The UFC and Bellator dominate July’s slate of MMA action with PFL taking a one month break before resuming in August for its playoffs. Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier cap off International Fight Week in the first full week of July followed by several other events worth watching and betting online.
UFC 264: Poirier vs McGregor 3
- Date: July 10, 2021
- Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV, USA
- Broadcast: ESPN, PPV
We didn’t have to wait long for the rubber match between Dustin Poirier (27-6-0) and Conor McGregor (22-5-0). This trilogy goes down just six months after Poirier put McGregor down to avenge his loss from 2014. Poirier was an underdog for both fights but now enters this one at a dead pick’em per the UFC odds.
Before they square off, a welterweight tilt pits karate specialist Stephen Thompson (16-4-1) against recent title challenger Gilbert Burns (19-4-0) in what could be a title eliminator for Thompson. A big win for him could see him fight for the belt for the first time since 2017. Thompson is the -155 favorite. Burns is +125.
Bellator 262: Velasquez vs Kielholtz
- Date: July 16, 2021
- Venue: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT, USA
- Broadcast: Showtime
Newly minted Bellator flyweight champion Juliana Velasquez (11-0-0) defends her strap against former kickboxer turned MMA fighter Denise Kielholtz (6-2-0). Expect Velasquez to be a sizable betting favorite here as she uses her superior grappling to make short work of Kielholtz, who is looking to pull a massive upset here.
UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs Moises
- Date: July 17, 2021
- Venue: UFC Apex, Enterprise, NV, USA
- Broadcast: ESPN
Islam Makhachev (19-1-0) returns and takes on Thiago Moises (15-4-0) as a humongous -600 favorite. Moises, who has been a cash cow as an underdog, looks to continue with his run of upsets as he is a +400 dog this time. Miesha Tate (18-7-0) also returns from a five-year hiatus to take on the retiring Marion Reneau (9-7-1).
UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Dillashaw
- Date: July 24, 2021
- Venue: UFC Apex, Enterprise, NV, USA
- Broadcast: ESPN, ESPN+
Speaking of returns, former two-time bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw (16-4-0) will end his two-year layoff against surging contender Cory Sandhagen (14-2-0). Dillashaw will be a slight underdog here as both fighters look to make a statement here and get the next title shot.
UFC Fight Night: Hall vs Strickland
- Date: July 31, 2021
- Venue: UFC Apex, Enterprise, NV, USA
- Broadcast: ESPN, ESPN+
Uriah Hall (17-9-0) and Sean Strickland (23-3-0) square off in a middleweight main event to end the month. Hall and Strickland have both won straight fights and are on the cusp of a title shot. A spectacular win here could push them to the front of the line of a division starving for contenders. Expect the betting lines to be close here.
Bellator 263: Pitbull vs McKee Jr.
- Date: July 31, 2021
- Venue: The Forum, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Broadcast: Showtime
The month ends with a bang with Bellator’s featherweight grand prix finals. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire defends his featherweight title against the unbeaten AJ McKee Jr. (17-0-0). Though Freire will be a betting favorite, McKee has looked unbeatable and this could be the first of many fights between these two phenoms.
More Upcoming MMA Events
This is just UFC and Bellator as far as the mainstream MMA events are concerned for this month. Here are a few more to keep an eye on:
- Titan FC 70 – July 2 · UFC Fight Pass
- LFA 110 – July 2 · UFC Fight Pass
- CFFC 98 – July 3 · UFC Fight Pass
- NFC 134 – July 10 · FloCombat.com
- Ring of Combat 73 – July 17 · FITE
- Fury FC 48 – July 25 · UFC Fight Pass
