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MAX HOLLOWAY VS. DUSTIN POIRIER OPENING BETTING ODDS FOR UFC 236

Even a bombshell dropped on the MMA world late Friday evening, when ESPN’s Brett Okamoto revealed that UFC president Dana White affirmed to him that there’ll be an interim lightweight title at stake at UFC 236. In one corner will be high lightweight contender Dustin Poirier, while at the other corner UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will stand, looking to join the select few UFC fighters that have won belts in two weight classes. Below, I will give my initial thoughts on the struggle, and also what it means for the lightweight division.
Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway, UFC 236
Poirier and Holloway will fulfill in the primary event of UFC 236 for the interim lightweight title. The card takes place April 13 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The co-main occasion of this card is an interim middleweight title bout between Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum, meaning two fresh UFC champions will be crowned that night.
Before I get into the actual matchup between Poirier and Holloway, I have to talk about what this implies for the remaining lightweight division. Obviously, the decision to create an interim title usually means the advertising expects UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov to be outside in the sidelines for a while. Really, he is scheduled to return in the oldest in November due to his suspension coming out of the post-fight brawl at UFC 226. It’s possible the UFC doesn’t even believe he will return before the end of the season is up, and the branch obviously needs to keep going around.
The fighter who has hurt the most with this information is clearly Tony Ferguson, who’s on an 11-fight win series and who was the former interim title holder this past year until he slipped on a TV cable and blew out his knee. Ferguson returned late last year at UFC 226 having a TKO win over Anthony Pettis and many figured he would be the next competitor for Nurmagomedov. But according to White, Ferguson turned down an interim title fight with Holloway, and Poirier jumped in and took his spot instead. What this means for Ferguson moving forward remains to be seen, but considering what happened to Colby Covington along with the welterweight division, it seems the UFC has already moved on.
As far as the Poirier vs. Holloway fight goes, it is an great matchup, and actually a rematch since the two formerly fought UFC 143 back in 2012, with Poirier beating Holloway by entry. Obviously, that was Holloway’s UFC debut and he is a very different fighter now. So is Poirier. They’re both would be the top of their various games and this rematch ought to be amazing. Poirier (24-5, 1 NC) is unbeaten over his last five fights and is coming off of a TKO win over Eddie Alvarez. Holloway (20-3) is on a 13-fight win series and knocked out Brian Ortega in his final struggle. Both men are truly at the top of their game right now and this should be an wonderful fight.
The offshore sportsbooks dropped the opening gambling odds for the fight, with Holloway launching as a -230 betting favorite, with the comeback on Poirier in +170. The early betting action has come in on Holloway, however awarded Poirier’s previous win more than him I anticipate some action to come in his way sooner or later or another. Either way, the sportsbooks can expect a large deal with this battle, which claims to be among the most-anticipated bouts of this year.
In addition to Poirier vs. Holloway, UFC 236 additionally features an interim middleweight title bout between Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum. You can check out my thoughts on the opening line for this bout here.
Opening Betting Odds
UFC 236:
April 13, 2019
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Main Event — Interim Lightweight Title
Max Holloway -230
Dustin Poirier +170
CLICK BELOW TO BET ON UFC 236

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