Oliveira vs. Gaethje UFC 274 Betting: Is Oliveira still the pick after missing weight & losing belt?

UFC 274 is the next event on the MMA promotion’s schedule and it’s slated to go down on Saturday, May 7 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Although there are several fights worth looking forward to at the event, most eyes will be on the main event between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje.

The main event bout was initially supposed to mark Oliveira’s second UFC Lightweight Championship defense as he looks to continue dominating the division. However, after missing weight in Friday’s weigh-in, Oliveria was stripped of his title belt.

As a result, Gaethje is the only fighter who can claim the belt in this matchup.

It isn’t easy to keep track of everything before the UFC 274 main event, which is why this guide has everything you need to know, from both fighters’ recent history to the latest betting odds.

Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje Fight Odds (as of Saturday, May 7)

Odds are via our top reviewed and recommended sportsbooks.

BetOnline Sportsbook

• Charles Oliveira -144
• Justin Gaethje +122

Bovada Sportsbook

• Charles Oliveira -165
• Justin Gaethje +140

BetUS

• Charles Oliveira -175
• Justin Gaethje +135

MyBookie

• Charles Oliveira -170
• Justin Gaethje +140

BetMGM

• Charles Oliveira -165
• Justin Gaethje +135

Oliveira Looks to Win After Missing Weight in Pre-Fight Weigh-In

Oliveira has quickly made himself one of the most popular names in UFC to watch these days.

The 32-year-old Brazilian has been nothing short of dominant lately, winning each of his last 10 outings in a row. He’s defeated impressive opponents over that stretch, earning multiple accolades along the way, however, his crowning moment came at UFC 262.

In front of a packed Toyota Center crowd in Houston, TX back in May 2021, Oliveira knocked Michael Chandler out 19 seconds into the second round to claim the vacant lightweight championship.

Oliveira has only fought once since then, successfully defending his title against former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier. The champ for his opponent to submit to rear-naked chokehold in the third round, cementing his place at the top of the division.

Gaethje will, no doubt, pose a challenge for Oliveira at UFC 274, but the latter has proven that he can handle the best that the lightweight division has to offer.

Oliveira’s game plan will likely involve going for the submission victory, as usual. His 15 submission wins are the most in UFC history for a reason and he’s won six of his last 10 fights by making his opponents either tap or pass out.

Considering how Gaethje’s last loss came by submission, it makes all of the sense in the world for Oliveira to try and accomplish the same in the UFC 274 main event.

Can Gaethje Pull Off the Upset at UFC 274?

Although he’s the betting underdog entering this fight, Gaethje has done plenty to prove that he stands a fighting chance at UFC 274.

He’s been quite impressive in his recent outings, going 5-1 in his last six fights. On top of that, four of those five victories have come by KO or TKO and have earned ‘Performance of the Night’ honors in three of them.

One of those bouts saw Gaethje knock Tony Ferguson out to become the interim UFC Lightweight Champion. Unfortunately, he went on to lose his championship by technical submission to the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254.

Gaethje managed to rebound from that loss, defeating Michael Chandler by unanimous decision at UFC 268, earning ‘Fight of the Night’ in the process. Now, the former looks to build on that momentum at UFC 274.

It obviously is going to be difficult to beat Oliveira, who has beaten most of the fighters that the lightweight division has to offer. He hasn’t come close to losing lately, which is why Gaethje must give it his all.

The odds are close, though, so don’t be surprised if Gaethje does give Oliveira a run for his money.

UFC 274 Betting Markets for Oliveira vs. Gaethje

Although the aforementioned betting odds point to who’s likely to win at UFC 274, they don’t exactly paint the full picture. Thankfully, expanded markets on BetOnline Sportsbook do help in that regard.

BetOnline Sportsbook is listing Oliveira’s most likely method of victory being submission at +155 odds.

This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering how 20 of his 32 career victories have come by submission. That includes 15 of his 20 since joining UFC.

With Gaethje losing to Nurmagomedov by submission only two fights ago, the door is clearly open for Oliveira to repeat history.

Meanwhile, Gaethje’s likeliest method of victory is winning by KO or TKO at +210 odds. Oliveira has been knocked out three times in his career, however, that last instance occurred in 217. Needless to say, it’ll be easier said than done.

Oliveira vs. Gaethje Fight Prediction

Although the odds imply that this fight could be a close one, and there is the potential that the now-former champ’s head might not be in the fight after missing weight, I’m still expecting Oliveira to defeat Gaethje.

As for the best bet, I’m willing to take Oliveira winning by submission at +160 odds on BetOnline. He may not be Nurmagomedov, but I have no doubt that he can make Gaethje tap out at some point during their collision.

UFC 274 Event Details: Location, Time & How to Watch

When and where is UFC 274?

UFC 274 will take place on Saturday, May 2, 2022, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

What time does UFC 274 start?

• UFC 274 Early Prelims Start Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
• UFC 274 Prelims Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
• Start Time of UFC 274’s Main Card: 10 p.m. ET

How can I watch UFC 274?

The early prelims will be available on the UFC Fight Pass+, while the prelims will be available on both ESPN and ESPN+, and the main card will be available via pay-per-view (which can be ordered through the ESPN+ app).

Other UFC 274 Content

• UFC 274 Full Fight Card, Odds, Date/Start Time, How to Watch