5 biggest winners from UFC 264: Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor 3

#2 Tai Tuivasa – defeated Greg Hardy

Tai Tuivasa produced a star-making performance at UFC 264 against 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.

WHAT IN THE 🌎 @BamBamTuivasa #UFC264 pic.twitter.com/RXCmomvTsw

— UFC (@ufc) July 11, 2021

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#3 Gilbert Burns – defeated Stephen Thompson

Gilbert Burns picked up an important victory over 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’.

🗣 @GilbertDurinho calling out top names in the division! #UFC264 pic.twitter.com/rjrMFxHQ9Y

— UFC (@ufc) July 11, 2021