Dustin Poirier's humility and self-awareness are among the reasons he is one of the UFC's most popular fighters. The former interim lightweight champ makes no secret of his desire to earn another title shot, but knows Saturday's bout against Dan Hooker is just the start of what lies ahead. The ranked contenders meet to draw the curtain on UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Hooker in Las Vegas, with the main card set for 8 p.m. ET from the Apex facility. Entering Saturday's UFC Fight Night card, the third-ranked Poirier hasn't fought since he lost by submission against champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in September of last year.
He told the media this week that a win over Hooker would likely put him one more fight away from earning another bid for the title. The fifth-ranked Hooker looks to continue a surge towards his first title bout that has seen him win seven of his last eight fights. Poirier is a -220 favorite (risk $220 to win $100), up from an open of -200, while Hooker is a +180 underdog in the latest Poirier vs. Hooker odds from William Hill. In the co-main event, Mike Perry (-340) takes on Mickey Gall (+270) in a matchup of middleweight prospects. Before locking in your UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Hooker picks, make sure to see the UFC predictions from SportsLine MMA analyst Kyle Marley.
The accomplished MMA analyst has been on fire, as he has hit 11 consecutive main-event winners, which includes a streak of five straight underdogs. Last week, he told SportsLine members to expect a decisive win for Curtis Blaydes (-400) against Alexander Volkov (-320) in their heavyweight main event. Marley said that Blaydes, an accomplished wrestler, would use takedowns to maintain control of the fight. That's exactly what happened, as he set the UFC heavyweight record for takedowns in a fight with 14 and rolled to a unanimous-decision victory.
Marley also called a decision victory two weeks ago for Cynthia Calvillo (-110) against Jessica Eye (-110) in the women's flyweight main event. Anyone who has consistently followed Marley's UFC picks is way up.
Now, with UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Hooker fast approaching, Marley has carefully studied every matchup on the card, identified the best value in the UFC odds and released his MMA picks for every fight. Those UFC picks are only available here.
Poirier vs. Hooker preview
At age 31, Poirier (25-6-1) already has more than 10 years of service under the UFC banner and is widely considered one of the sport's active icons. He already has shared the Octagon with the likes of Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov, and his resume includes a win over Justin Gaethje and a pair of victories against former featherweight champion Max Holloway.
The Lafayette, Louisiana native hasn't fought since his third-round submission loss against Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 in September of last year. Although the bout was mostly one-sided, Poirier put a rare scare into the undefeated Russian with an attempted guillotine choke that he eventually lost hold of. The champion won using the same method less than a minute later.
The defeat snapped a six-fight unbeaten streak for Poirier, who needs a win over the surging Hooker in order to maintain his position in the UFC rankings.
The 30-year-old Hooker (20-8) started his UFC career with a 3-3 mark against mid-tier competition. But he traded his reputation as a capable journeyman for one of a viable contender by winning seven of his next eight fights, with five coming by stoppage.
The New Zealander emerged with a split decision over No. 6-ranked Paul Felder, and his 2-0 mark in 2019 included a unanimous decision against the rugged Al Iaquinta, who is now ranked No. 9. You can see Marley's full Poirier vs. Hooker picks here.
Top UFC Fight Night predictions for June 27
We'll reveal one of Marley's UFC Fight Night predictions here: He is backing Mickey Gall (+250) to pull the upset of Mike Perry (-300) in a welterweight battle.
Perry (13-6) has become a fan favorite because of his fearlessness and resilience inside the Octagon and his sometimes-awkward shows of vulnerability outside of it. The Floridian has faced mostly upper-tier competition in the UFC and has posted a 6-6 mark with the promotion despite going 2-5 in his last seven outings. But he also showed improvements in his skills by winning a grappling match against fellow UFC fighter Al Iaquinta in a Submission Underground event in February.
Gall (6-2) made a name for himself by calling out opponents, memorably asking for a bout against CM Punk as the pro wrestling star trained for his UFC debut. Gall stopped Punk and proceeded to call out one-time prodigy Sage Northcutt, whom he beat by submission in December 2016. But the New Jersey native is just 2-2 in four bouts since.
"I don't think Perry wants anything to do with the ground game against Gall. If Gall gets just one takedown, that could be all he needs to lock up a submission," Marley told SportsLine.
How to make UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Hooker picks
Marley also has strong picks for Poirier vs. Hooker and every other bout on the UFC Fight Night card. He's also backing one combatant who's "the better fighter everywhere." You can see those UFC fight card picks only at SportsLine.
Who wins Poirier vs. Hooker? And how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight on Saturday's UFC Fight Night card, all from the accomplished expert who's up nearly $21,000 and has nailed 11 straight main events, and find out.
UFC Fight Night odds (via William Hill US)
Dustin Poirier (-220) vs. Dan Hooker (+180)
Mike Perry (-340) vs. Mickey Gall (+270)
Maurice Greene (-230) vs. Gian Villante (+190)
Luis Pena (-260) vs. Khama Worthy (+210)
Jordan Griffin (+105) vs. Youssef Zalal (-125)
Takashi Sato (-255) vs Jason Witt (+235)
Philipe Lins (-110) vs. Tanner Boser (-110)
Miranda Maverick (-290) vs. Mara Romero Borella (+245)
Sean Woodson (-490) vs Julian Erosa (+370)
Brendan Allen (-300) vs. Kyle Daukaus (+240)
Kay Hansen (-170) vs. Jinh Yu Frey (+145)
