It is arguably the biggest fight of the year that we have coming our way at UFC 264, as Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier prepare to meet for the third time. You need to go all the way back to 2014 to find the first time that these two fighters met, with McGregor taking that one in the opening round. A lot of time passed between that bout and the rematch at UFC 257 earlier this year. For one thing, they fought at Lightweight this time around, a stipulation put in place by Poirier, instead of the Featherweight bout that we saw the first time around. That may have worked to Poirier’s advantage, as he finished that fight in the second round. With a shot at the Lightweight title on the line, this is probably the most important of the three, and while McGregor is in as the underdog, here are some things he can do to win this fight. Let’s get right to it so you can keep planning your bets against their UFC odds.
Why Conor McGregor Will Win Against Dustin Poirier
Focus Solely on this Fight
Over the last few years, McGregor has been a little bit all over the place in terms of decision making. He has quit and returned to the UFC, took a shot at boxing against Floyd Mayweather, and launched his own brand of Whiskey, which has since been sold for a princely sum. McGregor has always been about self-promotion during his time in the fight game, but these past few years has been the first time where money and getting his name out there has looked to be more important than the actual fighting. He admitted himself that he looked beyond the last fight against Poirier. He will run into the same problems on Saturday night if he does not head into the octagon with his mind solely on this fight.
Stay Patient
McGregor is a brawler who likes to go out and take the fight to his opponent, but it’s a strategy that can land him in trouble when he goes up against a fighter like Poirier, who is more than happy to take his chances when they come. After losing last time out, you know that McGregor wants to come out and put on a show for the fans, but if he wants to win and move on to a potential title fight, he needs to temper that with a bit of common sense. It’s more important to be patient and win than it is to come out and put on a show only to lose.
Finish it in the Early Rounds
Throughout his career, we have seen that McGregor does not tend to get better as fights wear on, which is why his best shot at winning on Saturday is getting a KO in the early rounds. The harsh reality is that the longer this fight goes, the more things will go in the favor of Poirier. This would seem to fly in the face of McGregor’s need to be patient to win, but you can still maintain a level of patience and get the job done inside 10 minutes. Whether he is prepared to do all that remains to be seen.
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