(STL.News) Conor McGregor may be universally recognized as the most famous name ever to have competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but the Irish-born warrior is preparing for the fight of his life. McGregor will face off against long-term rival Dustin Poirier for a third time on UFC 264. Notorious and The Diamond will renew their long-running rivalry at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 10. This promises to be the biggest mixed Martial Arts event of the year with a capacity crowd in attendance with millions more watching around the world. Who will come out on top and take place in the sport’s top 10pound-for-pound list? The answer to that question continues to split opinion amongst followers of MMA. Those eager to profit from their opinion have even been taking to the top UFC betting sites to make their predictions. Regardless of the winner, this fight will be exciting to watch, but it’ll be even better to land a profit while cheering on your chosen fighter.
Poirier fights back to level the scores.
The head-to-head scores between McGregor and Poirier are currently locked at one win each. McGregor got off to a flyer, winning the first clash in convincing style. He took Poirierout under a heavy barrage of punches early in the bout, forcing a stoppage. His victory was so convincing most fight fans believed that was the last we’d see of such a mismatch. They were far off the mark with that assumption. Following a high-profile defeat to Khabib, an extended period on the sidelines, and time spent making headlines for all the wrong reasons, Conorsought a route back into the game that had made him a millionaire. Promoters at UFC headquarters knew how much Dustin had improved since losing to Conor that the rematch was made. McGregor, having made light work of his opponent the first time, was expected to repeat the feat without too much fuss. That was certainly the view of the traders at all major online bookmakers who made Notoriousfirm favorite to go 2-0 over the Diamond. The money men were wrong. Poirier returned the favor, taking full advantage of Conor’stime out and pouncing on his man early. He smashed his way to a second-round knockout win, raining down punches on the Irishman and forcing the stoppage that night in Abu Dhabi. Not only did Dustin win the fight and claim his revenge, but he also collected performance of the night bonus for his efforts, one that was well-deserved.
Questions that need answers
There are still a lot of questions hanging over that fight. Has McGregor lost his passion for the fight game, robbed of his edge by money and fame? Did he prepare properly for the rematch, putting his all into training? Did he take Poirier lightly after beating him so convincingly in the first fight and thought it was going to be easy? Is he still good enough to compete against the top fighters in the UFC? Fans want answers to those questions. It’s likely Conor himself has a few floating around in his head late at night. The exciting thing about combat sports is the only way to get those answers is to fight it out. When the first bell rings and McGregor meets Poirier in the middle of the octagon, only then will we know if he still has it. Only then will we know how much of the fighter’s edge remains inside him. Only then will we discover if his training camp has gone, as well as his team, are making out or if the former two-weight world champion has been cutting corners in the gym. The bookies don’t appear to have learned from their mistake and are sticking with McGregor, pricing him as the most likely winner of this bout. He’s favorite to secure a 2-1 lead over Dustin, and traders expect him to do it inside the distance. Another KO/TKO circles the betting ring as the eye-catcher in the method of victory market. That’s sure to grab the attention of those loyal team Poirier as well as casual UFCfollowers who enjoy taking the value and backing an underdog with bite.