UFC 264
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Las Vegas , United States |
| Products | Mixed martial arts events |
UFC 264: Poirier vs. McGregor 3 was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 10, 2021, hosted at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, within the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area.
Background
The main event featured the third encounter in a lightweight trilogy between former interim UFC Lightweight Champion Dustin Poirier and ex-UFC Featherweight and Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor. Their initial meeting occurred at featherweight during UFC 178 in 2014, with McGregor securing a first-round TKO victory. The second fight took place at UFC 257 in January 2021, where Poirier achieved a knockout win in the second round. Former lightweight titleholder Rafael dos Anjos was considered as an alternate contender.
A middleweight clash involving former KSW Welterweight Champion Dricus du Plessis and Trevin Giles, previously postponed due to visa complications, was rescheduled for this card.
A welterweight contest between Sean Brady and former interim lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee was planned but ultimately canceled after Lee withdrew because of injury.
In the bantamweight division, Sean O'Malley was set to face Louis Smolka, but following Smolka’s injury withdrawal, newcomer Kris Moutinho stepped in as his replacement.
During the weigh-ins, Irene Aldana came in 3.5 pounds over the bantamweight limit; consequently, their bout proceeded at catchweight, with Aldana forfeiting 30% of her fight purse to her opponent Yana Kunitskaya.
For this event, the UFC raised the Fight Night and Performance of the Night bonuses from $50,000 to $75,000.
A middleweight preliminary matchup between Alen Amedovski and Hu Yaozong was called off just hours before the event due to COVID-19 protocol complications within Amedovski’s team.
Bonus awards
Each awarded fighter received $75,000 bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: Sean O'Malley vs. Kris Moutinho
- Performance of the Night: Tai Tuivasa and Dricus du Plessis