10 best Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier 3 predictions so far

6) Artem Lobov (Prediction - Conor McGregor wins)

Conor McGregor's former teammate Artem Lobov backs the Irishman to pull off a stunning knockout victory in the trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier. Speaking to BJPenn.com, Artem Lobov claimed McGregor lost the last fight because he didn't give his opponent the respect he deserves and was more worried about preparing for a potential boxing match with Manny Pacquiao instead.

Lobov believes McGregor is now aware of the threat Poirier poses and will fight accordingly, earning himself a first-round KO win in the process.

“To be honest with you, if you look at the second fight, it was developing how the first fight went. That is what I expected…The only thing that made a difference were the leg kicks. It wasn’t like he wasn’t training to defend leg kicks, but those kicks are very unique. When you spar in training and you wear shin pads you don’t feel those kicks and you lift your leg to check. However, in the fight, that doesn’t work anymore. Conor is now aware of that and I see the fight going how it already was going and the way the first fight went and I see Conor stopping Dustin early in this fight, I see Conor stopping Dustin in the first round,” said Lobov.

5) Javier Mendez (Prediction - Dustin Poirier wins)

AKA head coach Javier Mendez picks Dustin Poirier to beat Conor McGregor at UFC 264. That's not just because Poirier is the better fighter. Mendez dislikes McGregor and doesn't want to see him win. Mendez coached McGregor's biggest rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and doesn't share a good relationship with the Irishman.

In a recent interview on the Real Quick with Mike Swick podcast, Mendez said McGregor does have the skillset to beat Poirier in a trilogy fight, but he'd like to see 'The Diamond' win again.

"I definitely think he can do it," said Mendez. "Because I think the calf kicks were the deciding factor, and the second deciding factor was when Conor put a good one on Dustin, and Dustin took it. That's when he said, oh, I can take your shots. I'm a give you some of mine. I'm gonna go with Dustin because I like Dustin and I'm not a fan of Conor. I can never be a fan of Conor. I'm never a fan of his, never. I never want him to win so it is what it is. He doesn't want my guys to win I don't want him to win. Tough, it is what it is. I'm going with Dustin. A lot because I think he can do it. But also because I don't like the other guy."