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Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier will battle it out for a third time at UFC 264 after splitting their first two fights. Poirier won their most recent meeting at UFC 257, while Conor won their first fight back in 2014 at UFC 178.
Interestingly, both wins came via knockout, and when they first fought in 2014, they were both featherweights. However, Poirier has found his ideal weight class now and looks bigger compared to Conor.
This was a factor in his win over McGregor at UFC 257. While the first round was close, Poirier turned it up in the second and utilized leg kicks to great effect. The Irishman couldn't put any weight on his legs and thus found it difficult to avoid Poirier's punches, ultimately losing via TKO.
However, Conor McGregor has promised his fans a better performance this time around. He and his coach John Kavanagh have said they'll be focusing on his all-round game rather than just the boxing aspect of the sport.
The high stakes for Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3
UFC president Dana White has gone on record to say that the winner of the fight between McGregor and Poirier will fight for the lightweight belt against Charles Oliveira. Poirier was given the option of fighting for the title, but he refused to do so in order to fight McGregor for the third time.
Other than a possible title shot, a loss for Conor McGregor would be detrimental to his future as a lightweight. He is desperate to get back to his best. However, if he cannot beat Poirier, then the way back to the lightweight title gets much harder.
On the flip side, a win would re-ignite his career, and Conor McGregor might finally get his hands on the much-coveted title shot.
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