Chael Sonnen can’t fathom the betting odds for Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint-Denis.
Poirier (29-8 MMA, 21-7 UFC) meets rising contender Saint-Denis (13-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in a five-round co-main event at UFC 299 on March 9 at Kaseya Center in Miami.
According to DraftKings, Saint-Denis is -135 favorite, meaning a $135 bet would be needed on the Frenchman to return a $100 profit. Poirier is a +114 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the former interim champion would win $114. Sonnen thinks the oddsmakers got it wrong.
“Don’t forget, Poirier’s an underdog, which is a colossal mistake,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “There is no justification for whoever set that line. They had better sit there crossing their fingers that they get that one right because there is nothing by the numbers that they can point to to justify telling DraftKings, my partner, that they should put more money opposite Poirier than for him.
“There is nothing by the numbers, just so you understand this. This is 100 percent predicated on perception that one just got his hand raised at Madison Square Garden and one just got upset in Salt Lake City – and nobody has ever moved a line based on venue placement. That’s what happened here. Madison Square Garden seemed so much more grandiose than Salt Lake City. That is what happened. But either way, Dustin is the underdog.”
Poirier is coming off a knockout loss to Justin Gaethje in their BMF title fight this past July at UFC 291. Meanwhile, Saint-Denis extended his winning streak to five when he knocked out Matt Frevola in the first round at UFC 295.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.
Chael Sonnen: Dustin Poirier being an underdog vs. Benoit Saint-Denis is a ‘colossal mistake’
