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Dan Hardy has predicted who will win between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
Former UFC welterweight title challenger and longtime MMA analyst Dan Hardy has suggested that the trilogy matchup between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier is likely to be a highly competitive one. That said, Hardy noted that he’s favoring Conor McGregor to beat Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
Speaking to Submission Radio, Dan Hardy chimed in with his views on the UFC 264 trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. Hardy stated –
“I think it’s a very competitive fight. And the only reason I’d lean slightly in McGregor’s direction is because we’ve seen him regroup and change. The changes, the shifts, the regrouping in Poirier’s career has always been down to will, and determination, and ‘I’m just going to double my work rate and be twice as conditioned and be more aggressive’. Whereas McGregor, he’s found technical solutions to problems.”
“So, I can see him; and you know that’s burning in the back of his (Conor McGregor’s) mind. He can be sitting in his fancy shorts on his sunbed, drinking Proper Twelve all he likes, but every morning he wakes up and looks himself in the mirror, he remembers that moment where he’s lined up against the fence on the floor with Poirier walking away. That’s the kind of thing that eats away at him. And I can only imagine McGregor’s got a thousand and one different ways to deal with Poirier. I still think it’s very, very competitive, but I’m leaning slightly towards McGregor just based on how he approaches the game.”
Dan Hardy has indicated that Conor McGregor’s ability to find technical solutions to problems rather than simply trying to get by on willpower and determination will likely help him win the trilogy fight.
Dan Hardy praised Conor McGregor but believes he has a tough task ahead against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264
Dan Hardy was then asked whether Conor McGregor’s recent tweets on social media – some of them deemed as rather odd – are a sign that the loss is truly sinking into McGregor’s mind. Hardy agreed and responded by pointing out how well Conor McGregor adjusts after losing fights. Hardy said –
“Yeah, I think so. I think so. I mean, he’s always done so well off the back of a defeat as well. You know, the Nate Diaz thing didn’t touch him at all. And I don’t even think the Khabib thing; I don’t think he lost a great deal of face in that. He’s always got a good way of kind of salvaging his reputation and stirring the fans back up again.”
“But there might be a bit of a stirring internally this time around. The reality is if he falls to Poirier a second time in the same way, you can’t convince the fans you’re the baddest man on the planet – Because people have got too many recent memories of you losing twice to the same person. So, there’s a lot of weight on his shoulders coming into this fight. Same reason why we’ve not gotten the Nate Diaz rematch, you know. They’ve gone one and one, but your lasting memory is McGregor getting his hand raised, you know. There’s a risk in him losing twice to that individual as well.”
“So, I think he’s picking and choosing his opponents very wisely. You know, he’s got big businesses riding on his reputation, on his brand. So, he does need to consider to keep that intact a little bit. And to get knocked out again by Poirier is not going to do him any favors, let’s put it that way.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
The trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier will headline the UFC 264 fight card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 10th, 2021.
