'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
UFC 264 is set to take place on July 10, 2021, at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The headliner will settle the long-standing rivalry between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier through a decisive trilogy fight.
UFC 264 will be T-Mobile Arena's first event held at total crowd capacity since UFC 248 in March 2020. It comes as no surprise that the event is already sold out. UFC 264 is expected to be one of the highest-selling live gates in the promotion's history. Aaron Bronsteter tweeted saying:
"The expected gate for #UFC264 will be in the $15 million range per Dana White, which would make it the 3rd largest gate figure in UFC history behind UFC 205 ($17.7 mil.) and UFC 229 (17.2 mil.)"
In addition to the headliner, the main card for UFC 264 has several highly anticipated fights. These fights hold the potential to be seen as classics in UFC history.
Here are three UFC 264 main card fights that could be classics:
#3 Tai Tuivasa vs. Greg Hardy
A record-breaking UFC event wouldn't be complete without a heavyweight clash. Heavy hitters Tai Tuivasa and Greg Hardy are set to face each other at UFC 264.
Tuivasa and Hardy have been accomplished rugby and NFL players, respectively. Although both sports have egg-shaped balls to play with, they have some significant differences. The games are often compared for toughness, and perhaps this fight would be a good way to settle that age-old debate.
Tuivasa was part of the Sydney Roosters rugby league club but stopped playing the sport when he developed a gambling addiction.
Tai Tuivasa is an Australian fighter belonging to Samoan ancestry. Athletes of Samoan descent are known for their high bone density. Case in point: Mark Hunt. Known for his heavy power and gruesome walk-off knockout wins, Hunt comes from a Samoan heritage.
Greg Hardy is an accomplished football player who was part of his college team and three different NFL teams. 'The Prince of War' stands at 6 feet 5 inches tall and has accomplishments outside football and MMA. Hardy was a good track and field athlete at school and the collegiate level. He was also an accomplished basketball player.
Other than their sports backgrounds, both fighters are prolific knockout artists. Out of his 11 professional wins, Tuivasa has won 10 fights by knockout. Hardy has won seven professional MMA bouts, out of which six victories have come by knockout. Considering the high knockouts-to-wins ratios that the two fighters boast, it would be interesting to see how their exchanges pan out at UFC 264.
#2 UFC 264 co-main event: Stephen Thompson vs. Gilbert Burns
With both fighters being among UFC's welterweight top five, the winner of this co-main event fight at UFC 264 may earn themselves a title shot.
Stephen Thompson is currently on a two-fight win streak. He secured a win over fellow top-five welterweight Vicente Luque at UFC 244 and another win over Geoff Neal at UFC Fight Night 183.
Gilbert Burns was on a six-fight win-streak before his title match against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 258. Burns lost to 'The Nigerian Nightmare' via a third-round TKO.
'Wonderboy' has a unique fighting style in the UFC. Being an undefeated kickboxer, his constant bouncing on toes allows him to move in and out of his opponent's range with ease. This could help him stay out of the way of Burns' takedowns, thus nullifying any of the Brazilian's grappling skills. Thompson also continued to work on his takedown defense with his brother-in-law Chris Weidman before Weidman's gruesome leg injury at UFC 261.
Thompson is also a master of the lead leg side kick. He makes offensive use of it to set up other strikes that almost always help him knock his opponents out. He also uses it defensively to keep his opponents at a distance. This would either help him knock 'Durinho' out or take the fight to the judges' score-cards, either of which would play in Thompson's favor.
'Durinho' is a three-time World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion and will not fall short in the grappling department. Burns also has vicious knockout power in his punches, but closing the distance on his opponent at UFC 264 will prove tricky for him. He has brought in legendary kickboxer Raymond Daniels to prepare for his striking game against 'Wonderboy.' Daniels has a similar fighting style to Thompson. It will be interesting to see what Gilbert Burns can bring to the table against an elite striker like Stephen Thompson at UFC 264.
#1 UFC 264 Main event: Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier's rivalry will see its final chapter and decisive end at UFC 264. Their feud began with their first meeting, a featherweight fight at UFC 178. The Irishman won the bout in the first round via TKO. Seven years later, they faced each other in a lightweight bout at UFC 257, where a much bigger Poirier avenged his loss via a second-round TKO.
'The Diamond' used just the right amount of calf kicks to make his Irish opponent's movements sluggish and flat-footed. This eventually allowed Poirier to close the distance and land enough punches to hand Conor McGregor his first knockout loss in the octagon.
After the win, 'Diamond' made a gesture to indicate that the score was tied at 1-1, thus implying that a third fight must happen, hence getting the ball rolling for UFC 264. In the UFC 257 post-fight interview and press conference, 'Notorious' was repeatedly heard citing octagon inactivity as the cause for his loss.
Conor McGregor has been training aggressively to improve his cardio and endurance ahead of UFC 264. To make this more evident, he posted stories on social media while training in Dubai in April 2021. McGregor was seen jogging by the sea while explaining his workout. He said:
"What's up everyone? Welcome to the McGregor Fast triathlon. We run 100 kilometres, we cycle 20 kilometres and then we run another 10 kilometres. We run twice because we double run the game and we leave out the swimming because we're already swimming in it."
The long-standing rivalry is about to reach its conclusion in their trilogy fight as the main event for UFC 264. It will be interesting to see what adjustments Conor McGregor has made and what new tools he has added to his arsenal. This fight has fireworks written all over it.
