Sean Strickland’s Coach Tips Dustin Poirier to Defeat Islam Makhachev Using Special Weapon

Dustin Poirier will be hoping that third time’s the charm at UFC 302. ‘The Diamond’ has fallen short twice in his attempt to win gold at 155 lbs in the UFC.  As he prepares to take on Islam Makhachev, Sean Strickland’s coach, Eric Nicksick believes Poirier has a secret weapon that could help him land a win against Makhachev.

Nicksick recently sat down with Mike Heck for an interview on ‘MMAFightingonSBN’, where he discussed the upcoming title fight between Poirier and Makhachev. Nicksick was high on praise for ‘The Diamond’ and suggested a secret weapon that could be the game changer for him.

“I think there are some things that he does that are pretty tricky out of that stance. We have a move called the Poirier because of some of the stuff that he does off the southpaw low kicks into orthodox stance and roll throughs. I think he can find Islam. I think he has a very good chance of winning this fight. I think that the bad taste in his mouth after losing to Khabib. I think this is one of those redemption tours.”

Leg kicks are a key part of Poirier’s game. He uses them extremely effectively to slow down his opponent’s movement and make them easier to hit. A prime example of the same was his fight against Conor McGregor at UFC 257. ‘The Diamond’ completely shut down McGregor using his leg kicks and then secured a knockout win.

But Makhachev is a different dog than McGregor. A newer generation of fighter with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s ground game but with elite striking capabilities. Regardless, Poirier will aim to replicate this as his daughter watches cageside at UFC 302 in what could essentially be his swansong.

Will UFC 302 be Dustin Poirier’s last dance?

Dustin Poirier has stated that his wife and child will be sitting cageside as he attempts to win the undisputed UFC lightweight title, in what is essentially his third and last shot at it.

This prompted fans to speculate that this might be the last time we see Poirier.

Dustin Poirier says his daughter will be watching his fight at #UFC302 from the front row for the first time ever:

“My daughter’s gonna be there, front row, for the first time ever. I want to show her that you can accomplish your dreams…

I think this might be the last time I… pic.twitter.com/2JDhgTuPOQ

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 6, 2024

There is a chance that if Poirier fails to win the title this time, he might call it quits. That said, he has not made any such intentions public.