Jeff Smith 
@adminIt was made official over the weekend, Connor McGregor will face Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 on July 10. It has to be said that this match a lot of people have been waiting for, especially Mcgregor. He has been chomping at the bit for another go round after their last fight.
Poirier scored a second round TKO at UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi back in January. Poirier’s game plan was executed to perfection. He went after McGregor with kicks to the calves in the first round that slowed the Irishman down. The KO is the first ever suffered by Mcgregor, and Poiier will be looking to do it again in July.
The loss in January was a tough one for “The Notorious” after a very impressive win over Donald Cerrone last year. He was unusually sportsman-like after losing to Poirier, saying “It was a phenomenal performance by Dustin”. Of course that has all changed now.
Connor has gone back to his Twitter ways posting “The fight is booked! July 10th you’re gonna see what the Mac is about. Adjust and absolutely f**king destroy!”
Even though he lost to McGregor by TKO the first time in 2016 this win for Poirier seems to have elevated his profile and status. People are now talking about him possibly being one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time.
A Shot At The Title
Poirier was offered a spot to fight for the vacated lightweight championship but decided on the rematch with McGregor. So that match will happen between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler at UFC 262 in May. One could argue taking the payday for the trilogy could far surpass the title bout.
Not taking the offered championship fight won’t matter too much if he wins. It is almost guaranteed that whoever wins this fight will face the winner of the Oliveira vs Chandler match-up for the title.
If you are looking for a sure bet this fight is a bit of a toss up. Even before the bout became official the odds-makers had McGregor as the favorite. In fact, the opening odds have gotten better for him (-150) and Poirier coming in as the underdog at +130.
Being out of the ring for almost a year might have had a factor in the loss. This time around you have to expect the Mcgregor camp will come up with a counter attack against Poirier’s previous strategy, maybe working a little more on his footwork and timing, which have always been unparalleled.
But with Poirier’s hard strikes, excellent ground work, solid defence and showing he can take McGregor’s punches you have to give “The Diamond” serious consideration when placing your bets, though.
They say “you have to beat the best to be the best” and you can debate whether or not McGregor actually is the best, but the one thing you can’t deny is that he is a legend. And come July if Poirier beats him he will have beaten a legend – twice!
