Dustin Poirier's last five opponents are all current or former UFC champions. By those standards, he is taking a step down in competition by facing Dan Hooker on Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Hooker. But neither fighter feels that way. The battle of welterweight contenders tops the UFC Fight Night card at the Apex facility in Las Vegas, with the main card slated for 8 p.m. ET. The third-ranked Poirier, the former interim champion, is seeking to secure another title shot with a victory over a surging opponent and has vowed to not look past the New Zealander.
Te fifth-ranked Hooker can make a case for his own title bout with his eighth win in his last nine UFC appearances. Poirier is a -220 favorite (risk $220 to win $100), while Hooker is priced at +180 in the latest Poirier vs. Hooker odds from William Hill. In the co-main event, Mike Perry (-300) faces Mickey Gall (+250) in a matchup of rugged middleweights. Before finalizing your UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Hooker picks, make sure you check out what SportsLine MMA analyst Kyle Marley has to say.
A CBS Sports editor specializing in MMA, Wise has been dissecting the sport for more than five years. He specializes in picking main-card fights for UFC, which has enabled him to be profitable every year. Wise went a perfect 5-0 at UFC 239 and was 4-1 at both UFC 245 and UFC 249. He also nailed Khabib Nurmagomedov's destruction of Conor McGregor in 2018, Stipe Miocic's upset of Daniel Cormier, Max Holloway's downfall in 2019 and Justin Gaethje's TKO victory over Tony Ferguson in May.
Across UFC 247, UFC 248, UFC 249 and UFC 250, Wise went 14-6 with his main-card picks, notching a winning record on every card and returning healthy profits for anyone following them. Last week at UFC Fight Night, he told SportsLine members to expect a dominant performance from Curtis Blaydes (-400) against Alexander Volkov (+320) in the main event. He also accurately picked Josh Emmett (+115) against Shane Burgos in the featherweight co-main event on his way to a 4-1 mark on the main card. Anyone who has consistently followed Wise is way up.
Now, with UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Hooker fast approaching, Wise has carefully studied every main-card matchup and released his selections. Those picks are available at SportsLine.
Dustin Poirier vs. Dan Hooker preview
Poirier (25-6-1) earned his first title opportunity last year with a dominant performance against Max Holloway, his second win over the longtime featherweight champ, to win the interim lightweight belt in April. He later lost via submission to Nurmagomedov, who remains the undefeated champion.
Even so, Poirier's resume also includes a technical knockout against Gaethje and stoppage wins against UFC luminaries like Eddie Alvarez and Anthony Pettis among his last five bouts. The 31-year-old has seen eight of his past 10 wins come inside the distance.
Poirier rates to have his hands full against Hooker (20-8), whose meteoric rise mimics that of current top-ranked welterweight Gilbert Burns. The 30-year-old New Zealand native appears to be hitting his peak behind a series of increasingly impressive outings.
Coincidentally, his current surge includes a first-round knockout of Burns in July 2018. A setback to Edson Barboza was followed by three consecutive victories against highly-ranked opponents. In February, he battled fellow contender Paul Felder to a split-decision victory in a showing that earned both combatants a Fight of the Night bonus. You can see Wise's complete Hooker vs. Poirier picks here.
Top UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Hooker predictions
We'll reveal one of Wise's UFC Fight Night main-card predictions here: He is taking Maurice Greene (-220) to come out on top against Gian Villante (+180) in a heavyweight battle.
Wise says Villante is an "auto-fade" for him, meaning he's inclined to wager against the New York fighter due to his inconsistency under the UFC banner. The 34-year-old is 7-8 in the UFC and has never won more than two consecutive fights, which happened six years ago.
Villante (17-11) is 2-4 in his last six fights, with both victories coming by split decision. The career light heavyweight also is moving up to heavyweight for the first time on Saturday and meeting a veteran in Greene who also needs a victory.
Wise told SportsLine he expects Green to wear down Villante with his ground game and eventually secure a stoppage.
How to make Poirier vs. Hooker picks
Wise also has strong picks for Poirier vs. Hooker and every other bout on the main card. He's also backing one fighter whose striking game is "top-notch." You can only see those UFC picks at SportsLine.
Who wins Poirier vs. Hooker at UFC Fight Night? And how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight on the main UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Hooker card, all from the accomplished expert who has been profitable for five straight years, and find out.
UFC Fight Night odds for main card
Dustin Poirier (-220) vs. Dan Hooker (+180)
Mike Perry (-340) vs. Mickey Gall (+270)
Brendan Allen (-300) vs. Kyle Daukaus (+240)
Maurice Greene (-220) vs. Gian Villante (+180)
Luis Pena (-260) vs. Khama Worthy (+210)
