We’re now less than 48 hours away from the highly anticipated UFC 264 card in Las Vegas, being touted by many as the biggest combat sports event of the year.
The show will be headlined by the trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier which, in itself, is enough of a reason to pay £19.95 and watch it live on BT Sport Box Office.
Still, no UFC card in history has ever been able to stand alone under the weight of one fight, which is why we’re ready to run through a few reasons why UFC 264 – as a whole – has the potential to be the best card of 2021.
The return of Conor McGregor
Before we get to the best of the rest, the return of Conor McGregor obviously has the potential to create some serious fireworks here. He’s going up against a man in Dustin Poirier that knocked him out just six months ago, leaving this bout in a strange “all or nothing” position given just how much is on the line.
‘Suga’ Sean is back
Sean O’Malley is being slowly built back up by the UFC after a setback last year and that may not be the worst thing. ‘Suga’ is another polarising figure who constantly tries to reinvent himself, and against someone with nothing to lose in Kris Moutinho, we’re expecting the main card to start in style.
Prelim showstoppers
Boxing shows rarely put on noteworthy contests beyond the main two or three showdowns whereas that isn’t how the UFC operates. On this prelim card we’ve got Condit/Griffin, Price/Pereira, Hall/Topuria and Giles/du Plessis, all of which are fights that feature fun veterans or rising contenders.
Jiu-jitsu vs karate
As far as co-main events go, it’s hard to get annoyed about Gilbert Burns vs Stephen Thompson. We’re talking about two elite welterweights going out there with one aim and one aim only: to put on the kind of performance that earns them a shot against the pound-for-pound best in the world Kamaru Usman.
Sold out crowd in Vegas
For the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic hit American shores, there will be a sold out UFC crowd in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s known as Sin City but it’s also highly regarded as the home of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and it’s going to be really special to see that arena packed out once again.
Featured image credit: Getty
