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411’s UFC 264 Report: Poirier Beats McGregor

July 11, 2021 | Posted by Robert Winfree
UFC 264 Dustin Poirier

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
#1 Dustin Poirier (156 lbs.) vs. #5 Conor McGregor (156 lbs.)
#2 Gilbert Burns (170.5 lbs.) vs. #4 Stephen Thompson (170.5 lbs.)
Greg Hardy (264.5 lbs.) vs. Tai Tuivasa (263 lbs.)
#4 Irene Aldana (139.5 lbs.)* vs. #5 Yana Kunitskaya (134.5 lbs.)
Kris Moutinho (135 lbs.) vs. Sean O’Malley (135.5 lbs.)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
Carlos Condit (171 lbs.) vs. Max Griffin (170.5 lbs.)
Michel Pereira (170.5 lbs.) vs. Niko Price (169.5 lbs.)
Ryan Hall (145 lbs.) vs. Ilia Topuria (145.5 lbs.)
Dricus Du Plessis (185.5 lbs.) vs. Trevin Giles (185.5 lbs.)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
#7 Jessica Eye (125.5 lbs.) vs. #4 Jennifer Maia (125.5 lbs.)
#13 Omari Akhmedov (185.5 lbs.) vs. #15 Brad Tavares (184.5 lbs.)
Jerome Rivera (125.5 lbs.) vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (125.5 lbs.)
Alen Amedovski (186 lbs.) vs. Hu Yaozong (185.5 lbs.)

Hello everyone and welcome to 411mania’s LIVE coverage of UFC 264. I’m Robert Winfree and I’ll be your host for the duration. Tonight is a pretty big deal as superstar Conor McGregor is back in action. Back in January McGregor battled former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier in a rematch from about 7 years ago when McGregor handled Poirier with relative ease, but this time things went differently with Poirier stopping McGregor in the second round. Just 6 or so months after that fight the two meet to conclude their trilogy, with a shot at newly minted lightweight champion Charles Oliveira on the line. This is a terribly important fight for both men, the winner gets a title shot while the loser has some serious rebuilding to do. The co-main event isn’t that bad either, Gilbert Burns is fresh off of his failed bid at the welterweight title but looking to rebound against two time title challenger Stephen Thompson. While the next title shot likely goes to Colby Covington the winner here could be in line after that fight, or on deck if something happens to Covington or Usman. Beyond that it’s a little slim, but Carlos Condit is still usually good for a watchable fight and Ryan Hall is finally back in action. But the UFC has a history of making McGregor fights rather thin cards overall. Let’s just hope we get some good action.

UFC 264 comes to the world from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. There’s fans in attendance again, the over/under on the first “woo” is set at 3 minutes into the first fight. On commentary we have Jon Anik, Joe Rogan, and Daniel Cormier. As for the rules Nevada uses most of the newer set except the downed fighter rule which is still the old one so you just need one hand on the mat to be considered downed. Nevada also has a replay official, an official out of the ring who can request the use of instant replay as can the in cage referee, and the fight can be restarted after the use of instant replay if that’s applicable. We’re also back in the 30 foot diameter cage instead of the 25 footer that’s installed at the Apex facility.

Well, in our first fight cancelation of the evening a couple of hours before the show is set to start we get word that Hu Yaozong vs. Alen Amedovski is off due to COVID protocols in the Amedovski camp. That means we’ll get a full 30 minutes or so of vamping from the broadcast and analyst desk.

Zhalgas Zhumagulov has gone 0-2 in the UFC but turned in entertaining fights both times, now he’s in somewhat dire need of a win though as pure entertainment is nice but eventually you do have to win to stick around the UFC. Jerome Rivera has gone 0-3 in the UFC between bantamweight and featherweight, now he’s trying his hand at flyweight in a last attempt to get his first UFC win. Zhumagulov is a surprisingly heavy favorite at -300 to a +250 comeback on Rivera.

Flyweight Bout: Jerome Rivera (10-5, 125.5 lbs.) vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (13-5, 125.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Rivera is six inches taller and has five and a half inches of reach advantage. Southpaw for Rivera as we get going. A few range finding attacks from Rivera early, Zhumagulov lands a right to the chest. Inside leg kick from Zhumagulov, then a couple of body shots to follow up. Rivera lands a body kick. More body kicks from Rivera, he’s targeting the body a lot. We’ve got “woo’s” so anyone who took the under cash the ticket. Zhumagulov lands a left hook. Rivera misses a front kick and Zhumagulov cracks him with a left, then grabs a ninja choke as Rivera fights up and Rivera has to tap.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Zhalgas Zhumagulov via Submission, ninja choke, at 2:02 of Round 1

The First Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Zhumagulov for his work this evening. Mic time for Zhumagulov and his translator, he’s happy to have gotten the win and thanks everyone back in Kazakhstan staying up to watch the fights. He talks us through the finish, and thanks his coaches for getting him ready.

Here’s a look at that finish. The left from Zhumagulov is more a clubbing forearm, but it stuns and off balances Rivera enough to open up the front headlock sequence. This is also a really nice example of how to lock up the ninja choke, good stuff from Zhumagulov.

Omari Akhmedov has lost just once since moving up to middleweight when he dropped a decision to Chris Weidman, he’s coming off of a win over Tom Breese and trying to build another winning streak. Brad Tavares just broke a two fight losing streak when he bested Antonio Carlos Junior, now he’s trying to build his first winning streak since 2018 and prove he’s got one more run towards the top of the division in him. The odds favor Tavares at -155 while an Akhmedov win pays out at +135.

Middleweight Bout: #13 Omari Akhmedov (21-5-1, 185.5 lbs.) vs. #15 Brad Tavares (18-6, 184.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Tavares has an inch of height and reach advantage. Both men probing with the lead hand early. Akhmedov lands a left. Both men land punches in close, Akhmedov seems to be throwing more in close but he’s not got a feel for the range yet. Akhmedov lands a calf kick, Tavares lands a counter right. Tavares lands a leg kick. There’s some swelling under the right eye of Tavares, not sure what caused it. Akhmedov hits a blast double leg, Tavares quickly wall walks and they start fighting in the clinch. Knee from Tavares as they break. Akhmedov clocks Tavares with a right, then tries a double leg that stalls on the fence. They trade knees, Akhmedov’s hit the groin so we’ve got time out. Tavares takes about 20 seconds then we’re back to fighting. Bit of an uppercut from Tavares. Both men land rights, then Tavares lands a leg kick. Akhmedov avoids a head kick but takes another calf kick. Tavares defends a double leg, they trade hooks in close with Tavares landing a solid left hook. Another brief exchange closes the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Tavares

ROUND TWO: Bit of a combination from Akhmedov, Tavares lands a right but then he gets double legged on the fence. Tavares quickly wall walks but is stuck in the clinch. They break without incident. Jabs are coming out from Tavares, Akhmedov is really looping his punches and Tavares is punishing that. Tavares lands a couple of calf kicks, those are adding up quickly. Another calf kick from Tavares, Akhmedov lands a bit of a counter right. Akhmedov lands a calf kick. Tavares lands a calf kick but eats a counter combination from Akhmedov that might have rocked him just a bit. Akhmedov lands a bit of a left. Tavares avoids a few wide punches with ease, then lands a jab. Akhmedov lands a right to counter a calf kick. That same sequence, Tavares wit ha calf kick and Akhmedov counters with a power right happens again. Tavares lands a knee to the body, then another calf kick. They trade jabs to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Tavares, 20-18 Tavares overall

ROUND THREE: They trade leg kicks to start the last round. A hard leg kick from Tavares drops Akhmedov for a second, then he kicks him again as Akhmedov gets up. Bit of a left from Akhmedov, Tavares lands another calf kick. Bit of a right from Akhmedov, Tavares back to the leg kick. They split jabs while circling. Tavares lands another leg kick. Akhmedov lands a hard calf kick to counter a jab. Another leg kick from Akhmedov, then Tavares stuffs a double leg attempt. More lead hand work from both men, then Tavares lands a leg kick. Tavares lands an uppercut and staggers Akhmedov, but Akhmedov remains upright. Stiff jab from Tavares, then another uppercut and right hook. Akhmedov avoids a head kick, takes a spinning back kick to the chest to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Tavares, 30-27 Tavares overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Brad Tavares via split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)

Um, WTF? I can see maybe giving Akhmedov the first round but there’s no argument for those last two rounds going to him. Mic time for Tavares, who puts over Akhmedov as a tough opponent who threw him off a bit but once he found the timing and rhythm he felt good. He thought he might be able to get a finish in the third but Akhmedov is as tough as nails. To close he dedicates the win to his uncle who passed away recently.

Jennifer Maia is coming off of a failed title shot, she’s trying to retain a top contender spot while avoiding her first ever losing streak. Jessica Eye has gone just 1-3 in her last four fights and is on a two fight losing streak, she needs a win rather badly to have a bit of job security. Maia is your favorite at -190 to a +170 comeback on Eye.

Women’s Flyweight Bout: #7 Jessica Eye (15-9 1 NC, 125.5 lbs.) vs. #4 Jennifer Maia (18-7-1, 125.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Eye has two inches of height and reach on Maia. Eye showing the lead hand early while they circle. Maia with some kicks, again just range finding. Bit of an inside leg kick from Maia. Maia lands a knee to the face in close, Eye was dipping her head to try and pocket fight and ate that one flush. Eye catches a head kick but can’t do anything with it and they trade punches. Maia lands another right, Eye lands a jab. Calf kick from Maia. Eye is falling just short with 80% of her punches thus far. Maia lands a right then a left. Body kick from Maia. Body shot then a left to the head from Maia. Maia lands a body kick. Bit of a jab from Eye. Maia lands a partial head kick. Hard right from Maia, then a left to follow up. Neither woman has much head movement, but Eye keeps hers straight up every time she enters range. Eye jabs the body. Maia lands a leg kick. Maia again lands that right to the body then left hook to the head, she really favors that combination. They trade rights, tie up and hit the fence then Eye gets a takedown into half guard. Maia gets full guard and hangs on as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Maia

ROUND TWO: Maia lands a couple of rights to get us going. Eye lands a jab. Another couple of rights from Maia land. Eye with a bit of a leg kick, but she eats a couple of counters. Maia lands a body kick but is taken down, but immediately sweeps up and lands a left elbow while separating. They split some jabs while moving around. Hard right from Maia lands. Eye lands a leg kick. Another glancing right from Maia. Maia lands a right hand, she’s just much more accurate than Eye. They clinch briefly and Maia lands a knee. Eye lands a leg kick and takes a counter right. They trade rights in close. Maia lands a right. Eye has a leg kick checked. Maia lands a right to counter a leg kick. Eye is cut on the forehead, not sure what caused it. Maia stuns Eye with a right, they trade and clinch up on the fence again. Eye is leaking a lot of blood as the round ends.

SOCRECARD: 10-9 Maia, 20-18 Maia overall

ROUND THREE: That cut on Eye is from an accidental clash of heads, and is a pretty nasty horizontal gash on the forehead. Both women miss punches. Maia lands a left. They trade a few jabs. Eye lands a leg kick. Maia lands a strong right. Left hook from Maia lands. Eye lands a bit of a right. Jab from Eye lands. Maia lands a right. Another right from Maia, Eye keeps walking into it. Eye lands a right to the body. Jab from Maia lands. Another left from Maia lands. Maia lands a right then a follow up left. Eye lands a right. Right uppercut from Eye lands. A few body shots from Eye, then they trade in the pocket. Maia lands a right, they clinch up and hit the fence. They break without incident. Bit of a head kick from Maia then they trade jabs. Another clinch, Maia lands a right. They get close and have one more flurry to close the fight.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Eye, 29-28 Maia overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Jennifer Maia via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)

I can see an argument for Maia in the third, I don’t agree but it’s not out of line. Mic time for Maia, she was confident going to the decision that she’d done enough to win. Asked what she’d like next she’d like a rematch with Valentina since she’s the only flyweight to take a round from the champion, she incorrectly thinks she’s the only one to go 5 at flyweight with Valentina forgetting the Carmouche fight. I mean I’d like to forget that fight too but it happened.

That’s it for the early prelims, but we’re still on ESPN/ESPN+ for the rest of the preliminary card.

Trevin Giles is on a three fight winning streak and if he can extend that streak to four tonight he could be staring down someone with a bigger name for his next fight. Dricus du Plessis is on a three fight winning streak including a successful UFC debut last year, he’s also finished all of his wins and is hoping to extend his winning streak and solidify himself as a top prospect in the division. The odds for this one favor Du Plessis at -120 to a +100 comeback on Giles.

Middleweight Bout: Dricus Du Plessis (15-2, 185.5 lbs.) vs. Trevin Giles (14-2, 185.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Du Plessis is an inch taller and has two inches of reach advantage. They touch gloves to get us going. Du Plessis showing kicks early. Body kick from Du Plessis, then a calf kick. Giles has a head kick blocked. Jumping knee from Du Plessis misses, as does the counter hook from Giles. Giles lands a body kick. Bit of a right from Giles. Du Plessis lands a calf kick, then has a head kick blocked. Another calf kick from Du Plessis. Du Plessis lands a lunging left. Du Plessis avoids a punch, tries a takedown and they hit the fence. After switching to a single leg Du Plessis gets the takedown. Giles wall walks immediately, and jumps for a guillotine but loses the grip and Du Plessis moves to side control. Full mount now for Du Plessis, Giles gives up the back, Du Plessis uses a Suloev stretch to break the base of Giles but Giles slips out the back and gets a rear waist lock as they stand. Du Plessis grabs a kimura and uses that to sweep via a roll and gets on top in full guard. Giles throws up an armbar, Du Plessis avoids it and moves to full mount. Elbow from Du Plessis, he grabs a guillotine in transition and forces Giles down with it as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Du Plessis

ROUND TWO: They touch gloves again. Du Plessis is stalking forward this round, lands a body kick. Giles misses a jab but Du Plessis reacted badly to the threat. Knee to the body from Giles. Du Plessis lands a calf kick. They trade left hooks, Giles landed better. Du Plessis lands a calf kick then a body kick. Giles checks a calf kick and avoids some punches. A couple of hooks from Giles in close, but Du Plessis counters with a right that FLOORS him. A few academic follow up blows on the ground and we’re done.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Dricus Du Plessis via KO, punches, at 1:41 of Round 2

Mic time for Du Plessis after the win, he knows he has power in his right hand and was happy to show it off and then puts over Giles as a great opponent. He talks us through the finish, noting that Giles would reach with his hands when going forward and he could find a lane for his straight right hand. To close he reminds us of his name and it’s pronunciation, and tells us he’s going to be a player in the division.

Here’s a look at the finish. Giles feints his jab but keeps it low, opening up the punching lane. The key to this defensive posture, usually called either a Stonewall or Philly Shell depending on subtle differences or just your boxing tradition, is to get your lead shoulder high and roll it in front of that counter. Ideally that right would be intercepted and glance off the left shoulder, but between foot position and where that arm is the punching lane is wide open and Du Plessis clobbers Giles.

Ryan Hall is on an eight fight winning streak including four wins in the UFC but inactivity has dogged his career thus far. Hall is hoping to extend his winning streak and possibly take aim at some ranked opposition next. Ilia Topuria is undefeated including two wins in the UFC, he’s hoping to prove that he’s a rising prospect in a tough featherweight division. Topuria is your -220 favorite to a +190 comeback on Hall.

Featherweight Bout: Ryan Hall (8-1, 145 lbs.) vs. Ilia Topuria (10-0, 145.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Hall is three inches taller and has an inch and a half of reach advantage, Topuria is 12 years younger though. They tough gloves, Hall opens southpaw. A lot of circling and feinting early. Hall lands a body kick. Some stance switching from Hall, he’s feinting well and Topuria is respecting everything he’s showing. Hall with a bit of a wheel kick. Topuria avoids an Imanari roll, stands over Hall and fires a few leg kicks but nothing really comes of it before Hall gets up. Hall tries a get another rolling takedown but can’t find it. Topuria avoids another leg attack. Hall tries to invert and roll, he grabs an arm but Topuria is able to pull his arm free and force things back on the feet. Hall tries a modified Granby roll, nearly gets a leg tied up but Topuria lands a couple of punches before they break. Both men land punches standing. Topuria lands a right but still wont engage on the ground with Hall. Hall avoids a few punches, and lands a couple of body kicks. Topuria avoids a few roll attacks. Hall misses another Imanari roll, he really needs another attack because if that’s readable it can be countered. Bit of a wheel kick from Hall. Topuria lands a couple of hammer fists as Hall tries a roll, he forces Hall down and lands rights, Hall is hurt and a few more put him out.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Ilia Topuria via KO, punches, at 4:47 of Round 1

The First Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Topuria for his work this evening. Mic time for Topuria, he says he trains with a lot of guys who have similar styles to Hall and he felt comfortable. He talks us through the finish, noting Hall was a little wobbled by the first punch and he was able to keep landing punches.

Watch the right hand of Topuria, he lands a clubbing forearm as Hall is trying to hit his get up and it clearly rocks him. You can tell because Hall’s right hand gets draped around the back of Topuria’s head and Hall is way too good a grappler to wrap the head like that in this position, which leaves him without an arm to block the hammers Topuria sends into his head to close the show.

Niko Price hasn’t won a fight since October of 2019 when he up kicked James Vick into unconsciousness, he’s trying to get back on the winning side of things tonight and hopefully find a bit of consistency going forward. Michel Pereira is on a two fight winning streak and is hoping get his longest UFC winning streak tonight and possibly earn a shot at some ranked opposition next. The odds are with Pereira at -180 to +160 for Price.

Welterweight Bout: Michel Pereira (25-11 2 NC, 170.5 lbs.) vs. Niko Price (14-4 2 NC, 169.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Pereira is an inch taller but Price has three inches of reach advantage. They touch gloves to get us going. Price is stalking forward, Pereira moving laterally. Pereira lands a jab. And the ESPN+ player is giving me a technical difficulties message. We come back to Pereira getting a break after taking what I assume is an eye poke based on commentary. After 38 seconds of downtime we’re back to fighting. Pereira lands a front kick to the body but Price lands a counter right and gets a clinch on the fence. Price can’t quite find the takedown, and Pereira is able to spin free. Bit of a body kick from Price, Pereira catches it and lands a right. Pereira lands a front kick to the body. Bit of a head kick from Pereira, then a calf kick. Price avoids a Superman punch and gets a clinch on the fence. Both men land knees, then they break and trade punches with both men landing. Stiff jab from Pereira then a leg kick. Pereira lands a left hook. A right from Pereira off balances Price, he stands over him but wont do anything and they reset on the feet. Price lands a right, Pereira lands a left hook and they clinch. Pereira lands a knee to the body. Another knee from Pereira lands as they break. Price lands a calf kick, both men are bleeding from the nose area. Pereira lands a left to the body. A few leg kicks from Price, then he avoids a rolling thunder kick. A body shot from Pereira closes the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Pereira

ROUND TWO: Price working the inside leg kick to start the round. Pereira lands a leg kick, and another one. Front kick to the body from Pereira. Those body kicks from Pereira are adding up and Price doesn’t like them. Price falls over, Pereira with the backflip stomp attack that hits the face, that’s technically illegal I think, but he Pereira mostly lands in full mount. There’s a bit of an Americana from Pereira but he can’t finish it and lands punches instead. Pereira is after an arm triangle now, but he’s way too high on the head right now to get it. He bails on that to land punches, Price gives up the back and Pereira goes to a body triangle. Price is trying to hand fight, but gets rolled over and Pereira goes back to full mount. Price is able to hip bump and get up while Pereira on his back. Wait, Price dives under for a kneebar but loses it and they regain their feet. Pereira is circling, he might have used a lot of energy there. Both men land punches. Price lands a couple of lefts and gets a clinch. Pereira fights off a single leg attempt, lands a knee to the body while keeping the clinch. They trade rights as they break the clinch. Price is pushing the pace now, he misses punches but gets another clinch. They trade knees, Price lands an elbow as they break and we get an exchange of punches to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Pereira but I wouldn’t object to a 10-8, 20-8 Pereira overall

ROUND THREE: Price is immediately pushing forward and we get a bit of a brawl before Price tries a double leg. Pereira is able to push free but Price isn’t giving him space to recover. Price lands a jab. They trade rights. Pereira tries a body kick but that hits the groin of Price and we’ve got time out for him. Replay confirms the foul, that was a pretty bad one. Price takes about a minute then we’re back to fighting, he doesn’t want to give Pereira the time to recover. Right from Price, he’s still pushing forward looking to engage. Pereira misses a jumping knee. Bit of a left from Price. Pereira avoids a head kick. Price with a couple of body shots in close. Pereira lands a left hand, Price lands an uppercut. Body kick from Pereira lands, he’s gone mostly southpaw now. Price lands a combination in close, he just wont give Pereira any space. Front kick to the face lands for Price. They split jabs for a bit, then Price lands a right in a clinch. They trade a bit of every offensive weapon in the clinch then break. Another clinch, Pereira tries a takedown but Price scrambles free and lands some elbows along the way. More jabs from Price, he’s got Pereira on the fence and is looking to unload. More rights from Price, then an uppercut but he falls into a clinch. Price pulls free and Pereira avoids him. Pereira tries a double leg, Price digs in body shots while defending and gets free. The last 10 seconds are here, Price goes all out sprinting with offense but wont find the finish he needed.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Price, 29-28 Pereira overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Michel Pereira via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Price closed very strong, but you can’t lose two of the three rounds in a three round fight and expect to win. Mic time for Pereira and his translator, he thanks his friends and coaches and loves Las Vegas. He again calls out Nate Diaz, which is still probably not happening. He puts over Price as a tough opponent who put in a good fight, but he knew he’d won enough rounds to win the fight.

Carlos Condit is on a somewhat improbable two fight winning streak with wins over Matt Brown and Court McGee, if he’s successful tonight he’ll have his longest winning streak since way back in 2012 when he challenged Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title. Max Griffin is on a two fight winning streak as well and a win over a fighter as well known as Condit would be the biggest of his career. Given the years and miles on Condit it’s not really a surprise that Griffin is the favorite at -180 to a +160 comeback on Condit.

Welterweight Bout: Carlos Condit (32-13, 171 lbs.) vs. Max Griffin (17-8, 170.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Condit is three inches taller while Griffin has half an inch of reach advantage. Southpaw for Condit. Griffin with a leg kick, then tries a head kick. Condit circling and switching his stance. Griffin lands a couple of calf kicks, he’ll happily kick whichever leg is forward. Condit lands a body kick. More calf kicks from Griffin as he fights at long range. Condit lands a bit of a leg kick then a body kick. More calf kicks from Griffin, both legs as well as inside or outside. They trade rights in close. Bit of a left from Griffin. They trade lefts, Griffin lands another one and drops Condit to the mat. Griffin on top looking to unload, Condit is able to get him off and regain his feet though. Griffin is just circling away, he’s recovering after that flurry. Condit with a bit of a combination of his own. They just circle away the last seconds.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Griffin but there’s a 10-8 argument in there

ROUND TWO: Griffin pushing forward again, he blocks a high kick and lands a leg kick. Bit of a right from Griffin. Condit lands a glancing left. A right from Condit lands. Bit of a right from Griffin, slight left hook counter from Condit. Griffin lands a jab. They trade in close again, Griffin is getting the better of these exchanges thus far. Condit lands a straight right. Griffin lands a leg kick but takes a left to the body in response. Condit lands a jab. Griffin lands a right but Condit keeps coming forward. Condit lands a right to counter a leg kick. They trade jabs again, and Condit lands a left to the body as well. Condit lands another right, he’s finding that punch frequently now. Griffin lands a right but he doesn’t have the pop on his punches that he did in the first. Condit lands another left. Body kick from Condit, Griffin didn’t like that one. They trade lefts, then left hooks as well. They trade body kicks to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Condit, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Both men come out working the lead hand again. Condit lands a jab. Bit of a right from Condit in close. Condit with a one two. Griffin lands a left hook. Hard right from Griffin. Condit with a flurry to counter a body kick. Both men swing punches in close, Condit is trying to force a dog fight. Griffin lands a left hook. They trade rights again. Another exchange of jabs. Condit lands a left hook. Griffin lands a right then a left hook. Hard right from Griffin, Condit lands a bit of a right. Condit digs a hard left to the body and lands a right as well. Griffin back to moving, but Condit lands a nice right in close. Condit lands another right. Another left to the body from Condit hurt Griffin. Griffin blocks a takedown attempt and they start fighting in the clinch before Griffin spins free. Hard right from Griffin stuns Condit and he pushes into a takedown along the fence. Griffin moves to half guard and holds top position. Condit tries to invert, he’s able to kick Griffin off but Griffin is back on him along the fence. Condit tries for a couple of standing submissions, he rolls for an armbar but the clock runs out on the attempt.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Griffin, 29-28 Griffin overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Max Griffin via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)

There’s a real argument for Griffin in the second, so I’m not going to object to 30-27. Mic time for Griffin, he puts over Condit as someone he looks up to then wants people to follow his Instagram account and thinks he has the best meme’s in the UFC. He says he wanted the finish but Condit is the man.

That closes the prelims, onto PPV for the main card.

Sean O’Malley is coming off of a win when he knocked out Thomas Almeida, he’s been the subject of a fair bit of hype and is looking to continue riding that train tonight. Kris Moutinho took this fight on about two weeks notice, but could pull off a major upset and stall the momentum of the much talked about O’Malley. Unsurprisingly O’Malley is an overwhelming favorite at -1000 while the +600 payout on Moutinho probably tempts a few degenerate gamblers out there.

Bantamweight Bout: Kris Moutinho (9-4, 135 lbs.) vs. Sean O’Malley (13-1, 135.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: O’Malley has four inches of height and reach advantage. Southpaw for Moutinho, who comes out pushing the pace early. O’Malley lands a front kick to the body. Some stance switching from O’Malley now, he’s landing the front kick to the body or calf kicks to maintain range. O’Malley avoids a rush, and lands a right hand. Calf kick from O’Malley. Moutinho is still coming forward, lands a couple of leg kicks. O’Malley lands a right to the body. Another calf kick from Moutinho. O’Malley lands a three punch combination. Head kick from O’Malley is mostly blocked. Moutinho lands a right but eats a long series of counters. Moutinho is here to fight, he’s still coming forward and looking to win but he’s out classed thus far. Stiff jabs from O’Malley, then a bit of a left hurts Moutinho. O’Malley with a combination of punches and a wheel kick, Moutinho remains upright though. Hard left from O’Malley, and jabs as he’s moving. O’Malley is tearing Moutinho up with these punches while moving. Moutinho lands a few inside leg kicks, he lands a bit of a right but he’s taking three or four punches for every one he lands. Right hand from Moutinho then a solid leg kick. O’Malley lands a jab and a front kick to the body. O’Malley lands a one two, and another one. Moutinho is still throwing and still making decisions not just reacting. Bit of a right from Moutinho. Stiff couple of rights from O’Malley, he drops Moutinho and jumps on a guillotine as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-8 O’Malley

ROUND TWO: They might not want to let Moutinho out for another round of that. O’Malley lands a spinning back kick to the body. Moutinho resumes coming forward and eating punches. More jabs from O’Malley from both stances. Pull back right from O’Malley lands flush. Moutinho blocks a head kick, he’s coming forward still. Body kick from Moutinho. O’Malley lands a right to the body. Another right hand lands for O’Malley. A couple of lefts from O’Malley land. Bit of a right from Moutinho but he’s getting chewed up. Moutinho is just following O’Malley around and getting put through a wood chipper. O’Malley lands a leg kick. Moutinho lands a leg kick, and takes a counter left. O’Malley with a front kick to the body and lands some more jabs. A couple more rights from O’Malley. They trade front kicks to the body. O’Malley digs a left to the body and evades some punches. Moutinho still coming forward, he’s getting torn to pieces but he’s coming forward. They wind up in a clinch, Moutinho lands a knee as they break. An O’Malley right closes the round.

SCORECARD: 10-8 O’Malley, 20-16 O’Malley overall

ROUND THREE: O’Malley with some side kicks to the knee to get the last round going. That doesn’t seem to deter Moutinho though, he’s landing leg kicks and coming forward. A long series of jabs from O’Malley land. O’Malley still sticking and moving, Moutinho’s face is really busted up. Moutinho can only go forward, he’s trying still but he’s not found any real success. More front kicks to the body from O’Malley, trying to keep Moutinho off. O’Malley lands a head kick, Moutinho just eats it. More jabs from O’Malley as he’s circling. Moutinho lands a right, O’Malley lands a left to counter. Leg kick from Moutinho lands. O’Malley lands a right then a couple of front kicks to the body. Moutinho lands an inside leg kick. O’Malley with more jabs, he’s landed over 200 strikes in this fight. A long combination of strikes from O’Malley land, but Moutinho just zombie walks forward. More jabs from O’Malley, and a right hand. Body kick and jab from O’Malley, but Moutinho lands a right hook. O’Malley with more punches. Moutinho misses some offense. O’Malley with a combination, including an uppercut and the ref has finally seen enough after all of that offense.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Sean O’Malley via TKO, punches, at 4:33 of Round 3

The Final Round Finish Club thanks Mr. O’Malley for his work this evening. Mic time for O’Malley, he puts over Moutinho for taking the fight on short notice and taking all that punishment. He expresses support for the Suns, and says he wasn’t surprised at the stoppage as all the damage he’d taken. To close he calls out Garbrandt, Yan, Cruz, and Rob Font.

Irene Aldana has gone 2-2 in her last four fights but is coming off of a loss when she dropped a decision to Holly Holm that likely cost her a title shot. Aldana missed weight for this fight, never a good thing, and is trying to avoid her second UFC losing streak. Yana Kunitskaya has gone 4-1 in her last four fights, she’s on a two fight winning streak and could potentially get into the title picture if she’s able to extend that here at Aldana’s expense. The odds are close but lean towards Kunitskaya at -115 to -105 on Aldana.

Women’s Bantamweight Bout: #4 Irene Aldana (12-6, 139.5 lbs.) vs. #5 Yana Kunitskaya (14-5 1 NC, 134.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Aldana is three inches taller but the reach is identical. They touch gloves to get things going. Kunitskaya lands a body kick. Aldana lands a jab and evades some kicks. Some more kicks from Kunitskaya, she’s trying to fight long thus far. Aldana lands a jab. Kunitskaya lands a few body kicks out of a clinch. They clinch up and hit the fence. Some knees from Kunitskaya while they fight for position. Aldana lands a knee as they break, Kunitskaya is bleeding from the nose already. They trade leg kicks, then Aldana stuns Kunitskaya with a right hand. Kunitskaya is game but she’s losing efficacy as the round goes on. Aldana digs a left to the body, Kunitskaya didn’t like that at all. A few body kicks from Kunitskaya land. Aldana lands a right and avoids a spinning back fist. Hard left hook from Aldana floors Kunitskaya, she jumps on top in full guard and lands punches. Kunitskaya is trying to tie things up. Aldana lands a right while passing the guard. Aldana is standing over Kunitskaya, she lands a leg kick then moves into half guard. Hard lefts from Aldana. Kunitskaya is trying to invert for a leg lock, Aldana just punches her in the face until the ref saves her.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Irene Aldana via TKO, punches, at 4:35 of Round 1

The First Round Finish Club thanks Ms. Aldana for her work this evening. Aldana gets an interview, she apologizes for missing weight and thanks Kunitskaya for taking the fight. She talks us through the finish, and thanks her coaches for all of their work. Asked who she’d like next she doesn’t want to rush things but is chasing the belt.

Here’s the left hook that led to the finish. Kunitskaya enters on a straight line, and worse doesn’t move her head. That makes for an easy target for Aldana, and it’s mostly academic after this kind of damaging blow.

Tai Tuivasa has gone 2-3 in his last five fights but is currently on a two fight winning streak and looking for a fairly high profile win here that might put him back into the top fifteen contender rankings. Greg Hardy is coming off of a loss when he was stopped by Marcin Tybura, he’s trying to avoid his first ever losing streak. Tuivasa is a slight favorite at -130 to +105 on Hardy.

Heavyweight Bout: Greg Hardy (11-3, 264.5 lbs.) vs. Tai Tuivasa (11-3, 263 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Hardy is three inches taller and has five and a half inches of reach advantage. They touch gloves to get us going. Both men probe with some kicks early. Tuivasa lands a calf kick. More leg kicks from Tuivasa, Hardy lands a right to counter one of them. Tuivasa back to the leg kicks, then they trade rights. Both men land rights, Tuivasa is wobbled but Hardy gets way too anxious trying to finish and walks into a left hook that floors him, a few follow ups on the ground and we’re done.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Tai Tuivasa via KO, punches, at 1:07 of Round 1

The First Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Tuivasa for his work this evening. Mic time for Tuivasa after that one, he’s just a happy man and says he missed the crowds. He says he’s the wrong guy to bang with, you should pick another bloke. He talks us through the finish briefly then says he wants to fight someone ranked next but he’ll fight whoever. To close he wants to do a group shoey.

Gilbert Burns just had a six fight winning streak snapped when he was stopped in the second round of his title fight with Kamaru Usman. Burns is trying to avoid his first ever losing streak and put his name back into the title picture. Stephen Thompson is on a two fight winning streak with wins over fellow contenders Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal, if he’s able to best Burns tonight he could be in line for his third crack at the welterweight title. Thompson is the favorite at -160 to +130 on Burns.

Welterweight Bout: #2 Gilbert Burns (19-4, 170.5 lbs.) vs. #4 Stephen Thompson (16-4-1, 170.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Thompson is two inches taller and has four inches of reach advantage. They touch gloves to get us going, Thompson starts orthodox but will switch his stance as the fight goes on. A lot of feinting from both men, then Thompson lands a leg kick. Burns misses a few hooks and eats a counter right. Burns tires a low single leg, they wind up on the fence and the takedown stalls out. Thompson defends the takedown but they’re still clinched. Some knees to the thigh from Burns but things aren’t really progressing. Burns switches to a single leg and gets Thompson down. Thompson gets half guard and starts setting up a wall walk. Burns lands some rights to the body and head. Thompson is back to his knees, Burns lands a knee to the body and some rights to the head before they’re all the way back upright. Thompson gets free, avoids some punches and lands a glancing head kick as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Burns

ROUND TWO: Thompson bouncing and jabbing as the round stars. Leg kick from Thompson. Burns avoids a spinning back kick. Bit of a right from Thompson. Thompson lands a body kick. Side kick from Thompson. Burns misses a few punches. Head kick from Thompson is blocked. Thompson lands a wheel kick that stumbles Burns for a second. Burns is coming forward now, he lands a bit of a right. Thompson jabbing and moving again. Calf kick from Thompson then a right hand. Thompson lands a bit of a side kick to the body. Burns tries a single leg, Thompson limp legs free and lands a right hand. Bit of a leg kick from Burns, then a glancing right hand. Burns with a double leg against the fence, then some short lefts as well. They’ll end the round punching each other in the face on the mat.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Thompson, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: They touch gloves for the final round. Bit of a head kick from Thompson. Thompson lands a side kick to the face. Burns might have faded a bit at this point, Thompson feints him into a right hand then lands a head kick. Thompson is feinting Burns back towards the fence. Wheel kick from Thompson stuns Burns, they get into a fire fight for a moment before Thompson pulls back to reset. Burns dives for a takedown and gets a clinch on the fence. Burns gets a spinning takedown into side control. Some body shots from Burns but he’s kind of just holding and finding little punches. Thompson is setting up another wall walk but can’t secure the position. Burns moves to knee on belly and lands some more short punches. Thompson tries another wall walk, Burns flattens him back out and gets full mount. Burns postures up and lands a bunch of strikes, several of them illegal to the back of the head, as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Burns, 29-28 Burns overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Gilbert Burns via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Mic time for Burns after the win, he apologizes to the fans for the lack of finish then says he doesn’t care if they boo him. He thanks Raymond Daniels for all the help in sparring, thanks all of his coaches for getting him ready for this fight and he wants to get the title. Asked who he’d like next he says anyone, Jorge Masvidal or Nate Diaz, maybe Leon Edwards.

Dustin Poirier is on a two fight winning streak coming into this fight, his last fight was the biggest win of his career when he TKO’d Conor McGregor in the second round. Now as the two look to finish their trilogy Poirier is hoping to not only win this fight but secure a second crack at the UFC lightweight title. Conor McGregor is still one of the biggest stars in the sport right now and a former two weight world champion, but he’s only got a single win at lightweight in the UFC to his name and was finished by Poirier when the two fought in January of this year. McGregor is trying to get back into the title picture and avoid his first ever losing streak. The odds are with Poirier for this fight at -139 to a +110 comeback for McGregor.

Lightweight Bout: #1 Dustin Poirier (27-6 1 NC, 156 lbs.) vs. #5 Conor McGregor (22-5, 156 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: These two are the same height while McGregor has two inches of reach advantage. Both men fight southpaw. McGregor opens with a spinning back kick that misses, then a body kick. Calf kick from McGregor. Poirier avoids a few kicks. McGregor lands a front kick to the body, then lands a bit of a left. Poirier misses a left. McGregor misses a left hand and lands a leg kick. Poirier lands a calf kick and lands a right hand. McGregor lands another leg kick, and a bit of a left hand. Poirier lands a couple of lefts, then a combination and McGregor gets a clinch to stifle the flurry. They hit the fence, McGregor thinks about a guillotine and jumps for it but Poirier is able to get on the safe side of half guard. McGregor gets full guard but Poirier has his head out and lands some elbows. Another elbow from Poirier and he looks to pass. McGregor lands some elbows from his back. Poirier lands a barrage of elbows of his own. Hard right from Poirier, McGregor’s left ear is bleeding. More punches and elbows from Poirier. McGregor lands an up kick, Poirier goes back into the guar and unloads with more elbows. Poirier stands and makes McGregor stand. A left from Poirier sits McGregor down, he unloads from the ride position as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Poirier

ROUND TWO: McGregor’s left leg or ankle is busted, that’s why he fell at the end of the first and we’re done.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Dustin Poirier via TKO, doctor’s stoppage due to a leg injury, at 5:00 of Round 1

The First Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Poirier for his work this evening. Mic time for Poirier, McGregor is still talking as the medics move to split his broken leg. Poirier says that break started when he checked an early leg kick then just gave out on that last step. He doesn’t care about trash talk apart from maybe McGregor saying he wanted to kill him and wishes McGregor gets home safe to his family. He says he got hit with a good punch early but he got through it, got an easy takedown and calls McGregor a cheating dirt bag, and everyone booing him can kiss his whole asshole. Poirier is the man. He says karma isn’t a bitch, she’s a mirror and McGregor is seeing just what he’s put out. To close he puts over his charity organization which is raising money to build houses for the pygmy people then puts over a kid who’s fighting cancer who’s been an inspiration to him.

Rogan heads over to McGregor, he says he was boxing the head off of Poirier and kicking his leg off and that this isn’t over. He says Poirier didn’t check a single kick and tells Poirier’s wife where his after party is. He thinks it was something similar to how Anderson Silva broke his leg, and calls it a wild house business.

Here’s a look at Conor post first round, you can see the break in his leg pretty clearly.

UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira is in attendance and gets interviewed, he says you never want to see someone lose like that and hopes McGregor heals quickly and gives props to Poirier. Asked if Poirier will be his next challenger he assumes so, and he’s ready to go since Poirier won. He thinks him vs. Poirier will be a war, but he’s ready for it.

Well on that slightly anticlimactic note UFC 264 comes to a close. We’ll be unpacking all of the results tomorrow on the 411 Ground and Pound MMA Podcast, which I hope you’ll check out. Next week the UFC will be back on ESPN for UFC on ESPN 26 when Islam Makhachev takes on Thiago Moises in what should be a good fight. I’ll be back for that event and I hope you will as well. Until then everyone thanks for reading, stay safe out there, and keep checking 411mania for all of your pop culture needs.

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