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Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier will collide in a highly anticipated trilogy bout in the main event of UFC 264. The blockbuster pay-per-view event will take place on July 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
McGregor and Poirier will be fighting for the right to challenge UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. But for 'The Notorious' Irishman, the stakes are much greater than a title fight as his legacy and reputation will be on the line.
With Conor McGregor having a lot to lose at UFC 264, several MMA stars have come forward to share their tips for the Irishman. Here are five tactical pieces of advice MMA superstars have offered Conor McGregor ahead of his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
#5 Chael Sonnen believes Conor McGregor should check and counter
Former UFC middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen has given Conor McGregor a history lesson on how he can defend against Dustin Poirier's dreaded calf kicks. According to 'The American Gangster,' there are only two ways to stop them:
"Step one – and we saw this with our own eyes but we'll also listen to Conor (McGregor), we'll take Conor's opinion for it – the calf kick. Problematic. Can Conor stop that? And there's only a couple of ways you can defend a calf kick. One, you could just bring it up and block."
Speaking of memorable examples of the same, Sonnen said:
"Think about what (Chris) Weidman did to Anderson Silva the night that Anderson Silva had that accident with his leg. That was called a check. Weidman was able to bring his leg up turn in to where his shin was coming to cause damage back to the opponent. If you defend a kick correctly, you will hurt your opponent far greater than if you landed a kick."
Speaking about the second way to stop calf kicks, Sonnen said:
"Let me tell you about a night. Tim Sylvia became the champion of the world because Rico Rodriguez threw a kick. And while Rico was on one foot, Tim threw one straight down the middle and knocked him out. That's the other defense to a kick."
For Sonnen, the fight ultimately boils down to:
"There's two things he can do. There's no other things created. He can check the kick or he can respond to the kick. There's no other technique that's been created. The question becomes: How does Poirier set it up? And that's not a question for us to answer. That's a question for Conor McGregor."
#4 Stephen Thompson wants to see the Conor McGregor of old
Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson believes Conor McGregor became too obsessed with boxing ahead of his rematch with Poirier, which led to his downfall. The welterweight contender has encouraged Conor McGregor to return to the karate movement he utilized so well during his early years in the UFC. In an interview with Submission Radio, Thompson said:
“I think McGregor kind of lost something in his last fight. I think it was all the boxing that he was doing – he doesn’t have that movement anymore that you normally saw."
Speaking about the difference between Conor's previous fights and now, 'Wonderboy' said:
"When he fought Jose Aldo, it was the movement that won him that fight and he was kind of standing there in front of Dustin Poirier, and he took a lot of low calf kicks, and that’s what settled it, sealed the deal."
"So he’s got to get back to moving like a karate guy. He’s got to get back into getting on his bike, using that in and out movement. Switching sides, playing that game if he’s going to go out there and beat him again."
Speaking about the benefits of using a karate style, Thompson explained:
"Because he can draw out Dustin Poirier’s strikes with his movement and him being such a good counter-puncher, can counter off of that. So out of the two, Conor’s got to get back to that – I don’t know how hard that is and how long he’s been doing the boxing stuff but he’s got to get out of that and get back to his movement. If he can do that, Conor can win."
#3 Henry Cejudo believes Conor McGregor needs to find the perfect range
Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo thinks bringing back the karate stance will have its pros and cons for Conor McGregor. In an interview with Helen Yee Sports, 'The Messenger' said Conor McGregor will have to tread a fine line if he reverts to his karate style:
"There are three borders that you need to recognize. There is the safe zone, there's fight zone and there's borders. Borders, what that means to me is that you're about an inch from getting out and an inch away from getting in and actually striking."
Speaking about the range that Conor McGregor should fight from, 'Triple C' said:
"The thing is that Conor is standing too much in that borders line and more into the fight zone, that's the reason why he's getting caught. So, if I was him, I would brush up maybe two to three inches a little further out. And it will all make sense for him."
Imploring McGregor to switch stances, Cejudo said:
"But not just that but also if you're hurt, this is the part he probably doesn't know - you have to switch stances. He has to be comfortable fighting southpaw and right-handed. And next time, Conor McGregor, I'm charging your punk a**."
#2 Eddie Alvarez says Conor McGregor should find his motivation
Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez thinks Conor McGregor's life of luxury has softened the Irishman. Speaking to James Lynch, 'The Underground King' said Conor McGregor needs to stay focused and motivated.
Speaking about how money affects motivation, Alvarez said:
“When you have $100 million in the bank, It’s the opposite of fighting. Fighting is having to deal with adversity every day, being told no. Having to wake up (early). Doing things that you don’t necessarily want to do, and that requires discipline and it hardens you, and you become a good fighter as a byproduct of all these things that happened throughout your life."
Alvarez then spoke about the detriments of being a rich fighter, saying:
"And the idea of having $100 million in the bank, where everyone tells you yes, you get to make your own schedule and you get to wake up when you want, it’s the opposite of having to be a fighter, it actually softens you."
'The Underground King' recommends Conor McGregor steps outside his life of luxury, saying:
"I feel like for Conor to come back, he needs to harden himself as a man. In order to do that, he needs to get rid of all those things, maybe go away. Get out of that world and become hardened again over time.”
#1 Georges St-Pierre tells Conor McGregor to leave his comfort zone
UFC legend Georges St-Pierre believes Conor McGregor's downfall was a result of Dustin Poirier's perfect execution of the game plan and the Irishman's own leniency. The French-Canadian fighter thinks Conor McGregor needs a change of mindset. In an interview with ESPN, GSP first spoke about the nuances of McGregor's fighting stance, saying:
"When you’re in a boxing stance, very often your leg or your stance is wider and a lot of your weight is put on the lead leg, which makes you very vulnerable for those leg kicks. That could have been a big factor."
Georges St-Pierre then spoke about how earning money removed his "edge." He said:
“When I made my first million, of course my life has changed. I had more security and I didn’t feel that I was fighting for the same reason that I was in the beginning in terms of security. When I was poor in the beginning, I was on the edge. I knew if I lost I would have been dead and my life would be a mess. When you get money, these things change. However, to keep performing, you need to get out of your comfort zone."
The French-Canadian fighter suggested that Conor McGregor should get out of his comfort zone, saying:
“You cannot stay in your comfort zone during a training camp because you’re trying to recreate the same element that you will face for a fight. When you’re gonna fight, you won’t be in your comfort zone, so it is imperative that Conor, if you want to get back on the road of success, he needs to get out of his comfort zone."
Speaking about the harm of staying within an unchallenging environment, GSP said:
"He needs not to be the boss of his training camp. He needs his coaches to tell him now you’re gonna spar this guy, you’re gonna go there, do this. Even if it doesn’t please him, he needs to go through that. Because if you stay in your comfort zone, the only thing that can happen is you will go down. You need to do that."
