10 best Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier 3 predictions so far
Conor McGregor's upcoming trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 is currently the talk of the town in combat sports. The promotion is also marketing the event as the biggest pay-per-view of the year, which should tell you a lot about the hype behind the fight.
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier have knocked each other out in their two previous meetings and are set to clash for all the marbles on July 10. The winner of the fight will also be the next contender for the UFC lightweight title. As the bout approaches, many MMA analysts, commentators, fighters, and even fans are breaking down and predicting the outcome of the trilogy fight.
While some believe Conor McGregor will avenge the first-ever knockout loss of his career, which came at the hands of Poirier, others feel that 'The Diamond' will once again finish the Irishman. In this article, we will look at some of the best breakdowns and predictions for the upcoming trilogy fight.
10) Chael Sonnen (Prediction - Dustin Poirier wins)
Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen recently weighed in on the outcome of the trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. According to Sonnen, Poirier remains the favorite to win the fight against McGregor. Speaking to ESPN's Joe Fortenbaugh and Tyler Fulghum, Sonnen claimed he isn't happy with the way McGregor has prepared for the fight and that the Irishman is likely to go down again.
"I'm actually picking Poirier in this. I don't love the way Conor's prepared. I don't love that he's not doing media. I know it's designed to look at though he's a little bit for more focused. Look, there's something you get when you're beating your chest and screaming from the rooftops your the best in the world. It's not to get in your opponents' heads, it's to convince yourself."
Having said that, Sonnen claims that the only way McGregor can beat Dustin Poirier is if he can knock 'The Diamond' out in the first round with his signature straight-left. However, Sonnen feels it will be very difficult to pull it off against Poirier because after fighting McGregor twice, the Louisiana native will be aware of the Irishman's tendencies.
"Not only does Conor need to win in the first round, he needs to win with a knockout which is used primarily with his left hand. He also only sets the left hand up one way, he waits for you to throw, he rolls, he comes back. It's a great attack but over time guys have learnt. Particularly an opponent like Dustin, who's already been in there with him twice."
9) Marvin Vettori (Prediction - Dustin Poirier wins)
'The Italian Dream' Marvin Vettori claims Dustin Poirier will once again have his hand raised at UFC 264. In an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda MMA, Vettori claimed McGregor is already one step behind Dustin Poirier, having to work on his errors from their previous fight.
According to Vettori, while the Irishman irons out his errors from the last fight, Poirier will be working on something new to surprise McGregor in the trilogy fight.
"Whenever you're working on a mistake that you made in the fight before for the next fight, you're a step behind. And by the time you've worked on that, you're a step behind and this guy's (Poirier) been working on the next thing," Marvin Vettori told Sportskeeda's Andy Whitelaw.