The most anticipated fight of 2021 is just a couple of weeks away, as Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier are set to go head to head for a third time. But this high stakes rematch isn’t the only major fight taking place at UFC 264 on July 10 in Las Vegas - and for MMA fans, this could prove to be the most exciting night in the sports calendar.
Here’s our quick guide to everything you need to watch out for at UFC 264.
McGregor V Poirier
Back in January, UFC fans were treated to what seemed like the year’s biggest fight: a rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. That fight ended in Poirier winning by technical knockout, with his Irish opponent continuing his losing streak having not won a fight since January 2020.
McGregor came back out of retirement for that match - and he’s staying out of retirement until he can beat the opponent he previously knocked out when they first met in 2014. The trilogy fight between McGregor and Poirier is the headline even of UFC 264, and fans are eager to see how this one will play out.
Many commentators noticed that in the January fight at UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi, McGregor was less confrontational in the build up to the match. But now, the former world champion is back to being an underdog - and the bad blood between the pair has already started to resurface in a series of controversial pre-match interviews, with Poirier accusing McGregor of falling back on his promise of donating $500,000 to charity.
The latest UFC odds show that this remains too close to call, with many sportsbooks offering equal odds of 10/11 for both fighters. And with the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas back open to full capacity, this headline match feels unpredictable, thrilling - and like the first major UFC event in quite some time.
But this trilogy fight is far from the only bout on the cards.
Tuivasa vs Hardy
The lightweight trilogy match may be taking much of the attention, but the heavyweight fight at UFC 264 is just as hotly anticipated. Greg Hardy has long spoken about his desire to fight Australian Tai Tuivasa, and his dream is finally set to come true.
The pair have faced different fates in recent matches. Hardy lost by TKO to Marcin Tybura at the Fight Night 183 bout last December, with a strong performance early in the match getting derailed as his opponent was just warming up - and now, the Prince of War will be eager to prove he still means business.
Tai Tuivasa on the other hand is in a much stronger position going into the heavyweight bout. He’s on a two fight winning streak after defeating Harry Hunsucker by TKO in just 49 seconds back in March, showing the promotion’s newcomer he is still a force to be reckoned with.
In front of a 20,000 strong crowd, this fight could prove to be more exhilarating than the headline trilogy fight.
Burns Vs Thompson
The UFC have really put together one of their most enticing lineups ahead of their return to a packed Las Vegas audience, with the welterweight bout also highly anticipated.
Gilbert Burns and Stephen Thompson will be fighting for their places in the welterweight rankings in this high stakes challenge, and for both fighters, it is all still to play for. This is Burns’ first fight since his TKO loss to weltweight champion Kamaru Usman in UFC 258 back in February.
That loss ended an impressive six fight winning streak, so he will be eager to show that he is back on top form, and a serious contender for the title. Thompson is riding off of back to back decision victories over Geoff Neal and Vicente Luque, and will also be looking to show he’s still a major contender.
The fighter has twice challenged for the welterweight championship, losing a majority decision rematch to Tyson Woodley at UFC 209. For both fighters, everything is at stake in Vegas.
O’Malley Vs Smolka
The major bantamweight bout is between Sean O’Malley and Louis Smolka, who are both in a dominant position following recent major wins. Back in March, O’Malley knocked out Thomas Almeida in the third round of UFC 260, with the 26 year old rebounding from his first career loss against Marlon Vera.
His opponent is in equally imposing shape ahead of the fight, having defeated Jose Quinonez by TKO at his last fight in December.
Other bouts on the card at UFC 264 include; Irene Aldana vs. Yana Kunitskaya (women’s bantamweight), Niko Price vs. Michel Pereira (welterweight), Kevin Lee vs. Sean Brady (welterweight), Omari Akhmedov vs. Brad Tavares (middleweight), Jerome Rivera vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (flyweight) and Alen Amedovski vs. Hu Yaozong (middleweight).
With so many big fights to look forward to, UFC 264 is the triumphant comeback to the live Octagon experience fans have been waiting for.
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