UFC 246 has a blockbuster main card set for Saturday, as the third Connor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier fight will take center stage. The main UFC 264 fight card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will begin at 10 p.m. ET. McGregor was victorious the first time he battled Poirier in the Octagon, but was handed his third loss in six fights in the rematch earlier this year. Poirier's only loss since 2017 came against the infamous Khabib Nurmegomedov. He will get another shot at taking down a UFC titan on Saturday at McGregor vs. Poirier 3.

Poirier is the -130 favorite (risk $130 to win $100) against McGregor (+110) in the latest Poirier vs. McGregor 3 odds from William Hill Sportsbook. The co-main event features a welterweight clash between No. 2 Gilbert Burns and No. 4 Stephen Thompson. The latest UFC 264 odds have Thompson as the -140 favorite as Burns (+120) looks to bounce back after losing to welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 258. Before making any UFC 264 picks, make sure you see the MMA predictions and expert UFC picks from SportsLine analyst Ian Parker. 

A former fighter who's been in the industry for 15 years, Parker has managed some of the world's best, including former UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman, Costas Philippou and Gian Villante. Parker trained alongside UFC Hall of Famer Matt Serra. Now, Parker breaks down fights and makes betting picks for the Voice of the UFC, Jon Anik.

Parker is coming off a mind-boggling 2020 season. On the Anik & Florian Podcast, Parker went an astounding 58-14, returning $9,465 to $100 bettors who followed him. He hit 11 of his 17 underdog picks and 19 of 30 main events. Overall, Parker nailed an astonishing 81 percent of his plays.

The revered MMA analyst already has had a standout 2021 campaign for SportsLine members. Last week at UFC Fight Night, he posted a 7-2 record and his winners included calling for a relatively easy win by heavyweight prospect Cyril Gane (-145) against veteran Alexander Volkov (+125) in their five-round main event. Anyone who has followed him has seen massive returns. 

Now, with UFC 264: Poirier vs McGregor 3 in sight, Parker has studied the MMA odds and each matchup on the UFC 264 card from every angle and released his top selections. A successful parlay of his top UFC 264 picks would generate a payback of better than 10-1. Those picks are available only at SportsLine.  

UFC 264: McGregor vs. Poirier 3 preview

Parker knows the main event will have a serious impact on the legacy of both fighters. With the help of the UFC marketing machine, McGregor cut a nearly mythical figure for himself with his distinctive look and infamous, verbose swagger.

The "Notorious" fighter held up his end of the storyline with dominance inside the cage for the early stages of his UFC career. Perhaps his coming-of-age moment happened seven years ago in his first meeting with Poirier, who was similarly considered a brash prospect with the talent and sinister disposition to match.

After weeks of nonstop trash talk, McGregor (22-5) put Poirier away at the 1:46 mark in the first round as the Louisiana native offered little in the way of resistance or resilience. McGregor went on to become the UFC"s first active two-division champion. 

Poirier (27-6-1), meanwhile, quietly won nine of his next 10 fights to emerge as one of the world's best lightweights. His resume includes two wins over celebrated former featherweight champion Max Holloway, the latter of which came for the interim title in April 2019. Later that year, he came up short for the unified title against Khabib Nurmagomedov, who has since retired as an undefeated champion. You can only see who to back here.

UFC 264: McGregor vs. Poirier 3 predictions

We'll reveal one of Parker's UFC 264 selections here: He's picking Tai Tuivasa (-130) to defeat ex-NFL player Greg Hardy (+130). Hardy is a brawler who won his first four fights by knocking his opponent out in the first round, but Parker believes Tuivasa's wrestling can tire out the less experienced fighter to get the result.

Hardy lost his last fight to a superior wrestler in Marcin Tybura. Look for Tuivasa to wear Hardy down and stretch things out, as Hardy has only won two of his six fights that have gone past the first round.

How to make UFC 264 picks

Parker also has strong picks for Poirier vs. McGregor 3 and other fights on the UFC 264 card. He's also backing one fighter to use his "karate-style striking" to pull off a decisive win. Those picks and other UFC 264 predictions are only available at SportsLine.

Who wins Poirier vs. McGregor 3? And which fighter is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed top picks on UFC 264: Connor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3, all from the UFC insider who's up nearly $9,500 on MMA picks in the past year, and find out.

UFC 264 odds

Dustin Poirier (-130) vs. Conor McGregor (+110)
Stephen Thompson (-140) vs. Gilbert Burns (+120)
Tai Tuivasa (-140) vs. Greg Hardy (+120)
Irene Aldana (-145) vs. Yana Kunitskaya (+125)
Sean O'Malley (-800) vs. Kris Moutinho (+550)
Max Griffin (-175) vs. Carlos Condit (+155)
Michel Pereira (-160) vs. Niko Price (+140)
Trevin Giles (-120) vs. Dricus du Plessis (+100)
Ilia Topuria (-240) vs. Ryan Hall (+200)
Jennifer Maia (-190) vs. Jessica Eye (+170)
Brad Tavares (-175) vs. Omari Akhmedov (+155)
Zhalgas Zhumagulov (-400) vs. Jerome Rivera (+320) 
Alen Amedovski (-175) vs. Yaozong Hu (+155)