For the third time in their MMA careers, Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier will square off inside the octagon Saturday night in the main event of UFC 264. A lot will be at stake in this lightweight tussle, with the winner likely getting the nod to challenge current division king Charles Oliveira down the road.

Oliveira, who captured the vacant UFC lightweight title back in May 2021 after defeating former Bellator star Michael Chandler via a second-round knockout, predicts that the outspoken McGregor will come away with a win in UFC 264, via Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting. 

“Last time, I bet Dustin Poirier could win after the third round, but he went there and surprised me by knocking him out in the second,” Oliveira said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “This time I bet on Conor. This time I think Conor wins. I think he’s coming with a better head, a better spirit, so I think Conor wins this time.”

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Conor McGregor is out to avenge his knockout loss in January 2021 to Poirier, though he won the initial meeting way back in 2014. 

The Notorious has suffered defeats in two of his last three fights, including the one where he lost his ownership of the lightweight title to Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Oliveira certainly knows that a fight against McGregor would be a vastly more lucrative one than a potential showdown against Poirier, so it makes total sense for him to cheer for a win by the Irishman.