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The changing of the guard is in full swing as two UFC vets accustomed to being favorites have opened as underdogs for their upcoming fights.
It was announced Sunday night that Charles Oliveira will take on Arman Tsarukyan on the UFC 300 loaded card while Dustin Poirier will do battle against Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299.
Tsarukyan knocked out Beneil Dariush in 64 seconds in the main event of UFC Austin his last fight.
Tsarukyan was hoping his big win over Dariush would help propel him to a shot at Islam Makhachev.
“Islam had same situation,” Tsarukyan said on The MMA Hour. “He never beat top-five fighters before he fought for the title. Hopefully, I’ll already be No. 4. That’s why I’m waiting for a call from my manager and he’s going to be like, ‘Arman, you’re fighting for the title.’ This is the best-case scenario for me.”
“[Oliveira] pulled out from the last fight, beat Dariush, and lost to Islam,” Tsarukyan added. “It’s like 99 percent he’s going to lose to Islam. If they want to see that fight, go ahead, but if they want to see new generation, new fighter, they’ve got to put me on that fight. I’m going to show the world who is the best in our division. I’m going to give him the [most] competitive fight of his life.”
Poirier, a former interim lightweight champion, has lost two of his three most recent fights.
BetOnline set odds for each of the bouts Monday morning, and both of the youngsters are favored.
Fight Odds
Dustin Poirier +130
Benoit Saint-Denis -150
Charles Oliveira +170
Arman Tsarukyan -200
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
