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There was plenty of hype around UFC 264: Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor 3, and thankfully, this was one UFC event that lived up to expectations.
Not only did UFC 264 see a stunning end to its main event, but there were plenty of other fighters up and down the card who also impressed tremendously, producing great performances.
With several fighters looking set to move up the UFC’s rankings following their big victories last night, UFC 264 should be remembered as one of 2021’s best shows.
On that note, here are the five biggest winners from UFC 264: Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor 3.
#1 Dustin Poirier – defeated Conor McGregor in UFC 264 main event
UFC 264’s biggest winner was clearly Dustin Poirier. Not only did ‘The Diamond’ finish his trilogy with Conor McGregor by defeating the Irishman for the second time, but he likely also earned millions of dollars in what would’ve been a career-high payout.
Poirier didn’t manage to knock McGregor out as he had done at UFC 257 in January. But despite the fight being stopped due to an injury to McGregor, there was absolutely no question about who the better fighter was in the clash.
McGregor started quickly but couldn’t keep his momentum going, while Poirier looked cool, calm and more than anything, confident.
After he escaped a guillotine attempt, Poirier began to destroy ‘The Notorious’ with heavy ground-and-pound and then stunned him badly with punches when they stood. Those punches were enough to wobble McGregor, causing him to stumble and snap his left ankle in the process.
McGregor might’ve claimed the fight only ended via doctor stoppage. But the fans in attendance at UFC 264, as well as the millions watching at home, knew who the winner was.
What is next for Poirier now? Hopefully, a shot at UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. Realistically, ‘The Diamond’ is the only deserving contender, and for him to pursue another fight would probably be somewhat damaging for the UFC’s brand. So hopefully, this fight can be made later this year.
At any rate, though, after his win over McGregor, there’s no doubt Poirier was UFC 264’s biggest winner.
#2 Tai Tuivasa – defeated Greg Hardy
UFC 264 presented Tai Tuivasa with a unique opportunity. Not only was he fighting under the biggest spotlight of his young career, thanks to Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor guaranteeing millions of pay-per-view buys, he was also up against arguably the UFC’s most hated fighter in Greg Hardy.
Win impressively, and Tuivasa had a chance to turn himself into a genuine star for the UFC, and the Aussie did just that. If anything, outside of Poirier and McGregor, it’s ‘Bam Bam’ who fans will be talking about now.
Tuivasa literally got everything right last night. From his wild Spice Girls entrance that had the entire T-Mobile Arena dancing to his admittedly disgusting ‘shoey’ celebration, ‘Bam Bam’ simply oozed charisma like few others.
And thankfully, he can fight too. Early on, things didn’t look good for him, as he was stunned badly by Hardy’s heavy hands. But when the former NFL man closed in to finish his opponent off, Tuivasa countered with a clubbing left hand that knocked him Hardy before he quickly pounced on the latter to seal the deal.
It’s honestly impossible to overestimate what this win could mean for Tuivasa’s career. If he can keep winning, the sky appears to be the limit for him.
#3 Gilbert Burns – defeated Stephen Thompson
The fight might not have been overly entertaining for long stretches. But Gilbert Burns’ victory over Stephen Thompson was still mightily impressive and stands as one of his biggest ones to date.
‘Durinho’ managed to do something that Tyron Woodley couldn’t, and that was ground Thompson and work him over on the mat. ‘Wonderboy’ did score a knockdown at one point and probably won the third round, but it was clear that in the end, Burns deserved the nod.
Several fans questioned whether Burns was a legitimately elite-level welterweight, before this fight. After all, his biggest wins – over Woodley and Demian Maia – came over two fighters who were past their primes.
After this win, though, there can be no more questioning. Kamaru Usman is clearly the best welterweight on the planet right now, but there’s definitely an argument that Burns is right behind him. If Burns can pick up another big win like this one, he could surprise everyone by ending up with another shot at ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’.
#4 Sean O’Malley and Kris Moutinho
It’s rare that two fighters in the same fight could be considered big winners. But it’s probably fair to say that the stock of both Sean O’Malley and Kris Moutinho went up after last night’s scrap.
O’Malley picked up a late TKO victory in what was a surprising stoppage from Herb Dean, given Moutinho was still standing. But in a way. the end may have been justified given the shots the newcomer was taking.
But when you consider that the kind of strikes O’Malley landed last night had knocked out the likes of Eddie Wineland and Thomas Almeida, to see an unknown like Moutinho simply eating them and moving forward was insane.
And while ‘The Sugar Show’ was clearly landing the better shots, it wasn’t like Moutinho didn’t push his opponent hard. The latter landed some hard shots of his own and even had O’Malley glancing up at the clock on more than one occasion.
In the end, both men were handed the bonus for ‘Fight of the Night’, making themselves $75k richer in the process, something that should help Moutinho in particular. And the quality of the fight should ensure that fans would want to see both men fight again, which is all you can really ask for.
#5 Irene Aldana – defeated Yana Kunitskaya
Irene Aldana might’ve missed weight for her fight with Yana Kunitskaya last night. But when it came down to it, she delivered the goods and took out her opponent violently.
Aldana dominated ‘Foxy’ from the off, eventually dropping her with a left hook. Kunitskaya tried to recover, but the Mexican was having none of it, and she pounced to finish the Russian off, picking up a key win in the process.
Late 2020 saw Aldana’s impressive form halted by former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm. But with this win, she should probably be in line for a shot at current champion Amanda Nunes.
‘The Lioness’ faces Julianna Pena next. But if she wins as everyone expects her to, Aldana could be an intriguing match for Nunes, due to her sharp boxing and knockout power.
Will anyone favour the Mexican against Nunes? Well, probably not. But she has almost certainly earned a title shot now, and that makes her one of UFC 264’s biggest winners, even with the weight-cutting error.
