The much-anticipated battle between UFC veteran Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev has spectators on the edge. They rally towards Makhachev, hoping he will defend his lightweight championship title against Dustin Poirier in the upcoming UFC 302 bout.
The battle will be Makhachev’s third title defence. His coach, friend and trainer, Khabib Nurmagomedov, is confident in his winning chances. Poirier and Nurmagomedov locked horns at the UFC 242, where ‘The Diamond’ found ‘ The Eagle’ a worthy opponent and was soon submitted with a rear-naked choke in the third round. The battle was a chance for him to gain the undisputed UFC title, and he lost it. Still, his long-awaited battle against Islam might be a redeeming chance for him. Although the Khabib’s run-in with Poirier left him victorious–largely due to his impressive groundwork skills–the fighter still has a lot of respect for the 35-year-old. On his YouTube channel, Khabib spoke about the veteran:
“Many people underestimate Dustin Poirier. I personally fought him, spent three rounds and over 10 minutes with him, and I have a good sense of his strengths and weaknesses. We are working hard on these aspects. Dustin Poirier is very experienced. He’s been in many battles already. Yes, he has lost, but he also has many victories in the UFC, more that 22 or 23 wins. Using our slang, he is a seasoned warrior. You cant take him lightly.”
“We have great respect for Dustin,” he continued. “But on June 1st he is our opponent. We have a clearly developed plan for the fight, and I believe Islam will follow it. I really hope that Islam will finish him off in the second or third round.”
Poirier is a formidable striker on his feet and can cause real damage to Makhachev. However, the Russian is also a force to be reckoned with. He wields superb fighting prowess, which he displayed after his knockout win against veteran Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294. The fight will be a test of power with both opponents evenly matched. It will also be a chance for Poirier to earn the undisputed title if he’s able to unseat the champ.
