Three-time foe of Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier – has backed the Dubliner to make a triumphant return to action – if he ever makes his comeback to the UFC, claiming the ex-champion will likely return in “dangerous” fashion.
McGregor, a former undisputed lightweight and featherweight champion under the banner of the UFC, has been sidelined since he fractured his left tibia and fibula against Poirier three years ago, losing the pair’s trilogy rubber match in a doctor’s stoppage TKO loss.
Mandatory Credit: Jose Penuela
And scheduled to return at UFC 303 tonight, McGregor was forced from a main event fight against would-be common-foe, Michael Chandler at the welterweight limit – confirming he had been sidelined once more, this time through a fractured toe on his left foot.
Dustin Poirier backs Conor McGregor to make “dangerous” return
Hoping to land a return before the close of the summer, former duel-weight titleholder, McGregor’s plans for a comeback clash with Chandler were almost immediately shut down by UFC boss, Dana White, who claimed he would not be fighting before October at the very earliest.
However, sharing his thoughts on McGregor’s fighting future, Poirier – who was the subject of a nasty dig by the Dubliner at his fatherhood earlier this week, claimed he would return in “dangerous” fashion against Chandler.
“So, he (Conor McGregor) could be back quick or if he needs surgery, we’ll see,” Dustin Poirier told ESPN MMA. “Just looking at his career and the things he’s accomplished, the man has a strong mindset. If he commits himself to being the best he can, if his body allows him to be the best he can I think he’s gonna come back strong.”
“Do we see the vintage Conor McGregor? I’m not sure, but we’re going to see a very dangerous man who’s hungry for a win – and who needs a win, if he does come back,” Poirier explained.
Do you agree with Dustin Poirier’s take on the future of UFC star, Conor McGregor?
Diego Lopes could make a huge statement to the top of the UFC featherweight division when he faces his toughest test to date on Saturday.
Lopes faces two-time title challenger Brian Ortega in the co-main event of UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight card serves as the main attraction for the UFC’s annual International Fight Week.
The bout between Ortega and Lopes was a late addition to the lineup, with it being announced a little over two weeks ago following the withdrawal of Conor McGregor from the original main event. It was changed to a lightweight bout on Friday upon Ortega’s request.
At UFC 303 media day, Lopes spoke with reporters to preview the bout with Ortega, discuss how the fight came together, comparing his jiu-jitsu skills to Ortega’s, how he sees a potential Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway championship fight playing out, if he will wait for a title fight with a win on Saturday, and more.
Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka are set to run things back.
This Saturday, in the main event of UFC 303 in Las Vegas, Pereira and Prochazka rematch their 2023 light heavyweight title fight that took place at UFC 295. On top of that, we have 12 other marquee matchups taking place on the International Fight Week event, so let’s take a look at the best bets for this weekend.
As always, all odds are courtesy of our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Straight Bets
Michael “Venom” Page (+130)
In the main card opener this weekend, Page takes on a Ian Machado Garry in a battle of old guard vs. new generation, with serious divisional stakes.
There are many people out there who are not impressed with “MVP” as a fighter because a vast majority of his career was spent crushing cans and outmatched opposition. I’m not one of them. Yes, Page has very few good wins on his résumé, but I’ve also watched him fight, and basically no one has beaten him in a striking battle. (Douglas Lima knocked him out in really weird — albeit impressive — fashion.) Garry talks a big game about his grappling abilities, but we haven’t seen much of it and Page is a hard guy to take down. This feels like Page is going to get the fight he wants, and when he does, he almost never loses those.
Mayra Bueno Silva (-105)
Go ahead and place a bet on Macy Chiasson because I’m about to give this fight the touch of death: I don’t understand this line.
At the start of 2024, “MBS” was the odds-on favorite to become the new women’s bantamweight champion, and hopefully steward a new era for the division after Amanda Nunes’s retirement. Now she’s a pick’em with Chiasson? What happened?
Sure, MBS lost a listless decision to Raquel Pennington, but you know who else lost to Pennington? Chiasson! She missed weight and still got tapped out! Sure, it’s possible Chiasson grinds out a boring win with wrestling, but MBS is the more dynamic fighter and should be the clear favorite in this matchup.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Prop Bets
Alex Pereira To Win By KO/TKO/DQ (+110)
I wrote a full breakdown of this matchup for SBNation, but the short version is this: These two fought ~eight months ago and it didn’t go so hot for Prochazka. His style of striking opens himself up to have his leg chewed off by Pereira’s low kicks and his reckless abandon on the feet also opens him up to counters. If Prochazka fights really smart, he still might lose, and it seems he’s not going to even do that. So I’m expecting history to repeat itself.
Diego Lopes To Win By Decision (+400)
Here’s the thing: Brian Ortega hates defense. The man simply has no interest in it. He refuses to ever protect himself, relying instead on his otherworldly toughness. Which, you know, kinda works, until it doesn’t. Truth be told, Lopes isn’t much better in this regard, but he is bigger, younger, faster, and has a more advanced game than Ortega does. Maybe Ortega can simply out-wrestle Lopes and has good enough defense to win decision that way, but Lopes is so dynamic on the floor that I don’t think it’s likely. Lopes is simply a younger, better version of Ortega, and so he should win this fight, but it won’t be a finish because Ortega cannot be killed.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Parlay of the Week
This parlay is a bit of a cop out but hey, gimmicks gonna gimmick. This weekend see’s two of my favorite prospects from the most recent season of Contender Series return to the cage, and so we’re going to parlay up these two Big Paws On A Puppy guys.
Payton Talbott (-1600)
Talbott is the biggest favorite on the card and one of the biggest in recent memory. Truth be told, it’s probably too much for a young man in only his ninth professional fight, but whatever. Talbott is a stud and he’s going to win. This is a kid who probably fights for a belt one day. Yanis Ghemmouri is in trouble.
Jean Silva (-102)
Silva misses weight for his fight with Charles Jourdain, which is always a bit concerning, but I still like his chances on Saturday. For one, missing weight in 2024 has not been much of an indicator for success or failure. For another, I like the matchup. Silva can compete with Jourdain comfortably on the feet and has the option to mix things up with his grappling as well. Plus, Big Paws prospects are 9-1 in the UFC, with that lone loss being Carli Judice, who many (myself included) felt should have won her decision. Ride the hot hand.
Parlay these two bets together for +110 odds.
Wrap Up
You have to love a pay-per-view fight week. Plus we have a week off after this one, so let’s settle in and enjoy.
Until next week, enjoy the fights, good luck, and gamble responsibly!
All information in this article is provided to readers of MMA Fighting for entertainment, news, and amusement purposes only. It is the responsibility of the reader to learn and abide by online gambling laws in their region before placing any online sports betting wagers.
Dana White continues to oversell the success of Power Slap and just went on record saying the promotion will be bigger than Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in just a few years.
While fight fans expect White to be overzealous about Power Slap and try his best to create buzz around the slap-fight promotion, the UFC CEO had made some wild claims over the years. Whether he’s listing off head-scratching metrics that make zero sense or comparing the organization to the success of UFC, White seems to know no bounds when it comes to promoting his new league.
On Friday, Power Slap 8 went down in Las Vegas and featured the official debut of former UFC contender Paige VanZant. This was a big deal for Power Slap as the promotion continues to try to attract more well-known fighters to compete. VanZant was the first of presumably many that will try their hand at Power Slap. “12 Gauge” ended up putting on a show in a lopsided decision win (highlights HERE).
After the action concluded, White spoke with media members during Power Slap 8’s post-fight press conference (shown above). We’re guessing the event was a successful one because White was more than willing to go on record and state that Power Slap will be bigger than UFC in just a few years.
Check it out below and let us know if White’s statement holds any truth!
BREAKING: UFC CEO Dana White officially goes on record stating that Power Slap “will be bigger than the UFC” following #PowerSlap8.
“I said this will be the biggest sport in the world. This will be bigger than the UFC.
“This will be bigger than the UFC. Now you can… pic.twitter.com/GBVIFMVLTF
— Parry Punch (@ParryPunchNews) June 29, 2024
“I said this will be the biggest sport in the world. This will be bigger than the UFC.
“This will be bigger than the UFC. Now you can remember I said that. I’ll see you in a few years and we’ll talk again.”
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images 
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images 
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images 
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