In this weekend's Hot Clicks: Poirier has more to prove in UFC 264, teams that could win Super Bowl LVI and more.
UFC 264
Dustin Poirier has more to lose in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 264 card, says SI’s Justin Barrasso.
As the two fighters prepare for their third meeting – the second in six months – one with implications for a lightweight title shot, their respective legacies, and more, Conor McGregor will “still find himself in big fights that would maintain his presence,” while Poirier “does not have that luxury, lacking the type of charisma that makes McGregor such a UFC centerpiece.”
“[McGregor] has a ton of money. He doesn’t need to fight anymore. He wants to fight. He’s a fighter to the core,” UFC president Dana White told MMA Junkie this week. “What’s at stake is, yes, he wants to be back on top. He goes in there and beats the No. 1 guy in the world, he’s probably going to get the next title shot. The other thing Conor McGregor likes probably more than competition is money. When he fights, he makes a sh*tload of money. These are all still very important things to him at this point in his life.”
UFC 264 roundup: Here’s your betting preview, which includes a +800 prop with value … Rafael dos Anjos is the alternate fighter for McGregor-Poirier if needed, though Max Holloway says he was supposed to be the replacement … McGregor and dos Anjos had a backstage altercation … Is the clock ticking on Greg Hardy’s UFC experiment?
Lesson Learned
Last August, Conor Orr wrote an article on the 12 teams that could realistically win the Super Bowl. That article burned him six months later when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, not among the 12 teams, smashed the Kansas City Chiefs.
“Lesson learned.”
Orr took another shot this year, saying the Tennessee Titans can’t win Super Bowl LVI, nor can the New England Patriots and 18 other teams. The Los Angeles Chargers, however, can win Super Bowl LVI, as can the Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, and nine other teams.
“This year, I’ve reformulated my approach a little bit and have tried to tuck all my ingrained biases aside,” Orr wrote. “Like in the NBA this year, I feel like there is a wider total number of teams that could win the Super Bowl, so we’ll stick with 12. There are two quarterbacks in significant new spaces. Dak Prescott has returned from injury, possibly healthier than ever. There’s a lot of mystery here, which is, ultimately, why we sign up to devote our lives to this year after year.”
Here’s the full list, ranked from No. 1 to No. 12.
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