Dustin Poirier is set to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 302. Fans of the UFC would remember Poirier challenging for the title twice in the past, although both tries ended in defeat.
Khabib Nurmagomedov was the first to defeat Poirier when he challenged for the title in 2019. In that bout, ‘Diamond’ was close to getting a guillotine submission, but Nurmagomedov evaded it somehow. Hence, in preparation for his upcoming bout, the American fighter was cautioned not to go for that move again. However, Poirier remained confident of his strategy and even talked about it on X, stating,
“Hard to do that when you lead the Gilly Goose Gang cuh”
In another post, he answered a fan query by suggesting that he has practiced the guillotine submission multiple times.
“You gotta miss 100 guillotines in a live competition and you’re in”
Although Dustin Poirier is a well-rounded fighter and has several guillotine submissions under his belt, his tendency to stick adamantly to his original strategy has made many believe he is not deserving of a title shot. However, UFC welterweight Matt Brown shares a different opinion.
Matt Brown calls for Dustin Poirier to fight for the title
Poirier has been a veteran of the sport and is coming off an impressive win against Benoit Saint-Denis. He has also proved his mettle multiple times in the past with dominant victories over Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor. That is why Matt Brown insisted that Poirier does deserve to fight for the title, saying,
“That’s all I’ve got to say about it. Why not? Let’s go. Dustin deserves everything. Anything he wants, he should get.” He adds, “He’s the man. He deserves anything they give him … anything good. Any title shot. Just give it to him. It’s f****** Dustin Poirier.”
With Matt Brown’s support, Diston Poirier will surely feel more confident in his fight against Islam Makhachev. However, it remains to be seen if ‘Diamond’ can make his supporters proud at UFC 302.
