UFC 264 was the first pay-per-view event that was fully attended in Las Vegas. The T-Mobile Arena was an electric atmosphere, as is with every Conor McGregor fight in Vegas. Once again, the UFC put on a fantastic event that delivered with great fights and incredible moments. Lets take a look at three major takeaways from what could go down as the best fight card of the year.

1. Dustin Poirier flat out is just better

Before the unfortunate injury to Conor McGregor, that caused the doctor stoppage after the end of the first round, Dustin Poirier showed the world he is the best lightweight on planet earth. Poirier dominated round one after weathering a brief early storm from McGregor. Poirier rained down powerful shots to Conor, while on the mat, which referee Herb Dean could have stopped the fight, since Dean has a tendency to stop a fight early. The first time these two fought in 2014 both fighters were completely different. In January, McGregor came out and took the first round before Poirier adjusted and took it to McGregor, eventually putting him to sleep. The performance by Poirier in this fight gave the conclusion that there is no need for a fourth fight between these two. At this point and time, McGregor is not at the same level as Poirier. With that being the case, continuing to put these two together will only do one thing, drastically diminish McGregor’s legacy. Dana White and the UFC are in the business to make money and put on good fights. A fourth fight will only do one of those, make money. McGregor is at the point in his career where he should only be put into big money fights and ones that he can win. A trilogy fight with Nate Diaz is the smartest thing to do for the UFC and Conor McGregor since Poirier is now at a different level.

2. Greg Hardy is universally hated and overrated

When the UFC went out and signed Greg Hardy, there was a lot of hype surrounding the former NFL defensive lineman. Combined with his arrest on Domestic Violence charges seven years ago and subsequent expungement of those charges, not a lot of positivity has surrounded Hardy. Hardy has proven in his short UFC career, that he is an overrated fighter. With his first round knockout loss to Tai Tuivasa, falling to 4-4-1 in the UFC, there isn’t much he provides to the promotion. The cheers for Tuivasa when he dropped Hardy to the mat were loud and the reaction around social media said it all. Hardy has now lost his last two fights in knockout fashion, it remains a mystery on how the UFC will handle the former promising fighter.

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3. Kris Moutinho became an instant fan favorite

When Louis Smolka was forced to drop out of the fight against Sean O’Malley, Kris Moutinho became the sacrificial lamb. Moutinho, making his UFC debut, on just 10 days notice became an instant fan favorite. His performance in what was the fight of the night, showed the UFC newcomer can take a shot. With just 27 seconds remaining in the fight, referee Herb Dean controversially stopped the fight after Moutinho took what seemed to be his 10,000th punch to the face. O’Malley landed 230 significant strikes in this fight, 177 of those were to the face of Moutinho. Moutinho battled in all 14:33 of this fight, landing some impactful shots to the legs and head of O’Malley. When Dean stopped the fight, the crowd aired their displeasure, booing relentlessly. While it is unknown what Dana White and the UFC will do with Moutinho moving forward, it is known that the 28 year-old American can take the best punches his opponents can dish out.

Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for Impact Sports Cincinnati and can be followed on Twitter   and

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