3 record in her last five bouts. Meanwhile, Cachoeira isn’t exactly a slouch. “Zombie Girl” has four victories in her previous five fights, which include three via KO/TKO.

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UFC 291 Event Details

When is UFC 291?

UFC 291 will take place on Saturday, July 29, 2023.

Where is UFC 291?

UFC 291 will take place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

What time does UFC 291 start?

• UFC 291 Early Prelims Card: 6:30 p.m. ET
• UFC 291 Preliminary Card Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
• Start Time of UFC 291’s Main Card: 10 p.m. ET

How can I watch UFC 291?

The early prelims action can be viewed through the UFC Fight Pass. Following that, the UFC 291 preliminary card airs on both ABC and ESPN before the main card takes place on ESPN+ and through pay-per-view providers.

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