UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs Hooker Main Card Betting Odds and Prediction

The UFC is back again on Saturday night with an event headlined by two of the top lightweight fighters in the promotion.

Former interim champion and current #3 lightweight Dustin Poirier takes on the rising and 5th ranked lightweight Dan Hooker in the main event of UFC on ESPN 12 on June 27, 2020, which will take place at the UFC’s Apex Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the last fight on U.S. soil before the promotion heads to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi for its Fight Island series.

Dustin Poirier vs Dan Hooker

Dustin Poirier is the former interim UFC lightweight champion and the current #3 ranked lightweight in the promotion. The 31-year old from Louisiana was a veteran of the WEC and USAMMA. He has seen plenty of success in the UFC and has been involved in the 2012 and 2018 UFC Fight of the Year. The Diamond is coming off a loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 but before that, he posted wins over Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, and Max Holloway.

He has a record of 25-6 with 12 knockouts and seven wins via submission. The Diamond is a southpaw who stands 5-9 tall and has a reach of 72 inches. He connects an average of 5.51 significant strikes per minute at a 49% accuracy and he gets hit by an average of 3.97 significant strikes per minute with a striking defense of 56%. Poirier also has a ground game as he averages 1.53 takedowns per 15 minutes with an accuracy of 37% and a takedown defense of 61% while averaging 1.2 submission attempts per 15 minutes.

Dan Hooker is a former King in the Ring Middleweight kickboxing champion and WKBF x-rules welterweight champion who hails from Auckland in New Zealand. The 30-year old is also a former Supremacy Fighting Championship lightweight champion and Australian Fighting Championship lightweight champion. Hooker is one of the best volume strikers in the UFC and he has a record of 20-8 with 10 knockouts and 7 wins by submission. However, two of his three decision wins have come in his last two bouts where he beat Al Iaquinta and Paul Felder.

Hangman is a switch hitter who stands six feet tall with a reach of 75 inches while fighting as an orthodox fighter. He averages 4.76 significant strikes per minute landed at a 45% accuracy rate. Hooker gets hit by an average of 4.67 significant strikes per minute and he owns a 55% striking defense. He only averages 0.43 takedowns per 15 minutes at a 28% takedown accuracy and with a takedown defense of 78%.

As a former kickboxing champion, Hooker prefers to strike against his opponents and he is known for his pace and volume. However, while he has the edge in length, he will have a hard time against the hard-hitting Dustin Poirier. The Diamond has become a very polished striker in his recent bouts and save for his loss to Khabib, he’s out-struck some of the best in the business. The Diamond has better boxing skills, more power, and has the experience of fighting better opposition. These two are fighting inside a smaller cage which negates Hooker’s length. I like Poirier to land his big shots and win by knockout in a very entertaining fight.

Prediction: Dustin Poirier (-210)

Mike Perry vs Mickey Gall

Mike Perry fought for Top Alliance Combat, Premier FC, and Battlegrounds before joining the UFC in 2016. This tough as nails 28-year old from Pensacola is a former professional boxer who won four out of his first five UFC bouts but has dropped five out of his last seven and is coming off a TKO loss to Geoff Neal last December. Platinum is coming off his first knockout loss and is looking to keep his UFC career alive.

He stands 5-10 tall with a reach of 71 inches and is an orthodox fighter. He averages 4.27 significant strikes per minute at a 47% accuracy while absorbing 4.5 significant strikes per minute with a 57% striking defense. He completes 0.61 takedowns per 15 minutes at a 41% takedown rate and has a takedown defense of 70%. He is a pure striker who has very heavy hands and a deep background in boxing. He throws crisp combinations and has scored a knockout in 11 out of his 13 wins. Platinum has only been knocked out once, submitted once but has dropped four decisions.

Mickey Gall was one of the standouts of Dana White’s Looking for A Fight series and he gained access to the UFC via that competition. The 28-year old from New Jersey is famous for being the fighter that CM Punk faced in his UFC debut. Gall submitted Punk in the first round and then went on to submit another UFC protege in Sage Northcutt. However, Gall has gone 2-2 since his high profile wins although he is coming off a decision win over Salim Touhari in August 2019.

Gall is 6-2 with a reach of 74 inches and is an orthodox fighter. He lands an average of 2.22 significant strikes per 15 minutes and has a 43% striking accuracy. Gall gets hit by an average of 3.22 significant strikes per minute and has a 43% striking defense. He completes an average of 1.5 takedowns per 15 minutes and ha a takedown accuracy of 38% and a takedown defense of only 44%.

Perry is a classic brawler who is willing to take some punches to land his big shots. He doesn’t back down from anyone even if it means getting knocked out himself. He is tough as they come and he keeps on pressing forward even if he gets hit. That’s a big weakness but Gall doesn’t enjoy fighting on his feet. He’d rather take his opponents down and work his way to submission wins. However, Perry has good takedown defense and if Gall doesn’t take the fight to the mat quickly, Platinum will swarm over him and end this fight in a hurry.

Prediction: Mike Perry (-320)

Brendan Allen vs Kyle Daukaus

Brendan Allen is fought for the WFC, LFC, and LFA before he was discovered in Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019 where he submitted Aaron Jeffrey. The 24-year old from Milwaukee has a six-fight winning streak going for him heading to this fight. He is 2-0 with two finishes inside the octagon and has a record of 14-3 with 5 knockouts and 8 wins via submission. He stands 6-2 with a reach of 75 inches and is an orthodox fighter. Allen lands 2.62 significant strikes per minute with a 59% accuracy and absorbs 2.8 significant strikes per minute and has a 30% striking defense. All-In completes 2.68 takedowns per 15 minutes at a 37% accuracy and has a 75% takedown defense.

Kyle Daukaus stepped in for Ian Heinisch and will be making his UFC debut against Brendan Allen. The undefeated former CFFC middleweight champion was discovered at Dana White’s Contender Series where he picked up a win over Michael Lombardo in June 2019. The 27-year old from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania stands 6-3 with a reach of 76 inches and is a southpaw fighter.

Daukaus has an unblemished record of 9-0 with eight wins coming by way of submission. He averages 4.53 significant strikes per 15 minutes and has a 67% accuracy. He absorbs 1.6 significant strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 41%. He has a takedown accuracy of 40% and completes 2.0 takedowns per 15 minutes while owning a takedown defense of 90% and averaging 4.0 submission attempts per 15 minutes.

Allen is a one-trick pony whose only goal is to take his opponent down to the mat where he will work to get a submission or get on top of him and rain his ground and pound attack. His usual results are either a submission or a technical knockout win. However, Daukaus is also a fighter who likes to take his opponents down to the ground and is a terrific submission artist. Only one of his bouts have gone the distance and that was his appearance at the Contender Series. Daukaus doesn’t have a knockout on his resume but we’ve seen him rock some of his opponents and that should be the key against Allen. These two are at least even on the ground with Daukaus having better submission skills and he also has the edge on the feet here.

Prediction: Kyle Daukaus (+235)

Maurice Greene vs Gian Villante

Maurice Greene appeared in The Ultimate Fighter 28 tournament and was signed by the UFC after hist stint there. The Crochet Boss is a former DP Heavyweight champion and LFA heavyweight title challenger. Green opened his UFC career with a record of 3-0 but has lost his last two bouts. The 33-year old from Norfolk, Virginia is a very big heavyweight who stands 6-7 tall and has a reach of 80 inches while fighting as an orthodox fighter. He owns a record of 8-4 with two knockouts and four wins via submission. Greene lands 4.19 significant strikes per minute with a 44% accuracy. He gets hit with 3.43 significant strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 54%.

Gian Villante is a former NCAA Division I wrestler from Hofstra University. The 34-year old from New York is a former Ring of Combat heavyweight champion who also competed for Strikeforce before heading to the UFC in 2013. Villante’s just 7-8 inside the UFC octagon and he’s lost four out of his last six bouts. Overall, he has a record of 17-11 with 10 knockouts and two wins via submission. He stands 6-3 tall with a reach of 76 inches and is an orthodox fighter. Villante averages 4.26 significant strikes per minute at a 42% accuracy. He absorbs 5.34 significant strikes per minute with a 55% striking defense. Villante has an excellent takedown defense of 83%.

Greene is a massive heavyweight at 6-7 with a reach of 80 inches. He can be dangerous on his feet and the ground as well. In the stand-up, Greene isn’t that aggressive and is mostly a counter-striker. On the mat, he works well on his back and has a dangerous triangle choke. Villante may be the more balanced fighter between the two when you factor in his wrestling. But he’s facing an opponent who isn’t just bigger but one who has massive punching power. We’ve seen Villante have trouble in finishing his opponents and lately, his chin has become questionable. I like Greene to come up with a big punch here that alters the course of this fight.

Prediction: Maurice Greene (-230)

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