UFC veteran Dustin Poirier will make a last stand at UFC 302 to contest for the elusive UFC lightweight belt against Islam Makhachev. With former undefeated LW champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov right beside him, Makhachev certainly has an edge over ‘The Diamond’. But will his plan of action differ from The Eagle’s, will he stand and trade with the Louisiana bomber and make it a slugfest?
The answer is a plain no. The champion has already revealed his gameplay i.e., follow Nurmagomedov’s footsteps. Islam will look to rely on his strategy to outwork the American and take him into deep waters with the signature Dagestani pressure wrestling.
Dropping a video on Nurmagomedov’s YouTube channel ahead of his hotly anticipated bout, Makhachev has revealed just that.
“When Khabib was preparing for him, we trained together and I was already involved in the discussion of the fight preparation plan against Dustin. I don’t think the preparation and plan for the fight will differ much because we know Dustin’s strengths and weaknesses.”
The Russian fighter has confirmed that his strategy would be more or less the same as his Nurmagomedov since he got used to Poirier’s style during the UFC 242 camp. Islam had earlier claimed it was during this camp that Khabib had told him about giving his neck to Poirier on purpose to tire him out.
But the fact remains that Dustin almost tapped out Khabib after that camp. So maybe, Islam should be paying a little more attention.
Makhachev clears the air as he speaks greatly of Dustin Poirier’s guillotine
Avid fans might still remember when Makhachev was mocking Dustin Poirier’s BJJ black belt. The Dagestani was seen alongside his AKA buddy, Daniel Cormier when he denounced it a few years back but as it turns out, in reality, he is not overlooking his opponent or his skills.
Speaking to Sport 24, he has come clean, revealing his honest thoughts ahead of the fight. He dismissed the fan narrative, the general consensus that he was underestimating the American. In fact, he blamed the media for misreading it and misreporting it.
Islam revealed that he had never intended to mock the veteran and was just “joking” about his guillotine. Regardless, Poirier has promised to knock him out cold so bad that the referee would have to pull him off the Dagestani fighter.
