Top US sportsbooks improved the champ to a -165 favorite since he opened at -155. Gaethje has dropped to a +135 underdog. This means you must bet $165 on Oliveira to earn potential winnings of $100. Meanwhile a successful $100 wager on Gaethje will produce a $135 payoff.
A couple of UFC championships will be on the line when the UFC stops at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The UFC 274 main event is a battle for the UFC lightweight crown. Champion Charles Oliveira enters the Octagon to meet top-ranked contender Justin Gaethje.
UFC 274 Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje Odds
| Fighters | Odds |
|---|---|
| Charles Oliveira | -165 |
| Justin Gaethje | +135 |
Although he enjoyed a 10-fight winning streak that lifted him to the tippy-top of the lightweight division, Charles Oliveira enters the Octagon with negative odds at the best online sportbooks for just the second time in five matches. He will face the stiffest challenge of his winning streak against Gaethje (+135). He has recorded three finishes before the five minute mark in his current 5-1 stretch.
Do Bronx has cemented himself as a submission artist. He holds the promotional record with 15 submission wins. Including a division-leading nine tap-outs fighting as a lightweight. Despite having impressive mat skilss, Oliveira credits his current success to changing gyms five years ago to concentrate on improving his striking game.
That move has paid off; three of Oliveira’s past five wins were by KO or TKO. Striking was also crucial to his recent win against Dustin Poirier. Oliveira outpaced Screech. He landed 73 significant strikes.
That is by far the most he has landed during his winning streak. Oliveira’s last three fights were Dustin Poirier (won by submission), Michael Chandler (won TKO) and Tony Ferguson (won by unanimous decision).
Gaethje Preview
Gaethje has battled some of the best in the lightweight division during his current 5-1 streak. He came up short in his UFC 254 bouth with Khabib, but “The Highlight” impressed as he recorded first-round finishes over Donald Cerrone, Edson Barboza and James Vick.
The 33-year-old has stacked more paper with bonus money. He claimed Fight of the Night or Performance of the Night bonuses in eight of nine outings since he joined the UFC. Gaethje has a reputation as a striker.
He leads all current lightweights with 7.5 strikes landed per minute. He has a significant strike accuracy rating of 60.1%. However, he should not be underestimated on the ground, what with his background as an NCAA Division I wrestler.
Gaethje’s last three fights were Michael Chandler (won by unanimous decision), Khabib Nurmagomedov (lost by submission) and Tony Ferguson (won by TKO).
Pick: Justin Gaethje (+135).
UFC 274 Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza Odds.
| Fighters | Odds |
|---|---|
| Rose Namajunas | -200 |
| Carla Esparza | +160 |
Rose Namajunas (-200) will aim to defend her UFC women’s strawweight title for the second time. She enters the Octagon as the favorite at top sportsbooks. “Thug Rose” returns to action after she eked out a split-decision win at UFC 268 over Zhang Weili. That was the woman from whom she took the belt with a first-round finish at UFC 261.
Carla Esparza (+160) has been lying low since she extended her current winning streak to five fights with a second-round TKO win against Yan Xiaonan at UFC Fight Night: Font vs Garbrandt. That also was the first time she has finished an opponent since her submission win over Namajunas in 2014.
Pick: Esparza.
Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson Odds
| Fighters | Odds |
|---|---|
| Michael Chandler | -420 |
| Tony Ferguson | +320 |
Michael Chandler (-420) looks to bounce back after he saw a streak of three consecutive first-round finishes ended by straight losses to Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje. Tony Ferguson (+320) is on damage control mode following three straight losses. After he fell to Oliveira and Gaethje, Ferguson lost a unanimous decision to Beneil Dariush at UFC 262.
Pick: Chandler.
