3 bold predictions for UFC 264

UFC 264 will take place on July 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. This is the first time the promotion will be hosting a UFC event in the city with a live audience since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The whole UFC 264 card is stacked from top to bottom.

The main card will be headlined by a trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. Both fighters will have one win over each other going into the trilogy bout.

In the co-main event, we will see two top welterweight contenders in Stephen Thompson and Gilbert Burns fight it out for three possible rounds to strengthen their claim for a title shot. The main card for UFC 264 will also feature a heavyweight showdown between Tai Tuivasa and Greg Hardy.

There are some exciting fights that will take place in the prelims of UFC 264 like Ryan Hall vs Ilia Topuria, Niko Price vs Michel Pereira and Dricus du Plessis vs Trevin Giles.

Let's take a look at three bold predictions for UFC 264 that could come true on July 10:

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#3 Stephen Thompson will outclass Gilbert Burns to win via decision at UFC 264

Although Gilbert Burns has massively improved his striking skills in his last few fights, Stephen Thompson would be the obvious favorite if the fight stays on the feet.

'Durinho' has heavy punching power as he showed in his last outing against 170-pound king Kamaru Usman. But it is highly unlikely that the Brazilian fighter will be able to land many clean shots on 'Wonderboy' as the 38-year-old is evasive and difficult to hit in the octagon.

Burns' strength is his elite jiu-jitsu skills but it will not be an easy task for the 34-year-old to get Thompson on the ground as the karate expert has an impressive takedown defense.

The fight will most likely end in a unanimous decision victory for 'Wonderboy'.

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#2 Niko Price vs Michel Pereira will be the 'Fight of the Night' at UFC 264

In a short period of time, Michel Pereira has built a reputation for himself as one of the most exciting fighters to watch in the UFC. The Brazilian fighter is known for his flashy moves inside the octagon.

On the other hand, Niko Price has had 20 professional fights in his MMA career and only one of them ever went to a decision. 'The Hybrid' either finishes or gets finished by opponents in his fights.

So, this fight has fireworks written all over it.

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#1 Conor McGregor v Dustin Poirier will not see a third round

Come July 10, all eyes will be on Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier as the two fighters go toe-to-toe in the main event of UFC 264.

McGregor has only gone past two rounds thrice in his career. All of his knockout wins have come in either the first or second round. If the Irishman is to win, he has to do it in the first two rounds.

The last bout between the two fighters, which many were predicting to be a five-round war, only lasted two rounds. If Poirier manages to execute his plan as perfectly as he did in the second fight, then 'The Diamond' can very well take out McGregor before the end of the second round.

So, no matter who wins, it is highly unlikely that we will see the fight go to a third round.