4 storylines to watch at UFC 264

A blockbuster trilogy bout between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor will headline UFC 264, the first event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are four key storylines heading into Saturday's pay-per-view card.

Can McGregor adjust and get revenge?

McGregor has been in this spot before.

In 2016, he suffered a submission loss to Nate Diaz, who stepped up on short notice and was a big underdog. It was McGregor's first UFC defeat, and the loss was a huge setback considering he had just captured the featherweight belt with a historic 13-second knockout three months earlier.

But McGregor bounced back in an immediate rematch with Diaz after making the necessary adjustments to win a majority decision later that year.

Now he'll attempt to do the same against Poirier, who knocked McGregor out in January.

Getting past Poirier won't be easy, as "The Diamond" appears to be in top form, and he brings a diverse skill set to the table. Poirier beat up McGregor's legs with calf kicks during the rematch, and the Irishman will likely need to figure out how to counter that in the rubber match.

Poirier is rightfully the favorite heading into Saturday, but count on McGregor to learn from his first TKO loss in the UFC and come back with some new tricks. Ultimately, his third meeting with Poirier should be a tougher fight.

More animosity than before?

Poirier and McGregor took a friendly approach to the rematch, giving gifts at weigh-ins and complimenting each other during a cordial prefight press conference.

That could change, at least somewhat, ahead of the trilogy bout.

McGregor seems to be back to his old, trash-talking self a little bit. He left Poirier an eerie voice message on Twitter earlier this week, calling his opponent "pea head" and a "silly hillbilly."

The tension between the lightweight stars might stem from their dispute over a donation following the rematch. McGregor vowed to contribute to Poirier's foundation, and the latter took matters public when the former didn't follow through on his promise. While the issue was eventually resolved, it still feels like Poirier and McGregor are out to get each other a little more than in January.

We'll find out for sure if that's the case during Thursday evening's press conference.

Thompson hopes to secure title shot

Based on his prefight comments, it seems Stephen Thompson intends to do everything he can - in the nicest way possible - to convince the UFC's brass to give him the next welterweight title shot if he gets past Gilbert Burns in the UFC 264 co-main event.

"Wonderboy" has won two straight fights after a rough stretch from 2017 to 2019, and he's re-emerged as one of the world's top 170-pound fighters. He's one of the few welterweight contenders who has yet to face current champion Kamaru Usman, and stylistically, Thompson might be able to test the champ in ways others have not.

But even a victory over Burns, the No. 2-ranked welterweight who had his own crack at Usman in February, likely won't be enough. UFC president Dana White is adamant about booking a rematch between Usman and Colby Covington, and he's said recently that other contenders - like Leon Edwards or the Burns-Thompson winner - won't jump ahead of Covington.

Even though a title shot may not be on the line for Thompson during Saturday's bout, beating Burns is still crucial for keeping the 38-year-old's championship hopes alive.

Has Hardy reached his peak?

Greg Hardy has endured an up-and-down UFC career, and he has yet to emerge as an elite heavyweight.

The former NFL player, who transitioned to mixed martial arts in 2017 and made his UFC debut at the beginning of 2019, is coming off a stoppage loss to Marcin Tybura last December. That result dropped Hardy to 2-2 over his past four contests and to 4-3 (1 NC) in the promotion overall.

Some have begun wondering whether Hardy, who's scheduled to face Tai Tuivasa on Saturday, has hit his ceiling and is a fringe top-25 heavyweight, but he'll never be more than that.

While it's possible Hardy doesn't appear in a UFC title fight, we can't be positive he's peaked yet. Hardy is 32 years old, which is relatively young for the heavyweight division, and four years isn't long at all to be training as a professional fighter.

So even if "The Prince of War" hasn't met expectations yet, it's not impossible for Hardy to improve and eventually break through as a top contender.