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Conor McGregor vs Poirier prediction: How will UFC 257 main event finish?
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier collide once again more than six years after their first meeting, but this time at lightweight at the top of the bill in a highly-anticipated UFC 257 on the Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
McGregor has been out of the Octagon for 12 months but did look superb in a breathtaking 40 seconds to put away Donald Cerrone
McGregor and Dana White clashed following that contest, with the coronavirus pandemic hurting negotiations due to the Irishman’s hard ball stance over his compensation, which forced another apparent retirement.
FOLLOW LIVE: Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier at UFC 257
Khabib Nurmagomedov is seemingly off the radar for now, having retired following his victory over Justin Gaethje in October and the passing of his father.
And without the unbeaten Russian, the lightweight division is now wide open: Gaethje remains the No 1 contender, with Poirier second, Charles Oliveira third and McGregor fourth.
Former Bellator champion and UFC newcomer Michael Chandler has also added intrigue to the division and will take on Dan Hooker in the co-main event at UFC 257.
But the fight with the biggest impact at 155lbs is set to be McGregor vs Poirier, which is taking place six years after the Irishman knocked out ‘The Diamond’ in the first round of their clash at featherweight.
Here is everything you need to know about the seismic bout.
When and where is the fight?
The fight is on 23 January on top of the bill at UFC 257. It will take place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card is expected to begin at 3am GMT (Sunday morning), with the prelims before that starting at 1am GMT. The early prelims will get under way at 11.15pm GMT on Saturday night.
What TV channel is it on and how can I watch?
UK fans can watch the main card on BT Sport Box Office HD, as well as the broadcaster’s site and app, for a fee of £19.95.
The prelims will air to BT Sport subscribers for free.
In the US, the main card will air on ESPN+, which – along with ESPN – will show the prelims. Both channels will also air the early prelims, as will UFC’s Fight Pass.
Who will win?
Alex Pattle: Poirier is a more durable fighter at lightweight than he was at featherweight – the weight at which the pair last fought. He is also a sharper boxer, but for all the talk of Poirier’s improvements, McGregor’s own advancements should not be overlooked – despite the Irishman’s relative inactivity in the ring in recent years, he has been training non-stop. At first I found this one pretty hard to call, but as the bout has edged near, my mind has settled on Poirier lasting longer than one minute and 46 seconds this time, but not too much longer, unfortunately. McGregor via second-round TKO.
Adam Hamdani: This one really could be the war that both men are promising it to be, but Poirier seems to be hoping that a McGregor mistake is what will gift him the chance to finish the fight, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the Irishman look so in the zone as he is now. I can’t see any errors from him here. McGregor’s timing, size and power should give him the win by knockout inside three. This fight promises to be more competitive than against Cerrone, and an impressive stoppage could reignite the flame in Khabib for what would be the biggest event in UFC history. McGregor via KO within three rounds.
What is the full card?
Main card
Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier (lightweight)
Dan Hooker vs Michael Chandler (lightweight)
Jessica Eye vs Joanne Calderwood (women’s flyweight)
Matt Frevola vs Arman Tsarukyan (catchweight)
Marina Rodriguez vs Amanda Ribas (women’s strawweight)
Prelims
Brad Tavares vs Antonio Carlos Jr (middleweight)
Julianna Pena vs Sara McCann (women’s bantamweight)
Khalil Rountree Jr vs Marcin Prachnio (light heavyweight)
Early prelims
Andrew Sanchez vs Makhmud Muradov (middleweight)
Nik Lentz Movsar Evloev (catchweight)
Amir Albazi vs Zhalgas Zhumagulov (flyweight)
Odds
READ MORE: UFC’s commentators on calling the biggest fights in the world
McGregor: 4/9
McGregor by knockout: 4/5
McGregor by submission: 33/1
McGregor on points: 13/2
Poirier: 7/4
Poirier by knockout: 7/2
Poirier by submission: 10/1
Poirier on points: 6/1
Draw: 50/1
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