The UFC is back on the road, hitting Phoenix, Arizona, with an event that features two championship bouts. Charles Oliveria will defend his belt against Justin Gaethje in the men’s lightweight division, and there’s also the women’s strawweight title fight between Rose Namajunas and challenger Carla Esparza. Get up-to-date odds and pre-fight info for all main card bouts at the latest UFC event.
UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje
- Date: Saturday, May 7
- Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, United States
- Early Prelims: 5:30 PM ET
- Prelims: 8:00 PM ET
- Main Card: 10:00 PM ET
- How to Watch: View on ESPN+ or with the UFC Fight Pass
Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje – UFC Fight Odds
The current two best fighters in the lightweight division will meet in the Octagon for the first time at UFC 274. This championship bout is set for five rounds and will be Charles Oliveria’s second defense of the belt he picked up at UFC 262.
The current champion claimed the title with a second-round knockout against Michael Chandler last May. Since then, he successfully defended his spot at the top against Dustin Poirier with a third-round submission win. Now it’s time for him to face the striking powers of Gaethje.
“It’s hard to tell. I mean, it could go either way. The way I see it is Oliveira has more tools in terms of how he can win the fight. But, Gaethje, never can count him out. He’s just so durable, and he hits so hard.” – Georges St-Pierre.
The Brazilian phenom hasn’t lost a fight since facing Paul Felder back in 2017. From then on, Oliveira has had ten-straight wins – showcasing exceptional jiu-jitsu and striking power with a mix of stoppage wins by submission and knockouts. Only one victory from this ten-win streak has come from the judges, and that was against Tony Ferguson at UFC 256.
Charles Oliveria is an inch shorter than the challenger, but surprisingly he has a four-inch reach advantage. The 32-year-old has a 91% finishing rate with his 20 submission wins and nine professional knock-outs. Also, the pair have shared competition, with Oliveria having the edge as he has bested Poirer, whereas Gaethje suffered a knockout when facing him. All of these factors make Oliveira a favorite at -160 when looking at the odds.
Plenty of big names in the MMA world has commented on this matchup, including Georges St-Pierre, who said, “It’s hard to tell. I mean, it could go either way. The way I see it is Oliveira has more tools in terms of how he can win the fight. But, Gaethje, never can count him out. He’s just so durable, and he hits so hard.”
Gaethje was once the interim champion after beating Tony Ferguson in May 2020. Once Khabib Nurmagomedov was back in action, he was stripped of this short-lived title after a second-round submission loss to Khabib at UFC 254. Since then, the undefeated Khabib has retired, and the lightweight division has a new guard for Gaethje to pass.
The 33-year-old last fought in the Octagon against Michael Chandler in November, at UFC 268. The epic three-round fight went the distance, with Gaethje winning unanimously – that victory set up this number one contender fight.
Justin Gaethje has some great takedown defense and has been readying his wrestling with the welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman. This will likely be in preparation for stuffing Oliveira’s takedown attempts to keep things standing.
Gaethje has an 87% finishing rate, with 18 professional knockouts in his highlight reel. The contender won five of his last six fights, with four coming from knockout finishes. Expect this to be the Fight Of The Night, with both fighters at the peak of their careers and showcasing some exceptional skillsets.
| Charles Oliveira | vs | Justin Gaethje |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | Age | 33 |
| 41 | Fights | 26 |
| 32 | Wins | 23 |
| 8 | Losses | 3 |
| 9 | KO’s | 18 |
| 20 | Subs | 2 |
| 5′ 10 | Height (feet) | 5′ 11 |
| 74 | Reach (inches) | 70 |
| 155.00 | Weight (lbs) | 155.60 |
| Win | Last Fight | Win |
Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza 2 – UFC Fight Odds
This co-main event is another five-round championship bout between two of the most intense female competitors in the UFC. This will be the second time the pair has met, with both Namajunas and Esparza entering the UFC through the Ultimate Fighter 20 finale. Carla Esparza bested Rose Namajunas back then in 2014 with a third-round submission.
Rose Namajunas first won the belt in 2017 against Joana Jedrzejczyk but lost it in May of 2019 to Jessica Andrade. She then came back to win the rematch against Andrade, but the belt had changed hands in the meantime. She would have to wait until April of last year to face off with Zhang Weili to reclaim her place at the top – which she did in style, with a first-round head-kick knockout.
Namajunas’ last fight at UFC 268 was as close as it gets. Defending her belt in a rematch against Weili, the pair battled for all five rounds before the judges favored Thug Rose in a split decision.
Rose Namajunas towers four inches above the challenger but will only take a two-inch reach advantage into the Octagon. The 29-year-old is five years younger than her opponent and carries a 64% finishing rate, with two knockout wins and eight submissions to her name. All of this, paired with her riding a three-fight win streak, means she enters as a sizable favorite.
Carla Esparza was the inaugural strawweight champion eight years ago and will now have her second shot at wearing the coveted belt. She has climbed the rankings to earn the number two spot with a five-fight win streak that includes wins against Michelle Waterson and Marina Rodriguez.
The Cookie Monster will look to use her grappling proficiency to get the advantage in this matchup but will need to be wary of Namajunas’ submission talents.
The Californian has a 34% finishing rate, with three knockout wins and six submissions from 27 fights. This means most of her wins come from grinding her opponents down and winning by points. Therefore, she will need some great cardio to last in the championship rounds against the champ.
| Rose Namajunas | vs | Carla Esparza |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | Age | 34 |
| 18 | Fights | 27 |
| 11 | Wins | 18 |
| 4 | Losses | 6 |
| 2 | KO’s | 3 |
| 8 | Subs | 6 |
| 5′ 5 | Height (feet) | 5′ 1 |
| 65 | Reach (inches) | 63 |
| 115.00 | Weight (lbs) | 116.00 |
| Win | Last Fight | Win |
Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson – UFC Fight Odds
Another big-name matchup from the lightweight division will be showcased on the weekend. With both fighters looking to re-gather their statures at the top of the rankings after suffering losing streaks.
Michael Chandler has suffered two recent losses against the competitors of the main event of the night: Oliveira and Gaethje. The UFC might be new to Chandler, but he transitioned from Bellator last year after fighting the most formidable competitors in that championship.
The former Bellator champion made an impressive UFC debut, knocking out Dan Hooker in round one at UFC 257. He got a title shot just a few months later but fell short despite a dominant first-round performance.
The 36-year-old matches up pretty evenly with his opponent. He has a 78% finishing rate with ten knockouts and seven submission wins. While he is the younger fighter by a few years, he will have to overcome Ferguson’s reach advantage. The bookmakers think he will come out on top and have Iron Chandler as a favorite to win.
Tony Ferguson has also lost to the two main event fighters that are battling for the lightweight throne. This, coupled with a loss against Beneil Dariush in May of last year, means Ferguson is on a three-fight losing streak.
Previous to those losses, El Cucuy was on a 12-fight winning streak. He even picked up the interim title against Kevin Lee back in 2017. Sadly though, Ferguson never faced Khabib during this epic win streak, despite the matchup being organized five times.
The 38-year-old will be feeling the pressure to turn things around and remain in the top ten rankings with a win against Chandler.
| Michael Chandler | vs | Tony Ferguson |
|---|---|---|
| 35 | Age | 38 |
| 29 | Fights | 34 |
| 22 | Wins | 25 |
| 7 | Losses | 6 |
| 10 | KO’s | 14 |
| 7 | Subs | 9 |
| 5′ 8 | Height (feet) | 5′ 11 |
| 71.5 | Reach (inches) | 76 |
| 155.20 | Weight (lbs) | 156.00 |
| Loss | Last Fight | Loss |
Mauricio Rua vs. Ovince Saint Preux – UFC Fight Odds
This light-weight matchup will feature two long-time rivals with a score to settle from eight years ago. The first time they fought, Saint Preux was the victor, and he will enter as the favorite for a repeat performance.
Mauricio Rua hasn’t fought in 18 months since losing in a rematch against Paul Craig at UFC 255. Before that, the Brazilian hit some good form, losing just one in seven fights.
Shogun Rua has an 82% finishing rate, with 21 knockouts and one submission win. While neither of these fighters is near contention for top-ranking spots, Rua will undoubtedly want to settle the score against OSP.
Ovince Saint Preux has just two wins from his last seven fights. The Haitian suffered his most recent losses at the hands of Jamahal Hill and Tanner Boser – both of whom knocked him out in the second round.
Despite this record, St. Preux is a sizable favorite to beat Rua on the night. This could be because the last time they met, the referee stopped the fight after 34 seconds – with OSP catching Rua with a quick left and finishing things against the cage.
The 40-year-old has an 80% finishing rate that’s made up of 11 knockout wins and nine submissions. This coupled with a four-inch reach advantage for the taller fighter makes him the bookmakers’ pick to win the bout.
| Mauricio Rua | vs | Ovince Saint Preux |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | Age | 40 |
| 41 | Fights | 40 |
| 25 | Wins | 27 |
| 16 | Losses | 12 |
| 11 | KO’s | 21 |
| 9 | Subs | 1 |
| 6′ 3 | Height (feet) | 6′ 0 |
| 80 | Reach (inches) | 76 |
| 205.50 | Weight (lbs) | 230.00 |
| Loss | Last Fight | Loss |
Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon – UFC Fight Odds
A win for the Cowboy on the weekend would see him surpass the all-time win record in the UFC with 24 victories. This fight was initially supposed to go ahead at the last UFC Fight Night, but it was moved forward to UFC 274.
Donald Cerrone has been a centerpiece of the UFC for as long as many fight fans can remember. There aren’t many that don’t like this fearless fighter, but he is now on the worst run of his career, after losing five fights in a row.
Despite this poor form from the Cowboy, he is still a favorite to come out on top in this bout. He has a two-inch reach advantage and lands 4.43 significant strikes per minute, which towers above his opponents’ 2.84 statistic.
This fight promises to kick off the main event in style. Both fighters have had plenty of epic battles in their careers and don’t shy away from a bruising war for a second.
This will be Joe Lauzon’s first time in the Octagon in over two and a half years. His last fight in October 2019 saw him knockout Jonathan Pierce in the first round.
The 37-year-old shoots more takedown (TDs) attempts than Cerrone – with 2.39 TDs per 15 minutes. So this will likely be part of the game plan to get a win for Lauzon.
While both fighters aren’t in title contention, they have plenty to battle for in the Octagon. Lauzon will want to start his comeback decisively, and we will either see a new UFC record or a possible retirement announcement from the Cowboy.
| Donald Cerrone | vs | Joe Lauzon |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | Age | 37 |
| 54 | Fights | 46 |
| 36 | Wins | 28 |
| 16 | Losses | 15 |
| 10 | KO’s | 9 |
| 17 | Subs | 19 |
| 6′ 1 | Height (feet) | 5′ 10 |
| 73 | Reach (inches) | 71 |
| 170.00 | Weight (lbs) | 153.00 |
| Loss | Last Fight | Win |
Preliminary Fights
- Randy Brown vs. Khaos Williams (welterweight bout)
- Macy Chiasson vs. Norma Dumont (women’s featherweight bout)
- Brandon Royval vs. Matt Schnell (flyweight bout)
- Blagoy Ivanov vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (heavyweight bout)
Early prelims
- Francisco Trinaldo vs. Danny Roberts (welterweight bout)
- Tracy Cortez vs. Melissa Gatto (women’s flyweight bout)
- Kleidison Rodrigues vs. CJ Vergara (flyweight bout)
View the latest betting odds for all upcoming UFC fights.
Based in California, James William writes about golf, tennis, UFC and the (sometimes complicated) world of betting on sports. A big lover of live poker, James also takes care of casino reviews for Vegas-Odds.com.
