Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC 264: Start time, how to watch, fight card

UFC 264's main card is now live! Both Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier have made weight and it promises to be one of the most compelling match-ups of 2021.

You can watch the final staredown here: 

This will be the third time the pair have faced off. The ledger currently stands at one a piece. McGregor defeated Poirier at Featherweight back in 2014, with a first round KO. Poirier returned the favour earlier this year at UFC 267 with a second round finish. The third contest will be the rubber match, and will almost certainly determine who fights the current UFC Lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira, next.

Who wins this time? Current odds have it almost exactly 50/50. Many expected McGregor to make short work of Poirier in the second fight given how conclusive the first was, but Poirier's improved defence, along with an improved chin at Lightweight, allowed him to withstand early pressure in the first round before taking over the fight. An accumulation of calf kicks, and some sharp boxing, allowed Poirier to take McGregor out in the second round.

Can McGregor find an answer to those calf kicks? Will he switch his current boxing-heavy style for a return to the light-footed karate movement of his earlier fights? Can Poirier make lightning strike twice? 

Make no mistake, there is extra heat on this fight. After McGregor promised a $500,000 donation to Poirier's Good Fight Foundation, Poirier took to Twitter when the donation was delayed, which started a back-and-forth feud between the two. While their second fight had a cordial and respectful lead up, the third fight will no doubt be a far more personal affair. 

In short: expect fireworks.

UFC 264 Start time

The UFC 264 main card starts at 10 p.m EDT (7 p.m. PDT) but here are all the details from multiple timezones.

ESPN Plus subscription See at ESPN

US

• The main card starts July 10, 10 p.m. EDT (7 p.m. PDT).
• The prelims start July 10, 8 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. PDT).
• The early prelims start July 10, 6.15 p.m. EDT (3.15 p.m. PDT).

UK

• The main card starts July 11, 3 a.m. BST.
• The prelims start July 11, 1 a.m. BST.
• The early prelims start July 10, 11.15 p.m. BST.

Australia

• The main card starts July 11, 12 noon AEST.
• The prelims start July 11, 10 a.m. AEST.
• The early prelims start July 11, 8.15 a.m. AEST.

How to watch UFC 264

The UFC now has a partnership with ESPN. That's great news for the UFC and the expansion of the sport of MMA, but bad news for consumer choice. Especially if you're one of the UFC fans who want to watch UFC in the US.

In the US, if you want to know how to watch UFC 264, you'll only find the fight night on PPV through . The cost structure is a bit confusing, but here are the options to watch UFC on ESPN, according to ESPN's site:

• Existing yearly ESPN Plus subscribers can .
  
• Existing monthly ESPN Plus subscribers will be able to either upgrade to an annual plan and buy UFC PPV for $85 or purchase the ability to watch the UFC event on PPV for $70 by itself.
  
• New ESPN Plus subscribers can buy a bundle of one UFC PPV event (streaming in HD) and an ESPN Plus annual recurring subscription for $90. This is a decent deal. The previous bundle gave a saving of 25% but this new bundle is a 35% saving. The ESPN Plus annual ESPN subscription will auto-renew after one year, at the price of an ESPN Plus annual subscription at the time of auto-renewal.

You can do all of the above at the link below.

MMA fans in the UK can watch UFC 264 exclusively through BT Sport. There are more options if you live in Australia. You can watch UFC 264 through Main Event on Foxtel. You can also watch on the UFC website or using its app. You can even order using your PlayStation or using the UFC app on your Xbox.

Need more international viewing options? Try a VPN to change your IP address to access those US, UK or Australian options listed above. See the best VPNs currently recommended by CNET editors.

Fight card

Main card

• Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor
• Gilbert Burns vs. Stephen Thompson
• Tai Tuivasa vs. Greg Hardy
• Irene Aldana vs. Yana Kunitskaya
• Sean O'Malley vs. Kris Moutinho

Prelims

• Carlos Condit vs. Max Griffin
• Niko Price vs. Michel Pereira
• Ryan Hall vs. Ilia Topuria
• Trevin Giles vs. Dricus Du Plessis

Early prelims

• Jennifer Maia v. Jessica Eye
• Omari Akhmedov vs. Brad Tavares
• Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Jerome Rivera

The UFC 264 press conference

The UFC press conference is done and dusted, but you can watch the event in its entirety above. 

Unlike the last fight, a loss seems have brought Conor to his old, far more aggressive self. He seemed like a different person in there. How will the trash talk and tension affect the fight? It's impossible to tell at this point, but this fight has a far more dangerous air about it.