Poirier v McGregor predictions and UFC 264 betting tips

Free MMA tips, best bets and analysis for Dustin Poirier v Conor McGregor on Saturday night.

Where to watch

BT Sport 2 and BT Sport Box Office, from 1am Sunday

Best bet

Dustin Poirier to win
2pts 5-6 Betfred

Preview

UFC 264 offers up the blockbuster fight of the summer when Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor square off for the third time.

It's honours even after two previous meetings but Poirier has the edge, having won when they duked it out in January, and looks good value to wrap up another victory.

They first locked horns as featherweights in 2014 when McGregor was just emerging on the UFC stage and the flamboyant Irishman blitzed Poirier to earn a first-round TKO win.

The Diamond shone in January's rematch, using calf kicks to slow McGregor down before finishing with a flurry of punches.

It's worth noting their most recent encounter came at lightweight and they step into the Octagon at 155lb again for the trilogy fight.

Inactivity and distractions outside the Octagon appear to have massively impacted McGregor's MMA career. He has lost two of his last three fights while Poirier has been laser-focused on improving his skillset and looks to have the tools to beat Notorious in all areas.

With January's defeat fresh on his mind, McGregor needs to employ a new approach to try to avoid succumbing to those heavy calf kicks otherwise he could be in for another rough ride.

Of course, McGregor can never be completely written off and if he does find a home for his left then Poirier could be in choppy water but that looks his only route to victory.

It's unlikely that we'll hear the final buzzer - just two of McGregor's 27 professional fights have gone the distance.

Going deeper into the card, Gilbert Burns is worth consideration at 11-8 to beat Stephen Thompson.

Burns was on a six-fight winning streak until he lost to welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and a submission victory could be on the cards as he looks to bounce back immediately.

The exciting Sean O'Malley is also back in action and he isn't expected to encounter any issues in dispatching Kris Moutinho.

O'Malley, around 1-2 to win by KO, TKO or disqualification, already has a showreel of knockout victories and is likely to add another to his collection in Vegas.

Finally when heavyweights Tai Tuivasa and Greg Hardy inevitably come out swinging, betting that the fight won't go the distance looks the way to go.

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