Ahead of his UFC 302 lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier believes the reigning champion poses a greater threat than his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Poirier, a veteran of the Octagon with a reputation for thrilling fights, is set to challenge Makhachev for the 155-pound belt on June 1 in Newark, New Jersey.
In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Poirier discussed his upcoming fight and the key differences he sees between Makhachev and the retired champion Nurmagomedov:
“I think [Islam’s] submission game, jiu-jitsu wise, is a little more versatile than Khabib. Khabib had some chokes that he did really well, but Islam’s putting himself in, you could say bad positions, going for armbars. Maybe he loses a position but he trusts his wrestling to get it back.”
Poirier went even further, suggesting Makhachev’s striking surpasses his mentor:
“I think [Islam] is a little bit more of a threat jiu-jitsu wise and scrambles, but I think his striking’s better than Khabib’s.”
Check out Dustin Poirier’s comments on Islam Makhachev below (17:42):
Poirier is no stranger to facing the dominant Dagestani style. He battled Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title in 2019 at UFC 242. While Poirier displayed resilience, he ultimately succumbed to a third-round rear-naked choke from ‘The Eagle.’
Dustin Poirier hints at retirement after upcoming title fight against Islam Makhachev
There’s a chance that Dustin Poirier’s highly anticipated championship fight against Islam Makhachev could be his last inside the octagon.
The 35-year-old recently hinted at retirement during an interview with Fight Bananas. While acknowledging his aspirations to become a world champion, Poirier also highlighted the sacrifices involved in maintaining his elite status for nearly two decades:
“I just have a lot of stuff that kinda gets put on hold, so to say, for me to chase these dreams and stuff like that… I’m approaching 18 years of fighting, and I wanna become the world champion and live my life, you know?”
He added:
“It could be [my last fight]. I haven’t made an official decision yet, but it could be. I’ve said this over and over again, I still have a lot of tread on the tires. I can beat these young guys – I just did it. But how much do I want to give to this sport, because you don’t ride for free.” [H/t: MMA Knockout]
Check out his interview below:
