There is no UFC gold on the line in Salt Lake City this weekend, instead it will be silver.
The BMF title will go to someone other than Jorge Masvidal with a cracking card of fights taking place right across the board.
Our full UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje Tips & Preview.
Dustin Poirier vs Justin Gaethje
Tip: Fight To End in KO/TKO @ $1.62
There’s only a handful of times a year when the match-makers dish up a certified banger and the main event at UFC 291 this weekend fits this profile perfectly.
If you need any convincing that this fight will be an absolute war that is packed full of excitement and drama, go back and watch the first meeting between these two warriors in April 2018.
Dustin Poirier won that fight via TKO in the fourth round and the careers of both men since have taken an eerily similar trajectory.
Both men have gone on to win the UFC interim lightweight title and both have failed on two occasions to claim the unified belt.
Not only did they lose to the same opponents in Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira, those are their only losses since they met in 2018.
They have 53 wins between them with 42 finishes meaning the judges have only been required in 11 of their combined fights.
Neither fighter takes a backward step or shirks the issue when the going gets tough and the intensity and output of both men is a credit to themselves as combat sport athletes.
Fitness is not an issue for either of them and the volume of strikes that both men produce has me confident that if someone is not separated from their consciousness, they fight will end in a TKO from damage during the five rounds.
Whichever way you are playing, buckle in.
Jan Blachowicz vs Alex Pereira
Tip: Jan Blachowicz @ $1.83
Two former UFC champions go head to head in the co-main event.
Jan Blachowicz originally won the belt against Dominick Reyes in 2020, defended once and then lost Glover Teixeira via submission.
He failed when given the opportunity to win the vacated belt in December after a split draw against Magomed Ankalaev and he will be keen to atone for this performance to put himself back in the title picture now Jamahal Hill is injured.
Alex Pereira rose to prominence in the UFC at an quick rate and after just three wins in the promotion, he was given a title shot against Israel Adesanya.
He continued his dominance over his old kickboxing rival, securing UFC gold and winning the middleweight belt via fifth round TKO.
After losing the rematch however, he has decided to move up a division which seems more his natural weight class.
The Brazilian’s strengths are obvious, are grounded in his striking abilities and in particular that vicious left hook that was so successful against Izzy.
Blachowicz has the blue print to beat a pure striker as we all saw when he welcomed Adesanya to the Light Heavyweight division with wrestling and grappling abilities.
No one has challenged Alex Pereira on the canvas and this is the pathway to victory not withstanding his dangerous striking that he possesses himself.
Bobby Green vs Tony Ferguson
Tip: Tony Ferguson by Decision @ $7.50
Two veterans of MMA go head to head in what looms as a definitive moment in both of their careers.
Bobby Green made is professional MMA debut in January of 2008 and his first UFC fight was in 2013 at UFC 156.
He has over twice as many wins as he does losses and his hand has been raised 29 times in 45 bouts.
Wins over Al Iaquinta and Nasrat Haqparest gave him the opportunity to step in late notice against now lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, a fight that he lost in the first round.
Combat sports is an unforgiving and often times unfair sport and this is none more evident than when a fighter comes to the end of his career.
And after five losses in a row, Tony Ferguson is at the end.
Once upon a time he put together one of the best win streaks in the division with 12 wins in a row which included the interim title.
Us fight fans all have our opinions and I am very careful not to judge an athlete too harshly toward the end of their career when they start to fade.
Having said that, Ferguson’s career has no doubt taken a massive hit during this five fight losing streak which includes losses to Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler and Nate Diaz.
Credit must be given to him for continuing to take top opponents and I’m glad he has opted for a step back in competition by facing Bobby Green.
He looked really good in the first round against Michael Chandler before that vicious head kick, only the second KO loss of his entire career and he made it to the fourth round against Diaz.
We clearly don’t have the best version of Tony Ferguson but he is crafty and I’d love to see him take the fight to the canvas at times to mix things up.
All the money is for Bobby Green which is understandable, but the discrepancy in price has gone too far in my opinion.
I’m willing to have a throw at the stumps and hope that Ferguson proves there are levels to this game regardless of his recent performances.