With Khabib Nurmagomedov and Robert Whittaker out until later this year, both of their divisions will get interim champions this weekend.
The UFC has shown once again that they wait for no one when it comes to title fights. This weekend’s UFC 236 in Atlanta, GA will feature not one, but two interim title bouts. Kelvin Gastelum taking on Israel Adesanya for the interim middleweight title in the co-main event and Dustin Poirier taking on current featherweight champion Max Holloway for the interim lightweight title. While one may want to bet if winning an interim belt will get these fighters the next title shot, we look at the odds for who will win the Main and Co-Main Events.
In the co-main event Israel Adesanya opens up as the -175 favorite against power puncher Kelvin Gastelum who opened a respectable +145. This is vintage speed vs power matchup, not that one man lacks either. Adesanya is known is known as “The Last Stylebender” for a reason. His speed, flow, and unique style in the cage is what has made him such a fan favorite. Gastelum on the other hand is known for his bull like mentality and explosive hands. This matchup reminds me a lot of Conor vs Aldo stylistically. The question is will we get similar results.
The main event has all the makings of being something special as Dustin Poirier finally gets his shot at gold, while Max Holloway looks to extend his winning streak and add “Champ Champ” to his list of accomplishments. Experts at SBD have Max Holloway as a heavy -250 favorite over Dustin Poirier (+195). While Poirier submitted Holloway back in 2012, Holloway was getting the better of the standup in the first fight, has improved greatly as a striker since then, and now has elite takedown defense. Unless Poirier can take the rematch to the ground, he may not be able to work through the striking arsenal of Holloway as he did in the first fight.
Max Holloway at -250 is the biggest favorite on the main card with Israel Adesanya being second at -175. Here are the complete odds for Saturday nights main card.
· Max Holloway (-250) vs Dustin Poirier (+195)
· Kelvin Gastelum (+145) Vs Israel Adesanya (-175)
· Eryk Anders (-170) VS Khalil Rountree Jr. (+150)
· Alan Jouban (-120) VS Dwight Grant (+100)
· Ovince Saint Preux (-105) VS Nikita Krylov (-115
All the fights go down at UFC 236 on Saturday, April 13, 2019, live from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Main event starts at 10 p.m. ET LIVE on Pay-Per-View exclusively through ESPN+. Stick with MMANews for all your fight analysis and result needs
