Former UFC welterweight Dan Hardy said that Conor McGregor is a “better martial artist” than Dustin Poirier ahead of their trilogy at UFC 264.

McGregor and Poirier meet this Saturday night in the main event of UFC 264 as the two bitter rivals look to finally put a conclusion to their longstanding feud. Ahead of this weekend’s blockbuster fight, Hardy spoke to Submission Radio and was asked to give his expert opinion on the fight. The longtime analyst is a fan of both fighters, but it’s the opinion of “The Outlaw” that McGregor is actually the superior martial artist of the two.

“I do think he’s a better martial artist just generally than Poirier. I think he’s got a better mastery of range and striking, a better understanding of the application of martial arts and how to work somebody over psychologically as well,” Hardy said (h/t Sportskeeda).

However, while Hardy thinks that McGregor is the more naturally gifted fighter and more talented martial artist, he cautioned the Irishman that he can’t just assume that his skill will carry him to victory alone. For Hardy, McGregor has got to show off some new skills in this fight and he can’t be the same one-dimensional striker that he was in the last fight. Because going against someone with as much heart as Poirier means he will have to work.

“You’ve got to earn it as well. You can’t just get in there with the skills that you’ve earned in your early career and expect it to carry you all the way, especially when you’ve got a dog in front of you like Poirier who’ll just take you into deep waters and see what you’re made of,” McGregor said.

Do you agree with Dan Hardy that Conor McGregor is a better martial artist than Dustin Poirier?