Oliveira is the king of UFC finishes, holding the record for most finishes in UFC history with 17. Oliveira has gone to decision just three times in 28 total UFC fights and has finished roughly 90% of his UFC wins. Most of Oliveira’s finishes are submissions, and he is also the UFC submission king, holding the record for most wins via submission in UFC history with 14. Oliveira is a BJJ black belt and uses his jiu jitsu for potent offense, actively hunting submissions during his fights, even when he has his opponent hurt from strikes.
Oliveira is also a good striker and has pop. Oliveira has showcased this pop recently, finishing three of his last five fights by TKO/KO. All of Oliveira’s UFC wins by KO/TKO have come within his last five fights, which shows that his striking has developed. Oliveira has not lost a fight in four years, going a perfect 9-0 with eight finishes over that stretch.
Oliveira has a tough matchup against Dustin Poirier. Poirier’s only loss since 2016 was to the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov, and he had several impressive wins during that span over top fighters like Conor McGregor, Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje. Poirier is very well-rounded, has strong cardio and does not have any major weaknesses.
Despite the tough matchup, this fight is probably more even than the betting odds indicate. Oliveira is the underdog, so betting Oliveira to win on the moneyline gives bettors a plus-money bet. Poirier has been finished four times in the UFC, so there is also an avenue for a finish for the king of UFC finishes.