Dustin Poirier

Conor McGregor’s UFC 264 Prediction: ‘Dustin’s going out on a stretcher’

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Conor McGregor, UFC

We are just a few days away from UFC 264 and the conclusion of one of the biggest trilogies in the history of the sport. Former two-division world champion Conor McGregor (22-5) and former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC) will battle for the third time.

The series is one a piece with both men earning TKO victories. The last time these two fought was back in January at UFC 257. Conor McGregor started out well using his boxing and won the first round on all three scorecards.

However, Dustin Poirier weathered the storm and came back to score a massive TKO win in the second round. It was the first time in McGregor’s career that he had been stopped by strikes. UFC 257 proved that Dustin Poirier was much different from their first meeting.

Their first meeting took place at UFC 178 with McGregor picking up the first round TKO. That fight took place at featherweight and it was during McGregor’s meteoric rise to the top that saw him capture two world titles.

Today, McGregor sat down with Ariel Helwani to discuss his mindset leading up to UFC 264. McGregor appears more focused than ever and make no mistake about it, he plans on doing some serious damage to the diamond on Saturday night.

Mystic Mac’s UFC 264 Prediction

Despite losing at UFC 257, McGregor isn’t impressed with Dustin Poirier. McGregor said of Poirier, “He’s trembling. Even after the last win Ariel, ‘I don’t like this anymore, I don’t want to do this anymore,’ imagine after your biggest win you saying that. He knows he got electrocuted in both rounds… I had him out on his feet in both rounds.”

As mentioned, McGregor did have a lot of success in the second fight. To be honest, I was incredibly impressed with the durability of Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. The Dustin Poirier that fought McGregor in 2014 wouldn’t have been able to take the shots that he did back in January.

However, this is not the same Dustin Poirier. This Dustin Poirier just might be the best lightweight on the planet now that Khabib Nurmagomedov is retired. That said, McGregor is not impressed and he’s back with his Mystic Mac predictions for UFC 264.

“Dustin’s going out on a stretcher, that’s my prediction. Going out of this fight on a stretcher. I’m not jumping the gun (On whether the fight ends early). I’m ready for it all, but he’s going out on a stretcher.”

Conor McGregor’s UFC 264 Prediction

Winner of UFC 264 main event next for the lightweight title

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dusin porier, conor mcgregor

This weekend we will see one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the year in the main event of UFC 264. The trilogy between Conor McGregor (22-5) and Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC) will come to a close.

The rivalry that started seven years ago will come to a close and there’s a lot on the line. Dana White confirmed yesterday with MMA Junkie that the winner of Saturday night’s main event will fight for the lightweight title next.

The new UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira (30-8, 1 NC) will actually be cageside for the main event. With this new wrinkle added in, arguably the biggest fight of 2021 has just become even bigger.

McGregor and Poirier met for the first time back in 2014 with McGregor getting the first round finish. The two men met again back at UFC 257 for the second time. After a hot start for McGregor, Poirier settled in and earn himself a TKO victory in the second round.

UFC Title Eliminator

The series is even with both men having earned a finish leading into UFC 264. It’s going to be very interesting to see the approaches of both men on Saturday night. For McGregor, his mistake was very clear in the second fight.

I believe that the former two-division UFC champion was extremely confident that he would be able to finish Poirier with his boxing in the first round. However, Poirier was able to absorb the shots and attack McGregor’s lead leg with calf kicks.

With McGregor taking a boxing-heavy style in the second fight, he left his leg there to be compromised. In this third matchup, he’s going to need to return to the old style that he utilized when he was on the rise.

For Poirier, I think it’ll be important just to whether the early storm. Poirier is at his best when the fight gets long and tough. He said last week that he wins a war ten out of ten times against Conor McGregor. It’s going to be an incredible matchup with a ton on the line Saturday night.

Dustin Poirier says that if UFC 264 turns into a war, he wins ‘ten out of ten times’

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Next weekend at UFC 264 we will see the trilogy fight that we’ve been waiting for since January. Former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC) will be taking on former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor (22-5) in the main event.

The two first fought early on in their careers at UFC 178. At the time, McGregor was on his meteoric rise while Poirier was already really established in the UFC. Poirier was expected to be the first big challenge for McGregor and ‘Mystic Mac’ passed with flying colors stopping Poirier in the first round.

Both men went on to achieve great success in their careers. At UFC 257 on Fight Island, their paths crossed with the second time. In the first round, Poirier was able to land an early takedown, but McGregor clearly controlled the striking and won the first round on all cards.

However, Poirier was doing damage to McGregor’s leg that was adding up. McGregor had taken more of a front-leg heavy boxing style and Poirier was throwing heavy calf kicks. In the second round, the kicks became too much and hurt McGregor. Poirier put on the pressure and ultimately stopped McGregor at UFC 257.

Now, the two men will fight for the third and likely final time next Saturday night. Poirier sat down with ESPN this week where he previewed UFC 264. There’s no questioning what Poirier wants next Saturday night. Poirier wants this fight in deep waters and he’s very confident he wins that fight.

A War at UFC 264

Poirier told ESPN, “If I was him, I would try to touch me early and keep me out of rhythm. If this thing starts to blossom into a fight in the second, third, fourth and we start hurting and grinding, I win that fight ten out of ten times… I want a blood and guts war.”

When it comes to UFC 264, I completely agree with Dustin Poirier. If Conor McGregor is going to win this fight, he’s going to have to keep Poirier out of rhythm and he’s going to have to get it done early.

Yes, Conor McGregor was able to win a war with Nate Diaz. However, Dustin Poirier is not Nate Diaz. Dustin Poirier has the finishing ability that Nate Diaz really doesn’t have and his power carries into those later rounds.

If McGregor cannot get Poirier out of there early at UFC 264, he’s going to be in trouble. I’m a fan of both of these guys and I can’t wait to see how this unfolds. To me, the path to victory is clear for both men.

Sound Off: Do you think Conor McGregor can win next Saturday if the fight turns into a back-and-forth war?

UFC: Michael Chandler hopes to return near the end of the year

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Michael Chandler (22-6) is still dealing with the disappointment from failing to capture the UFC lightweight title last Saturday. In the headliner of UFC 262, Chandler took on Charles Oliveira (31-8, 1 NC) for the vacant lightweight championship.

The first round of their fight at UFC 262 was one of the best opening rounds of a championship fight I’ve seen in a while. It had it all and both men looked like they could finish the fight in the first round.

For Oliveira, he was able to get Chandler’s back in the first have of the round. A lot of people thought that if Oliveira could get in that dominant of a position at UFC 262, he could finish the fight by submission.

In fact, I picked Oliveira to win by submission. However, Chandler powered through and got out of the dangerous position. The second half of the round was all Michael Chandler and he hurt Oliveira badly on the feet.

At one point, it appeared that the fight was seconds away from getting stopped. Chandler had the UFC lightweight title within his reach, but Oliveira was able to survive the onslaught and we went to the second round.

Much like the first round changed on a dime, the second round changed on a dime. After coming close to finishing the fight in the first round, Chandler was clipped with a perfect left hook from Charles Oliveira.

Oliveira followed up with some finishing shots and captured the UFC lightweight title. For a moment in the first, Michael Chandler’s perfect UFC start appeared to be going according to plan. However, he left the door open and Charles Oliveira took advantage.

UFC return for Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler sat down with MMA on Point this week to break down UFC 262 and talk about his next steps. Chandler admittedly thought he wouldn’t be in a position to consider his options following a loss.

The former Bellator champion said that he planned on winning the UFC title and wanted to wait for the winner of Dustin Poirier – Conor McGregor 3. If that would’ve happened, Chandler said he thought the UFC would book him anywhere from November to January of 2022.

Despite losing at UFC 262, Chandler is wanting to stick to that timeline. Chandler said, “November at the earliest. December, maybe even January. I’m not getting any younger… Obviously, the stakes are high, the competition is high. No matter what, I’ll step inside the cage with a top five guy.”

Opponents to watch for in his UFC return would be Justin Gaethje, Beneil Dariush, Rafael Dos Anjos, or perhaps Islam Makhachev. The loser of McGregor – Poirier could also be an option. As Chandler said, the UFC will give him a top five guy next regardless and if he wins impressively, he’ll be right back in the title mix.

After capturing the lightweight title at UFC 262, what’s next for Charles Oliveira?

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In the main event of UFC 262, we saw a new lightweight champion crowned. Charles Oliveira (31-8, 1 NC) and Michael Chandler (22-6) went head-to-head for the vacant UFC lightweight champion.

Last year at UFC 254, Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0) said that he was walking away from the sport. The undisputed lightweight champion lost his father last year and after his last successful title defense, he decided it was time to hang it up.

After Khabib retired, the UFC‘s lightweight division needed a new champion. After Dana White confirmed Khabib’s UFC departure a couple of months ago, the promotion booked Oliveira and Chandler for the vacant title.

Charles Oliveira’s UFC story has been something to behold. At one point, Oliveira was 10-8 with the promotion and looked like one of those fighters who would never truly reach his potential.

He bounced back and forth between lightweight and featherweight before ultimately settling at 155 pounds. A few years ago, Do Bronx started to put it all together and he won eight fights in a row leading up to UFC 262.

Michael Chandler was the prized free agent signing for the promotion in 2020. The former Bellator champion made his debut in January and had a first round knockout win over Dan Hooker.

The fight was close on paper and it was close in reality. In the first round at UFC 262, Michael Chandler was moments away from finishing the fight in the first. However, Oliveira weathered the storm and ultimately came back to win by TKO in the second round. In a lot of ways, Saturday’s main event mirrored Do Bronx’s UFC journey.

What’s next after UFC 262?

So, after his big knockout victory, what’s next for the new UFC lightweight champion. Well, for that answer, we are going to look at the PPV that is coming up on July 10th.

UFC 264 is being headlined by the trilogy matchup between Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC) and Conor McGregor (22-5). The two men fought back in January with Poirier evening the score by finishing McGregor in the second round.

The Diamond is the top ranked lightweight in the UFC and honestly should’ve been the one fighting Oliveira on Saturday. However, Poirier took the trilogy fight with McGregor over the title fight which is the better business decision.

McGregor is still the biggest star in the sport and he’s the biggest fight out there. With a win over Poirier, McGregor would jump straight to the front of the line to fight for the title.

Dana White wouldn’t confirm it on Saturday, but the winner of the UFC 264 main event should be next. It would be the biggest fight for the new champion and that’s what he deserves.

UFC: Conor McGregor wants at least two more fights in 2021

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Conor McGregor, UFC

The biggest star in the UFC is wanting to make the walk at least a couple more times before the calendar turns over to 2022. Conor McGregor (22-5) is currently scheduled to face Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC) in July at UFC 264.

That matchup will be the third installment of the rivalry between the two men. McGregor won the first matchup back at UFC 178 and then Poirier evened the score with a TKO victory in January at UFC 257.

Both men wanted to do the trilogy and that’s what were getting next. However, McGregor has made it known that he has bigger plans beyond the Poirier trilogy. McGregor had a fun question and answer on Twitter yesterday with his fans.

One of the questions that was asked was around his fighting plans for the rest of the year. When asked how many times he wanted to compete, the former two-division UFC champion said, “2 at least.”

Another question came in regarding his plans for those fights. To that, McGregor said, “I’ll have a few Proper Parties! It’s my birthday that week. Then the World title.” Make no mistake about it, Conor McGregor has his eyes on the UFC lightweight title.

Can McGregor regain the UFC lightweight title?

If you would have asked me a year ago about McGregor’s chances to recapture the UFC title, I wouldn’t be very confident. I’m in the group that believes Conor McGregor is sensational, however, I’m not sure he’s taking the belt of Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0).

However, with Nurmagomedov out of the picture, it’s a different story. At UFC 262 this weekend, Michael Chandler (22-5) and Charles Oliveira (30-8, 1 NC) will battle for the vacant UFC lightweight title.

The winner of that matchup will likely face the winner of McGregor – Poirier 3 in the fall. With that, the path is quite clear for Conor McGregor to once again become the lightweight champion.

However, it’s a very steep ask. I’m not sure you can put McGregor as the favorite after his last fight with Poirier. If he is able to get passed The Diamond, then he’s got a tough matchup with Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira.

Very different and difficult fights for McGregor. The odds are currently stacked against him, but McGregor’s proved the UFC nay-sayers wrong before. He just might do it again and walk out of 2021 the lightweight champion of the world.

Dustin Poirier on UFC 264: ‘I’m going to stop Conor again’

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On July 10th at UFC 264, we will likely see the fight that will generate the most PPV buys for the promotion in 2021. That fight is the trilogy fight between “The Notorious” Conor McGregor (22-5) and “The Diamond” Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC).

McGregor and Poirier fought for the second time back in January at UFC 257. The fight started out well for McGregor who won the first round on all three judges scorecards. Poirier admitted after the fight that McGregor stunned him pretty good in the first round.

However, McGregor failed to follow up and the fight continued into the second round. While McGregor got the better of the first round, Poirier started doing damage to McGregor’s leg. McGregor took more of a boxing approach and was extremely heavy on his front leg.

Poirier started working his calf kicks later in the round and they really paid off in the second round. One massive calf kick followed with a big hook had McGregor a little wobbled against the fence.

Poirier is a dog when it comes to finishing fights and he was seeing red at UFC 257. Once McGregor was hurt against the fence, Poirier swarmed and ended up stopping McGregor and handing him his first knockout loss of his career.

Same result at UFC 264?

The lead up to this fight at UFC 264 seems to have a different feel than the one in January. Back in January, both men were extremely respectful and even posed for pictures together at the weigh-ins after Poirier gave McGregor a bottle of his hot sauce.

However, this fight has a completely different feel. After Poirier stated publicly that McGregor skipped out on a donation to his charity, McGregor completely flipped the switch and reverted to the old Conor McGregor.

McGregor threatened to fight someone else at UFC 264 and called Poirier an ‘inbred hillbilly.’ Following this spat, McGregor donated $500,000 to a charity in Lafayette, Louisiana. However, the donation didn’t go to Poirier’s charity.

Poirier told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani that he didn’t take it personally because it’s not his money. Poirier said, “At the end of the day, charity wins and that’s what matters. It wasn’t a slap in the face, it was a high five.”

Later in the interview Helwani asked Poirier about UFC 264. Poirier is expecting the best Conor McGregor, but he doesn’t see the result changing at all.

“I’m going to stop Conor again. July 10th, I’m going to get my hand raised and finish Conor McGregor again.”

Dustin Poirier on UFC 264 trilogy with Conor McGregor

UFC: Conor McGregor eyes 2021 lightweight run before going after the welterweight title

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Conor McGregor, UFC

The biggest star in the UFC wants to become a champ-champ again. However, this time, Conor McGregor (22-5) is eyeing the lightweight title and the welterweight strap. The Notorious one wants to be the first man with a title in three weight divisions.

At least, that’s what the former two-division champion posted on Twitter. McGregor was very active on social media during UFC 261. This past Saturday we saw Kamaru Usman (19-1) knock Jorge Masvidal (35-15) out to retain the welterweight title.

After the fight was over, McGregor unveiled his plans for 2021 and 2022. We all know that the next step for McGregor is the trilogy with Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC). The two men are headlining UFC 264 in Las Vegas in July.

Whoever wins that matchup will likely be the next in line for the lightweight title. At UFC 262, Michael Chandler (22-5) and Charles Oliveira (30-8) are fighting for the vacant lightweight title.

If McGregor is able to defeat Poirier in July, it will likely setup his lightweight title fight for the end of the year. That is a big if, but McGregor is certainly capable of winning. If he does capture the title, it’s off to the UFC‘s welterweight division for McGregor.

UFC future for McGregor

Conor McGregor is no stranger to making bold claims that make most people roll their eyes. When he first came into the UFC, he vowed that he would become the featherweight and lightweight champion.

While most thought he would never capture even the featherweight title, McGregor did what he said and became a two-division champion. After that, he turned his attention to Floyd Mayweather. Again, most rolled their eyes at the thought of McGregor securing a boxing match with Floyd.

Yet, McGregor did just that. Back in January, McGregor suffered his first knockout loss in the UFC at the hands of Dustin Poirier. McGregor is very confident he will win the third fight between the two men.

While the odds at UFC 264 should favor Poirier, McGregor has always proved he can beat the odds. I actually like McGregor’s odds against Chandler and Oliveira more than Poirier so him capturing the lightweight title is extremely possible should he win in July.

However, the 170 talk is where I take a step back. Conor McGregor is great for the UFC and business. However, I really think he should strongly consider staying at 155 pounds if he was to ever win the title again.

Kamaru Usman is a massive welterweight and with his improved striking, I don’t know how McGregor can defeat him. There are certainly welterweight matchups where McGregor could succeed, however, Kamaru Usman is not one of them.

At the end of the day, McGregor always aims for the highest of highs and you have to admire that. Whether his UFC claims are crazy or not, he’s always proven in the past that you should never doubt him. July is a massive test, but if he can win, the sky is truly the limit again for McGregor.

UFC 264: Poirier – McGregor 3 is official and open to a full crowd

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dustin poirier, ufc

The trilogy is set for UFC 264. Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC) and Conor McGregor (22-5) will settle their score on July 10th at the T-Mobile Arena. Dana White announced that the fight was official on his Twitter today.

The event will be the UFC‘s first event in Las Vegas with a full crowd. Nevada is planning on opening the state fully on June 1st and the UFC is ready to get right back to having full crowds in the fight capital of the world.

Earlier this week, there seem to be some doubt on if the fight would take place. McGregor and Poirier had been going back and forth on social media over a donation that McGregor pledged to give Poirier’s foundation.

The former two-division UFC champion said that he was waiting to hear how the money would be used before he made the donation. Poirier said that McGregor’s team simply hasn’t replied to them or sent the money.

McGregor then took to Twitter and said that the fight was off before throwing more insults at Poirier. There is now a ton of heat between the two and it’s setting up for quite the buildup to UFC 264.

UFC 264 Settles it All

There is no doubt that this will be the biggest fight of 2021 for the UFC. This trilogy matchup is going to have a ton of heat and animosity. It’s also massive considering the way the first two fights went.

McGregor won the first matchup by TKO. However, Poirier took the second matchup by TKO. With both men having finished the other, the third matchup is going to be insane at UFC 264.

In all likelihood, the winner of this matchup will also get a shot at the UFC lightweight title. Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira are fighting for the vacant title at UFC 262 next month.

Conor McGregor on Poirier and UFC 264: ‘The Fights off btw. I’m going to fight someone else on the 10th’

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Conor McGregor, UFC

Well, UFC 264 might have just hit an unexpected roadblock. A couple of weeks ago, it was reported that Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC) had signed his contract for UFC 264. With Conor McGregor (22-5) already on board, the fight appeared to be finalized.

However, it appears that might not be the case. Over the weekend there has been some drama that has developed between the two top lightweights. The drama stems from a donation that McGregor pledged to give Dustin Poirier for his foundation.

Poirier took to Twitter over the weekend and claims McGregor’s group went silent about the donation after their fight at UFC 257. McGregor then replied saying that they never received information on where the money would go which is why they paused the donation.

After that, Poirier responded saying that they did send an email with no response. What followed was a scathing response from the former two-division UFC champion where he is claiming that their fight is off in July.

McGregor said the following on Twitter:

You’re ripped you inbred hillbilly. Why do you wink with your ears? You f*cking brain dead hillbilly. 500k with no plan in place. Ye hang tight. Fool. You must be new to money. The fight is off btw. I’m going to fight someone else on the 10th. Good luck on your old contract kid.

UFC 264 Update

My guess is that emotions are running high at the moment and that the matchup between the two men at UFC 264 will go on. I have a hard time believing that the fight is truly off.

Hate him or love him, nobody can deny that Conor McGregor knows how to sell UFC PPVs. Over his last two appearances, we’ve seen more of a generous and subtle McGregor. A much different version from the Conor McGregor we saw early in his career.

However, it appears that The Notorious one is going back to the bad guy version of himself. There has been no word from the UFC on the drama between the two men, but I think it will ultimately play into the story of the fight. I fully believe these two are going to conclude their trilogy on July 10th.

McGregor concluded his Tweets with the below message. It appears that the buildup to UFC 264 will be a good one.