UFC 264 Picks: Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3 best bets
At Saturday's UFC 264 in Las Vegas, Conor "The Notorious" McGregor takes on Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier for the third time. The main card of UFC 264 will start at 10 p.m. ET with the main event at midnight ET. Below, we make our best bets for Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3; check out all of our UFC 264 picks and predictions.
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McGregor vs. Poirier best bets
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports' betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:15 p.m. ET.
Over 1.5 rounds (-160)
These two fighters are familiar with each other which is best shown by the "3" at the end of the name of the fight card. In the first bout in 2014, McGregor won in the first round. Poirier won January's second bout in the second round.
Both know what is at stake in this one and each fighter knows the strengths of the other. With both combatants having a 54% defense rate, they'd have to come out of the gates swinging for this one to end in the first round.
At this value, I'd certainly bet against a quick finish in the main event.
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McGregor to win (+110)
McGregor's two fights against Poirier have been oddly timed. The first was very early in his career, the second was this past January as his first fight in over a year.
The former champ has everything to lose with a second straight loss to Poirier, the lightweight division's No. 1 challenger. On top of that, he's a showman and should put his best effort forward in front of a packed T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Already having made his presence felt at the weigh-in event, I expect a strong performance from the former belt-holder, especially with the division's throne being relinquished by Khabib Nurmagomedov.
PLAY: Free Poirier vs. McGregor 3 pick'em contest
Fight to end via KO/TKO/DQ (-250)
The two previous fights between Poirier and McGregor ended before the third round in technical knockouts. Neither fighter often chooses to go to the ground, so expect this fight to be an upright brawl.
McGregor has 19 KOs in 22 wins. Poirier, who is a tad bit more of a grappler, still has 14 KOs in 27 victories.
This is a strong favorite for the method of victory as combining both styles and the previous battles paints a clear picture of what's likely to happen at UFC 264, and that's a knockout of some type.
This is a great bet to toss in a parlay, but also one that can be taken by itself.
Also see:
- Will McGregor's adjustments make a difference vs. Poirier?
- WATCH: How we arrived at Poirier vs. McGregor 3
Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.
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