What a night it was last night. In the headliner of UFC 264, we saw the third installment of the rivalry between Dustin Poirier (28-6, 1 NC) and Conor McGregor (22-6). While the fight was meant to provide closure, the result gave us anything but.
The fight started out with a fast pace and McGregor was throwing a ton of kicks. Much like the second fight, McGregor controlled the striking early on at UFC 264. In the middle of the round, Poirier blitzed and the two men came together in a clinch.
Poirier went for a takedown and McGregor tried to lock in a guillotine. However, Poirier was able to defend and get top position. Once on top, Poirier rained down bombs on McGregor. McGregor landed some good shots here and there from the bottom, but overall, it was all Poirier.
Late in the round, Poirier let McGregor up. The two men missed with big shots and as McGregor stepped back, his ankle gave out. McGregor suffered a break to his lower tibia and the main event of UFC 264 ended with a doctor stoppage.
Poirier confident him and McGregor fight again after UFC 264
It was clear that the two men still had bad blood after UFC 264. Dana White said in the post-fight press conference that the two men will fight again whenever McGregor heals. However, Poirier will be fighting for the UFC title next.
When it was Poirier’s turn to talk at the press conference, he echoed Dana White. Poirier said, “We are going to fight again whether it’s in the octagon or on the sidewalk.” McGregor also said in the cage that he would fight Poirier in the octagon or on the street after UFC 264.
Between all the words and the lack of a true finish, it does appear that we are destined to see the fourth fight. That said, we won’t be seeing it anytime soon. McGregor is going to have surgery tomorrow and will be out for a considerable amount of time.
Dustin Poirier will now turn his attention towards Charles Oliveira and the UFC lightweight title. If Poirier wins the title and McGregor recovers quickly, don’t be shocked if next summer’s big UFC PPV is headlined by the fourth fight between McGregor and Poirier.