Punting tips & free bets for UFC Fight Night Poirier vs. Johnson

Sunday, September 18 from 12pm at Hidalgo, Texas.

NOW that the failed CM Punk experiment is behind us, we can get down to brass tacks and concentrate on some real UFC brawlers.

UFC Fight Night 94, held in Hidalgo, Texas, is almost upon us.

Let’s have a look at the top three fights of the night.

Poirier vs Johnson

This lightweight pairing matches seventh-ranked Dustin Poirier against tenth-ranked Michael Johnson.

All the stats between these two point toward one result.

Poirier has a record of 20-4-0, while Johnson holds a professional record of 17-10-0. Johnson has lost more than a third of his fights, while Poirier has lost less than a fifth of his bouts.

Dustin Poirier has won 12 of his 20 victories in the first round, which is something to keep in mind when having a punt on this fight. Poirier has only lost one fight in the last three years and that was to the one and only Conor McGregor.

Michael Johnson is 30 years old in comparison to Poirier’s 27 years. Poirier is on the upswing, while Johnson is on the downswing. Johnson has suffered four losses from his last eight starts. Another loss here might bring his career to an end.

Johnson’s last fight was in December 2015 – a loss to Nate Diaz that went the whole way and ended in a Diaz decision. Johnson hasn’t fought in the eight months since. It’s hard to say whether that plays in his favour or not.

WilliamHill.com.au sees this fight heading the same way I do. They have Poirier at $1.62 and Johnson at $2.25. Even still, I think there is good value in the $1.62 on offer. Poirier could be the safest bet of the night at those odds.

Our tip: Back Poirer to win at $1.62 with WilliamHill.com.au

Hall vs Brunson

This middleweight fight look to be a tight one on paper.

Uriah Hall is the ninth-ranked middleweight fighter, while Derek Brunson is the tenth-ranked. They have somewhat similar professional records too, with Hall on 13-6-0 and Brunson on 15-3-0.

Hall has been out of the game for almost a year, not setting foot in the octagon since his November 2015 loss to Robert Whittaker. Some would say the time between fights might leave him a little slow and rusty around the edges. Hopefully for the sake of this fight, it has left him hungry for blood and training like a man possessed.

Hall has proven throughout his career that he has an amazing repertoire of moves at his disposal, from flying knees to spinning switch kicks and even a suplex.

Brunson is riding high on the back of four straight wins in the UFC. Eleven of Brunson’s 15 wins have come in the first round and his last three wins have come from TKO’s due to punches. These are facts to keep in mind when having a punt on this fight.

SportsBet.com.au sees this as a pretty one-sided affair with Brunson at $1.54 and Hall at $2.45 and it is almost a little hard to argue with them. Hall might pull an upset, but I kind of doubt it. Hall has been out of the game for too long, while Brunson has momentum on his side.

Our tip: Back Brunson to win at $1.54 at Sportsbet.com.au

Dunham vs Glenn

Evan Dunhamm holds a professional record of 16-6-0, while Glenn boasts a pro record of 18-3-1. This fight represents Glenn’s first UFC dust-up.

Dunham is coming off three straight UFC wins, so he has momentum going into this fight. Glenn is going into this fight with three consecutive wins under his belt, but they are not UFC wins, and we know UFC is a completely different kettle of fish.

CrownBet.com.au has this as the most lopsided of the top three fights of the night, with Dunham taking odds of $1.33 and Rick Glenn fetching the price of $3.35.

It wouldn’t be completely surprising to see an upset in this one. Glenn may not have UFC experience, but he does have form. I would go so far as to say Rick Glenn might be a bit of a smokey to steal his maiden UFC win here.

Our tip: Take Rick Glenn as our smokey at $3.35 at Crownbet.com.au