Stephen Thompson has picked the winner of Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3 at UFC 264.
‘Wonderboy’ suggested that it’s tough to predict a winner in this matchup. He added, however, that he’d pick McGregor to win at the PPV.
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier are currently 1-1 in their series of fights against one another. Their first fight was contested at featherweight and took place at UFC 178 in September 2014. McGregor won that fight via a first-round TKO.
Their rematch was contested at lightweight and transpired at UFC 257 in January of this year. Poirier won the rematch via a second-round TKO. The Irishman and ‘The Diamond’ are now set to compete in a trilogy matchup at lightweight in the main event of UFC 264.
Also on the card will be a welterweight bout featuring one of the greatest strikers to ever compete in the sport of MMA, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.
During an interview with James Lynch, Thompson revealed his prediction on the Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier trilogy fight. Thompson stated –
“Man, that’s a tough one – Because, you know, Dustin Poirier has, obviously, the confidence on his side, coming up off a TKO win early in the fight against Conor McGregor. I think Conor McGregor has more leaps and bounds that he’s gotta; he’s gotta do more to win this fight than Dustin Poirier does.”
“He’s gotta come back out the same old Conor McGregor we’re used to seeing, with the same movement – Not the boxing, staying in front of you, trying to bang it out type of Conor McGregor. He’s gotta bring that Karate style back if he’s going to go out there and finish him. He’s a smart guy. And, you know, he’s hungry; hates to lose. So, man, that’s a tough one. You know what, 500 bucks, I’m going for Conor.” (*Video courtesy: James Lynch)
Stephen Thompson suggested that Conor McGregor could beat Dustin Poirier by going back to his movement-heavy karate style rather than his recent boxing-heavy style of striking.
Stephen Thompson and Conor McGregor face tough challenges in their respective fights at UFC 264
Stephen Thompson is scheduled to fight Gilbert Burns in a welterweight bout at UFC 264.
The fight is a pivotal showdown for the 38-year-old, who’s on a two-fight winning streak. The belief is that a win over a dangerous, high-ranking fellow welterweight like Gilbert Burns could earn Thompson a UFC welterweight title shot.
Meanwhile, Conor McGregor is set to fight Dustin Poirier for the third time. McGregor will be looking to avenge the first KO/TKO loss of his MMA career, having lost to Poirier via a second-round TKO earlier this year.
The longtime rivals are now primed to clash in their trilogy bout that’ll serve as the headliner for UFC 264 on July 10.