It’s UFC 264 fight day

The UFC is back to the Apex in Las Vegas for the much-anticipated finale of the Poirier vs McGregor trilogy.

Diamond in the rough

The headline to this event will be a decisive clash between Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier and Conor ‘Notorious’ McGregor, a fight which will conclude their seven-year trilogy.

The first time Poirier faced McGregor was in 2014 and the up-and-coming Irishman started the bout frantically, landing numerous jabs in quick succession before executing a strong jab that resulted in a TKO and the referee ending the fight.

The second matchup was in January of this year where Poirier adopted a new strategy of executing lethal calf kicks on McGregor in the opening exchanges. Despite this, McGregor won the first round, but the targeted kicks took their toll and with his movement impeded Poirier ruthlessly delivered a flurry of blows that resulted in the referee stopping the fight in the second round.

The final fight could go either way with both fighters evenly matched in terms or records – Poirier holding a 27-6 record and McGregor 22-5 – and both have been dominant in the lightweight division for years. UFC® 264 has all the makings of a classic UFC contest.

Feel the Burns

The co-main features two top-five ranked welterweights as Gilbert ‘Durinho’ Burns takes on Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.

Winning eight of his last 10 fights, Burns will be looking to get himself back into title contention after losing to current champion Kamaru Usman in February. The Brazilian holds a 19-4 record; 14 of those victories were finishes, eight by submission and six via KO. His fight prior to Usman saw him win a five-round masterclass against Tyron Woodley.

After winning two consecutive bouts, Thompson will be hoping to keep his momentum going as he bids for a title shot. The American holds a 16-4 record; eight of those wins were finishes, five of those coming via first round knockout. Wonderboy is known for his ‘wild training’, opting to train outdoors as he believes it improves conditioning and helps maintain a clear head.

Aldana aims to outfox Kunitskaya

The bantamweight division is stacked with talent and this fight sees two top five contenders clash, as #4 ranked Irene Aldana faces #5 ranked Yana ‘Foxy’ Kunitskaya.

Aldana has won five of her last seven fights, her last victory coming by first round knockout over Ketlen Vieira. She has a 12-6 record and has recorded finishes in nine of those victories, six by knockout and three by submission. The Mexican holds a 5-2 record in the division since 2018.

This will be Kunitskaya’s second fight of the year, after she defeated Ketlen Vieira back in February. The Russian has also won five of her last seven bouts, including her last two consecutively. She has racked up eight finishes in her 14 career wins, seven by KO and one by submission. She started her MMA career in 2009 and specialised in Taekwondo before that.

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