Islam Makhachev has just thrown water all over one of the most iconic moments in MMA history. At UFC 242, the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov almost got submitted by Dustin Poirier’s infamous guillotine with ‘almost’ being the keyword there. It’s the closest anyone has ever gotten to defeat Khabib but now Makhachev has claimed that it was a shrewd tactic on the Dagestani’s part.
Poirier had that guillotine locked in, legs wrapped around Khabib, but Nurmagomedov never tapped. And now…
‘The Eagle’s’ training partner at the time, Islam Makhachev, in a recent interview on the Good Guy Bad Guy show on YouTube, has claimed that that chokehold was all part of The Eagle’s plans.
“Before the fight, I swear to God Khabib told me, hey catch me in guillotine, I have to feel. I will give him my neck and make him tired, and what we did in the locker room before the fight.”
Islam Makhachev revealed that the pair even practiced a guillotine in the locker room before the fight. While it does seem like Makhachev is being facetious, Nurmagomedov fans would like to believe that the Dagestani superman was never in any trouble.
Tapping out in the octagon was never an option for ‘The Eagle’, especially with his father outside the octagon, watching from his corner. This has time and again been reiterated by Nurmagomedov himself.
Now, speaking of guillotines, in the same interview, Daniel Cormier also caught Islam Makhachev lying while praising Poirier’s signature chokehold.
Daniel Cormier catches Islam Makhachev lying as he praised Dustin Poirier
Daniel Cormier shares a very wholesome relationship with the fighters from Team Nurmagomedov. They have trained together in the past at the AKA gym. So in the interview when he heard Makhachev praising Poirier’s guillotine, he knew he was lying.
When he called him out for it, the champ responded by saying,
“Okay, I don’t respect his guillotine… because I never see him finish someone in guillotine. Maybe one day, but it’s not gonna be me.”
Islam Makhachev gets caught lying while praising Dustin Poirier’s guillotine
Islam: “[Dustin] have very good guillotine.”
Cormier: “No he’s lying. He’s being disrespectful.”
Islam: “Okay, I don’t respect his guillotine… because I never see him finish someone in… pic.twitter.com/qrNPmfT8u6
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 9, 2024
Makhachev couldn’t help but laugh when ‘DC’ called him out for lying. Although he does respect ‘The Diamond’ as a fighter, he does not respect his guillotine.
He claims he has never seen the American finish anyone with a guillotine. Islam Makhachev also stated that Dustin Poirier wouldn’t be able to execute the move on him.
