Conor McGregor, a former champion in two divisions, knows that his status as the greatest star in mixed martial art is at stake in his fight with Dustin Pourier. According to the brash Irishman, the third fight will be for "all the marbles", when he faces Poirier in UFC 264's main event on Saturday, July 10. The UFC 264 main card is set for 10 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Their rubber match will close the packed UFC 264 fight card. ET ET.
McGregor is a favorite at -115 (risk $115 to Win $100), while Poirier is available at -105 according to the latest Poirier Vs. McGregor 3 odds from William Hill Sportsbook. The co-main event will see welterweight competitors meet, with fifth-ranked Stephen Thompson (-140), facing second-ranked Gilbert Burns (+120). Before you make any UFC 264 picks, be sure to see the MMA predictions from SportsLine analyst Ian Parker .
Parker is a former fighter and has been in the business for 15 years. He managed some of the best fighters around, including Chris Weidman (ex-UFC middleweight champ), Costas Philippou, and Gian Villante. Parker was trained by Matt Serra, a UFC Hall of Famer. Parker now breaks down fights, and makes betting selections for Jon Anik, the Voice of the UFC.
Parker just finished a stupendous 2020 season. Parker finished a remarkable 58-14 on the Anik & Florian Podcast and returned $9,465 to $100 bettors that followed him. Parker won 11 of his 17 picks for underdogs, and 19 of the 30 main events. Parker was able to nail an astounding 81 percent of his plays.
SportsLine members have already enjoyed a memorable 2021 campaign featuring the renowned MMA analyst. He posted a 7-2 record at UFC Fight Night and his winners included Cyril Gane, heavyweight prospect (-145) against Alexander Volkov (+125), in their five-round main match. He has had huge returns for anyone who has followed him.
With UFC 264: McGregor 3 in sight Parker has carefully analyzed the MMA odds and every matchup on UFC 264's card from every angle. He then released his top picks. If his top UFC 264 picks are successful, it would yield a payback greater than 10-1. These picks can only be found at SportsLine
UFC 264: McGregor vs. Puirier 3 preview
Parker is aware that the main event will have a significant impact on both fighters' legacy. McGregor, with the support of the UFC marketing machine made a near mythical figure with his unique look and famous, verbose attitude.
For the first stages of his UFC career, the "Notorious" fighter kept his end of the storyline intact with dominance in the cage. His "coming-of-age" moment occurred seven years ago when he met Poirier, a similarly brash prospect who had the talent and dark disposition to match.
McGregor (22-5), after weeks of constant trash talk, defeated Poirier at the 1:46 mark of the first round. The Louisiana native was unable to resist or be resilient and offered no resistance. McGregor became the UFC's first active champion in two divisions.
Poirier (26-7-1), however, won quietly nine of his next ten fights to establish himself as one of the best lightweights in the world. He has two victories over Max Holloway (featherweight champion) who was fighting for the interim title. This fight took place in April 2019. He lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov for the unified title in April 2019. It is impossible to see who to support.
UFC 264: McGregor vs. Poir 3 predictions
We will reveal one of Parker's UFC 264 picks: He is siding against Brad Tavares (175) to defeat Omari Akhmedov (+155), in a battle between ranked middleweights.
Tavares (18-6), a UFC veteran of 10 years, has spent part of his career in upper echelon but has never contested for the title. After a four-fight winning streak, the 33-year old Hawaiian saw his stock rise. His setbacks included back-to-back defeats to Israel Adesanya, the current champion, and Edmen Shahbazyan (now ranked No. 10.
Tavares climbed up to No. 15 after his January victory against Antonio Carlos Junior.
Akhmedov (21-5-1), is ranked No. 13 is an eight-year UFC veteran and is rising as a title-contender. He has won in four of five of his last five bouts against top-tier competition. He lost to Chris Weidman in his last bout. The 33-year-old Russian hopes to improve on that win by submitting Tom Breese in January.
Parker said that Tavares should be able to stop Akhmedov's takedown attempts and force him into a kickboxing fight in which he will have an advantage." SportsLine.
How to make UFC 264 picks
Parker has strong picks to support Poirier vs. McGregor 3, and other fights on UFC 264. Parker is also backing one fighter who will use his "karate style striking" to win. These picks, and other UFC 264 predictions, are only available at SportsLine.
