This one should be fun.
Conor McGregor (22-5) will face the UFC’s No. 1 lightweight contender Dustin Poirier (27-6) in the main event at UFC 264 in Las Vegas, which airs exclusively on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
According to UFC president Dana White, the winner of this tilt will likely advance to a lightweight title fight against the current champion, Charles Oliveira.
Saturday night’s fight will be the culmination of a trilogy.
In their first battle in 2014, McGregor knocked Poirier out in the first round of their featherweight bout. Prior to the fight, McGregor called his opponent a “peahead,” an insult he has brought back seven years later.
At UFC 257 In January, Poirier and McGregor ran it back with a much different result. After McGregor pressured his opponent early, Poirier secured a knockout victory in the second round.
Since that fight, a respectful rivalry has gone rogue. McGregor promised Poirier’s charity a $500,000 donation, but Poirier accused the Irishman of not following through on his word. Poirier opted to face McGregor — who also took a jab at Poirier’s wife prior to the fight — rather than compete for the UFC lightweight title, a contest Oliveira won by knocking out Michael Chandler.
“For Poirier, heavily criticized for taking this fight instead of the title fight, he made the right move,” White said. “This is the fight to take. If he wins on Saturday night, he gets the title shot anyway.”
Who will get their shot at the title? Who will win the third battle? It all comes down to this.
Here’s how to catch all the action at UFC 264:
When is UFC 264?
UFC 264 is Saturday, July 10, with early preliminaries starting at 6 p.m., preliminaries at 8 p.m. and the main card at 10 p.m. Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier will fight at approximately 12:15 a.m.
Where is UFC 264 being held?
The action takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
How can I watch UFC 264?
The early preliminaries can be streamed on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+, while the main card is available through ESPN+.
Current ESPN+ subscribers can purchase the fight for $69.99, while new subscribers can get the fight and an annual subscription at a bundle price of $89.98.
What are the current fight odds for McGregor vs. Poirier?
Conor McGregor (-114) is a slight favorite over Dustin Poirier (-105).
What are the records of McGregor and Poirier?
In 27 fights, Conor McGregor (5′ 9″, 74-inch reach) is 22-5. In 34 fights, Dustin Poirier (5′ 9″, 72-inch reach) is 27-6 with one no contest.
What is the full fight card for UFC 264?
Main Card
Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor (Lightweight)
Gilbert Burns vs. Stephen Thompson (Welterweight)
Tai Tuivasa vs. Greg Hardy (Heavyweight)
Irene Aldana vs. Yana Kunitskaya (Women Bantamweight)
Sean O’Malley vs. Kris Moutinho (Bantamweight)
Preliminary card (ESPN / ESPN+)
Carlos Condit vs. Max Griffin (Welterweight)
Niko Price vs. Michel Pereira (Welterweight)
Ryan Hall vs. Ilia Topuria (Featherweight)
Trevin Giles vs. Dricus Du Plessis (Middleweight)
Early preliminary card (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
Jennifer Maia vs. Jessica Eye (Women Flyweight)
Omari Akhmedov vs. Brad Tavares (Middleweight)
Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Jerome Rivera (Flyweight)
Yaozong Hu vs. Alen Amedovski (Middleweight)