Islam Makhachev Dismisses Underestimation Rumors, Acknowledges Dustin Poirier’s Danger Ahead of UFC 302

UFC lightweight champ, Islam Makhachev, may have deemed Dustin Poirier undeserving of a shot at his title. But that doesn’t mean that he is taking ‘The Diamond’ lightly. The Dagestani appeared in the latest episode of the ESPN MMA YouTube show, ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’, where he revealed that he wasn’t “underestimating” the Diamond’s prowess in any way.

Poirier is one of the best boxers in the UFC and has a ground game that allowed him to almost choke out Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242. So to say he isn’t challenging enough for Makhachev could be an error one might not recover from. And the UFC lightweight champion knows it.

Makhachev also talked about another primary factor behind his cautiousness before his UFC 302 fight. The Louisiana native has been into several slugfests inside the octagon and even got the better of most of those rivals. While most heavy hitters get gassed out by round 3, Poirier can go for 5 rounds, whether you have him on the ground or his feet.

Even at 35, he’s one of the fittest athletes in the division and is an extremely tough nut to crack; is a lethal striker who can mix up his boxing with good grappling and of course, there is the famed guillotine.

This is why Makhachev has labeled ‘The Diamond’ an extremely ‘tough’ individual and believes that’s the reason not to take him lightly. He said as much when he answered the ‘Bad Guy’ Chael Sonnen’s question.

“Everybody thinks, I am underestimating him [Poirier]. But this guy is so tough. He is dangerous”

Many in the UFC community are currently counting down the days till the UFC 302 takes place. But a few days ago, ‘The Diamond’ came up with a shocking revelation that saddened all his fans.

UFC 302 fight against Islam Makhachev to Dustin Poirier’s last fight?

Poirier entered the UFC way before Dana White and Co. introduced the Reebok-sponsored identical attires for the fighters. This itself bears testimony to the unreal length of time he has spent with the promotion.

‘The Diamond’ has defeated the who’s who of this game in his more than a decade-long career. There’s only one thing he hasn’t done and that is winning the undisputed lightweight title. That’s what he needs to finish the story, as they say.

During his post-UFC 299 press meet, he laid special stress on checking that box since the main event at  UFC 302 main event will also be Poirier’s last shot at the title.

This is probably why the 35-year-old wants to end it all by winning that elusive title. A large chunk of his fans will wish for his victory at UFC 302. But it’s also understandable that many of them will want Poirier to stay back for a couple more years, which ultimately may not happen.