UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira will be inside the T-Mobile Arena this Saturday for Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3.
The two lightweight stars will meet inside the Octagon for the third time in their careers on July 10 as they look to settle their memorable feud once and for all. The pay-per-view, which sees the return of a sold out Las Vegas crowd, is set to be one of the biggest of the year for the UFC. And for the fighters at the top of the card, there is a lot at stake.
With one win apiece heading into their trilogy, bragging rights are on offer for McGregor and Poirier. After getting into the head of “The Diamond,” the Irishman secured a first-round TKO when the pair first met back in 2014. In a rematch seven years in the making, Poirier exacted his revenge in January when he became the first man in MMA to knock out McGregor.
Heading into their highly anticipated third bout, many have questioned whether the former double champion has had enough time to rectify the holes in his game that Poirier exploited at UFC 257. Whatever happens, Oliveira will have a front row seat for the proceedings.
Given that the UFC 264 headliner will likely to determine the first challenger to his 155-pound gold, it’s unsurprising that Oliveira is going to be cageside for the blockbuster main event. Although “Do Bronx” would certainly have been forgiven for not making an appearance given the recent passing of one of his coaches.
MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz confirmed on Twitter that the Brazilian’s conditioning coach Alaelson Albuquerque succumbed to Covid-19 complications last week. He also confirmed Oliveira’s presence in Vegas for this weekend’s event.
“Alaelson Albuquerque, Charles Oliveira’s conditioning coach, passed away this past Friday. Albuquerque, 48, died of complications caused by COVID-19 (heart attack days after being hospitalized). Oliveira will fly to Vegas on Thursday to be cageside for Poirier vs. McGregor 3.”
Oliveira finally achieved title glory at UFC 262 after more than a decade in the UFC. The 31-year-old came back from some first-round adversity against Michael Chandler to record a second-round knockout inside Houston’s Toyota Center.
Having worked his way to the lightweight throne, Oliveira will now be looking to secure his first defense later this year. The Brazilian believes he’ll knock out whoever wins this weekend’s trilogy fight.
Do you think Charles Oliveira can beat the winner of Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 3?
