UFC 264

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 books Sean O’Malley – Kris Moutinho

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Sean O'Malley

The Suga Show has a new opponent for UFC 264. MMA Junkie was the first to confirm this afternoon that Sean O’Malley (13-1) will be staying on the card next weekend and he will be taking on UFC newcomer Kris Moutinho (9-4).

This all comes together after O’Malley’s original opponent, Luis Smolka, had to pull out of UFC 264. Earlier today, it looked like there could be some momentum in talks to book O’Malley against Ricky Simon (18-3).

Simon voiced interest in fighting O’Malley and that appeared to be the fight that O’Malley wanted. Simon is riding a three-fight win streak and the UFC was interested in making it happen. However, Ariel Helwani reported that Simon couldn’t make 135 pounds on such short notice.

With that, the promotion shifted gears and looked at a number of replacements. Despite many UFC bantamweights volunteering for the fight, it’s a newcomer that is getting the call up to the biggest show and stage possible.

Moutinho’s UFC Debut

What a massive opportunity this is for the 28 year old Kris Moutinho. Obviously he will be a massive betting underdog, but he’s getting a shot at arguably the biggest UFC event of the year.

Moutinho is getting to come in and make his debut against the hype machine that is Suga Sean O’Malley. Not too mention the fact that he’s going to be kicking off a PPV card that is headlined by the biggest star in the sport, Conor McGregor.

Moutinho will make his UFC debut on the heels of back-to-back wins. The last time he fought was about a month ago at CFFC 96 where he picked up an arm-triangle choke win in the third round.

This is a massive step up in competition for Moutinho at UFC 264. To date, Moutinho has only been in the cage with one guy who has fought in the UFC. That was against current UFC fighter Tony Gravely back in 2019. Worth noting that Moutinho was stopped in that fight.

This appears like it’s going to be a showcase for Sean O’Malley next weekend. He might end up being the biggest betting favorite on the card which does make it a risky fight. However, I think it might be a quick night for The Suga Show at UFC 264.

UFC books Carlos Condit – Max Griffin

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Carlos Condit

The UFC‘s Natural Born Killer is back. MMA Junkie was the first to report today that former interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit (32-13) will be returning to the octagon in July. Condit will be taking on Max Griffin (17-8) at UFC 264 on July 10th.

This fight is a very big opportunity for Max Griffin. Griffin will be making his 12th appearance with the UFC. He made his debut with the promotion back in 2016 when he took on another former interim welterweight champion in Colby Covington.

In his previous 11 trips into the octagon, Griffin has gone 5-6. While that’s certainly not the most impressive UFC record, he has been doing well as of late. Entering his July fight opposite of Carlos Condit, Griffin will be riding a two-fight win streak.

This is the first winning streak Griffin has had in the UFC. Up until this winning streak, the most impressive thing Griffin has done was score a victory over Mike Perry and that came back in 2018. Griffin last fought in March when he scored a first round knockout over Kenan Song.

Another UFC run for Condit?

In 2020, the UFC future looked pretty bleak for the former interim welterweight champion. Carlos Condit had dealt with injuries and entered the year having lost five fights in a row. The losing streak started when he lost a razor close title fight against Robbie Lawler at UFC 195.

The majority of people believe Condit should have became the undisputed champion that night. However, two judges gave the fight to Condit and that loss started the worst stretch of his professional career.

Back in October, Condit made his way to the UFC’s Fight Island. He took on former Ultimate Fighter winner Court McGee. If Condit would have lost, his UFC career would have likely been over.

However, Condit picked up a decision win and got back on track. From there, he defeated Matt Brown in January and now he’s won two-fights in a row. Suddenly, the narrative has changed with the UFC’s NBK. This fight against Max Griffin will tell us a lot. Both men have won two in a row and both men desperately want their winning streak to continue. Should be a fun one on July 10th.

UFC books Kevin Lee – Sean Brady

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The UFC has finalized a fun matchup in the welterweight division for their July PPV. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto broke the story last night that the promotion had finalized a matchup between former lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee (18-6) and the undefeated Sean Brady (14-0).

The matchup will take place at UFC 264 on July 10th. Lee will be moving up to the welterweight division and provides a big test for Sean Brady. Brady made his UFC debut back in 2019 and he’s looked great inside the octagon.

So far, he’s gone a perfect 4-0 in the UFC. His last two victories were submission victories over Christian Aguilara and Jake Mathews. He also has a victory over former Ultimate Fighter winner Court McGee. As it stands, Brady is ranked 13th in the UFC‘s welterweight division.

While Kevin Lee has spent the majority of his career at lightweight, this will still be a big test for the young Sean Brady. If Brady can defeat Lee at UFC 264, it will say a lot about how good he really is.

Back to the UFC’s welterweight division

Kevin Lee is currently ranked 12th in the UFC’s lightweight division. However, it’s been more than a year since we’ve seen him inside the octagon. While he’s been gearing up for his return, the promotion hadn’t finalized a matchup for him.

Last week, Lee announced that he would be moving to the welterweight division for the foreseeable future. The Motown Phenom has always struggled with making the 155 pound weight limit at lightweight. With that, Lee decided to move back to the welterweight division.

In 2019, Lee last competed at welterweight when he moved up to take on Raphael Dos Anjos. Like Lee, RDA spent the majority of his UFC career at lightweight before moving up. Lee was submitted in the fourth round which prompted his move back to lightweight.

Now, Lee has decided to give welterweight another shot. If he can defeat a top undefeated prospect like Sean Brady in July, it will say a lot about where he stands in the UFC’s welterweight division.

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.

UFC books Irene Aldana – Yana Kunitskaya

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The UFC has finalized a matchup between top five bantamweights that will take place in July. Milenio was the first to report this evening that the promotion was booking a matchup between Irene Aldana (12-6) and Yana Kunitskaya (14-5, 1 NC).

The fight will take place at UFC 264 on July 10th. For Aldana, this will be her first fight since she lost to Holly Holm in October on Fight Island. Had Aldana won that fight, she might have earned herself a UFC title shot.

Heading into that fight, Aldana had gone 5-1 in her previous six UFC fights. Her best performance inside the octagon came at UFC 245 when she put top contender Ketlen Viera to sleep in the first round.

Aldana has incredible boxing and striking. However, she just couldn’t keep up with Holly Holm who looked better than ever in October. With how Amanda Nunes has dominated the UFC women’s divisions, she’s needing new contenders.

Neither one of these ladies has had a shot at Nunes. If Aldana is able to defeat Kunitskaya and do it impressively, she could be on the short list for Nunes assuming Nunes beats Julianna Pena at UFC 265.

UFC winning streak for Kunitskaya

Yana Kunitskaya had a UFC title opportunity back in 2018. Kunitskaya fought at featherweight and took on Cris Cyborg. Cyborg finished Kunitskaya in the first round and Kunitskaya returned to her natural division of 135 pounds.

Since moving back down to 135, Kunitskaya has gone 4-1. The lone loss came to Aspen Ladd in 2019 when she lost by TKO in the third round. Since then, she’s won back-to-back fights.

The last time we saw her was in February when she took on Ketlen Viera. The fight was pretty close, but a good closing round sealed the deal for Kunitskaya. If she’s able to defeat Aldana at UFC 264, it will be massive for her spot in the division. There is a lot on the line in this bantamweight matchup.

UFC books Sean O’Malley – Louis Smolka

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Sean O'Malley

The UFC is finalizing a fun bantamweight matchup for their July PPV. Ryan Frederick was the first to report this afternoon that the promotion had verbal agreements in place for Sean O’Malley (13-1) – Louis Smolka (17-7).

The matchup will take place at UFC 264 the same night as Conor McGregor – Dustin Poirier III. This is a big fight for Louis Smolka and Suga Sean. Smolka is coming off of a win over Jose Alberto Quinonez in December.

O’Malley had knocked out Quinonez earlier in 2020. Prior to that, Smolka lost by guillotine choke to Casey Kenney. In his last five fights inside the UFC, Smolka has gone 3-2 with the two losses coming against Kenney and Matt Schnell.

This is actually the second UFC run for Smolka. Originally, Smolka was competing in the UFC‘s flyweight division. However, after he lost four-straight fights, the promotion let him go.

Smolka went do some some smaller promotions and won three straight to get back in the UFC. This is a massive opportunity for Smolka considering the name recognition of Sean O’Malley.

UFC 264 now features The Suga Show

Sean O’Malley is going to be looking for his second straight victory. We last saw O’Malley back at UFC 260 when he knocked out Thomas Almeida in the third round. It was a beautiful performance by the charismatic bantamweight.

The win was the perfect bounce back to his first career loss. Back at UFC 252, O’Malley took on Chito Vera. After starting the round well, O’Malley ate a brutal calf kick which caused him to roll his ankle multiple times.

Chito Vera was able to take advantage and stop O’Malley in the first. Prior to that loss, O’Malley had been 4-0 in the UFC. O’Malley has been very vocal about the fact that he still believes that he’s undefeated in his mind.

He doesn’t consider that fight to be a loss and even held up a zero when Bruce Buffer said he had one loss at UFC 260. This is going to be a very fun fight and whoever wins in July will likely find a ranking by their name the following week.

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