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UFC on ESPN 12: Poirier vs Hooker Odds, Picks & Betting Preview

Cole Shelton

by Cole Shelton in Mixed Martial Arts News

Updated Jun 22, 2020 · 8:09 AM PDT

UFC on ESPN 12
In the main event of UFC on ESPN 12, Dustin Poirier battles Dan Hooker
  • Dustin Poirier fights for the first time since losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov for the belt
  • Mike Perry battles Mickey Gall in a fun co-main event fight
  • See the odds, picks, and betting preview for the full UFC on ESPN 12 card below

The UFC holds its final event at the Apex Gym in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 27th before heading off to Fight Island for the month of July.

In the main event, top five lightweights collide as Dustin Poirier looks to return to the win column when he battles streaking contender Dan Hooker. The co-main event features a really fun welterweight bout between the always exciting Mike Perry and Mickey Gall.

UFC on ESPN 12 airs live on ESPN at 8 p.m. EST. The table below shows odds for the entire main card at two different sportsbooks, followed by best bets for the event.

UFC on ESPN 12 Odds

Fighter Book 1 Odds Book 2 Odds
Dustin Poirier -210 -200
Dan Hooker +170 +170
Fighter Odds Odds
Mike Perry -300 -275
Mickey Gall +230 +235
Fighter Odds Odds
Brendan Allen -285 -265
Kyle Daukaus +225 +225
Fighter Odds Odds
Maurice Greene -225 -220
Gian Villante +175 +185
Fighter Odds Odds
Luis Pena -285 -270
Khama Worthy +225 +230

Odds taken June 22nd

Can Dan Hooker Become the #1 Contender?

Dustin Poirier (25-6) is coming off a third-round submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov back at UFC 242 last September. Before that, “The Diamond” beat Max Holloway at UFC 236 to win the interim lightweight strap.

The Louisiana native has been a top contender at lightweight for years now with wins over former champions in Eddie Alvarez, Anthony Pettis, and now interim lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje.

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Dan Hooker (20-8) is riding a very impressive three-fight winning streak after his split-decision win over Paul Felder in the main event of UFC Auckland. After the win, he called out Poirier and has gotten his wish.

When the fight was announced, Poirier opened as a -165 favorite and was subsequently bet up to a line of around -200, which is where it should’ve been from the jump.

This fight is crucial for the lightweight division as the winner could very well be one win away from a title shot, or depending on the outcome of Nurmagomedov-Gaethje, they could get the next title shot.

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This fight should remain standing for the most part, as I don’t see either shooting for a takedown. On the feet, Hooker will have a two-and-half inch reach advantage, but I believe Poirier can close the distance and use his tremendous boxing abilities to gain the upper hand.

Once he closes the distance, Poirier will mix up strikes to the body and head as he did to Gaethje, along with the leg kicks to hurt the Kiwi and score a third or fourth-round TKO win. It should be a tremendous fight, but I just think Poirier is the better boxer and Hooker won’t have the power to put him away.

Pick: Dustin Poirier (-200)

Poirier vs Hooker

Poirier
VS
Hooker
31 Age 30
5’9″ Height 6’0″
73″ Reach 75.5″
11 UFC finishes 8

Will Perry Snap His Losing Streak?

Mike Perry (13-6) is on a two-fight losing streak and this could very well be do-or-die for his UFC career. He is just 6-6 overall but 2-5 in his last seven.

The results have come against top competition like Geoff Neal, Vicente Luque among others, and has notable UFC wins over Paul Felder and Alex Oliveira.

Mickey Gall (6-2) returned to the win column last time out with a decision win over Salim Touhari. Before that, he suffered a TKO loss to Diego Sanchez. Gall was once considered a top prospect but lost some hype with the losses to Sanchez and Randy Brown and the lackluster win over Touhari.

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Although neither Perry nor Gall are near the welterweight rankings, this fight has a lot of people talking as it should be a very exciting bout. On the feet, Perry is the better striker and has more power, but Gall will have the ground advantage with his slick jiu-jitsu – where we have seen “Platinum” be submitted before.

Right now, the line is too steep to bet Perry and I think people will start betting Gall at this price. So, if you like Perry as I do, I’d wait to bet as we’re banking on a mid-round TKO. But, if you like Gall, I think you need to bet now before the line moves.

Ultimately, I don’t think Gall will be able to keep up with Perry’s boxing and he will get caught and finished via ground and pound.

Pick: Mike Perry (-275)

Other UFC on ESPN 12 Picks

  • Brendan Allen (-265): Daukaus is taking this fight on short notice where Allen is better on the feet and on the ground and I think he will earn a stoppage win.
  • Maurice Greene (-220): Green is a massive heavyweight while Villante is a light heavyweight moving up. Greene should be able to TKO Villante, but I wouldn’t recommend betting this fight.
  • Luis Pena (-270): Pena is a better striker and will piece up Worthy to get back into the win column with a decision win.
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