UFC 264 fight card: 3 underrated scraps to look forward to
UFC 264 is scheduled to take place on July 10 2021, at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The fight card will be headlined by the highly-anticipated rubber match between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. The main card will also feature a welterweight bout between Gilbert 'Durinho' Burns and Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson.
Apart from the aforementioned bangers, the promotion is also working to build a stacked fight card for UFC 264. Here, we look at three underrated fights that are reportedly in the works for UFC 264.
(NOTE: These bouts have not been officially green-lit by the UFC as of now)
Three underrated scraps being targeted for UFC 264:
#3 Jessica Eye vs Jennifer Maia
According to a report by MMA Fighting, UFC flyweights Jessica Eye and Jennifer Maia will meet inside the Octagon on July 10.
Jennifer Maia (18-7-1), a former Invicta FC flyweight world champion, is coming off a unanimous decision loss at UFC 255 to flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko. Likewise, Jessica Eye (15-9, 1 no contest) made her last UFC appearance against Joanne 'JoJo' Calderwood at UFC 257 where she lost via a unanimous decision.
Although the two fighters have suffered setbacks in their recent outings, their forthcoming scrap promises fireworks, as both fighters are looking to return to title contention.
#2 Tai Tuivasa vs Greg Hardy
Greg Hardy (7-3-0) called out Tai Tuivasa on Instagram after the latter secured a KO/TKO victory over Harry Hunsucker at UFC Vegas 22. It appears that the UFC has now granted Hardy his wish to lock horns with 'Bam Bam'. According to MMA Junkie, the two colossal giants will square off at UFC 264 on July 10.
Greg Hardy is coming off a loss to Marcin Tybura after a second-round stoppage at UFC Fight Night: 183. The defeat marked the first career stoppage for Hardy, breaking his two-fight winning streak.
Meanwhile, Tai Tuivasa has stacked up two consecutive victories since his loss to Sergey Spivak in 2019. Most notably, the Australian heavyweight secured a KO victory over Stefan Struve at UFC 254 in October 2020.
Greg Hardy's callout post suggests that 'The Prince of War' is prepared to swing at Tai Tuivasa with bad intentions for their UFC 264 clash.
#1 Ryan Hall vs Ilia Topuria
The UFC 264 fight card will also feature a bout between featherweight grappling aces Ryan Hall and Ilia Topuria. The news was first broken by Adjara Sports. Submission specialist Ilia Topuria later confirmed the booking with an announcement on Instagram.
"I have to be careful with a heel hook! There are too many thing he has to be careful of that he won’t be able count them all! No one will take away our victory! Thanks to my team @firstroundmgmt for this wonderful job! El Matador is back July 10! See you soon," wrote Ilia Topuria.
The UFC 264 bout will mark Ryan Hall's highly-anticipated return to the Octagon after his July 2019 victory over Darren Elkins.