The UFC’s lightweight division is arguably the most talent-stacked in the organization right now. Champion Islam Makhachev will put his title on the line at UFC 302 against Dustin Poirier. While he acknowledges Dustin Poirier as a good fighter, for Makhachev, his dream fight was someone else at 155-pounds.
Justin Gaethje was riding a two-fight win streak, going into his fight against Max Holloway at UFC 300. ‘The Highlight’ was a massive favorite, and the consensus was that if he won, he would most likely fight for the title next. However, being the unpredictable sport that MMA is, Gaethje came up short against Holloway.
Due to this loss, Javier Mendez, coach for both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev branded Gaethje as ‘out of the picture’. The 53-year-old stated that Gaethje was the biggest threat to Makhachev, but his recent loss meant he would take a while to get back to a title shot. Mendez added,
“No need to talk about him for us as a threat because he’s never gonna be there anymore, I don’t think.”
Islam Makhachev echoed similar sentiments in a recent interview with ‘TMZ Sports’. During the interview, the host asked Makhachev what he made of Dustin Poirier as a fighter and if there was anyone else, he would have rather faced. Makhachev said,
“Honestly no, Dustin is a good opponent because Oliveira and Arman I beat these guys already. My dream fight for this division is Gaethje but he lose already. But right now in the position on our weights, I think we just have Dustin because Arman say no, Oliveira lose, Gaethje lose. We don’t have someone.”
Even though Makhachev will not be getting his dream fight, he will be taking on an extremely skilled fighter in Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. Thankfully for Makhachev, Poirier is a fighter his camp has prepared for and has overcome in the past.
Islam Makhachev assesses his upcoming fight with Dustin Poirier
Javier Mendez and his team have a very good understanding of Dustin Poirier and his game. Khabib Nurmagomedov beat Dustin Poirier in a dominant manner when they faced each other at UFC 242. Islam Makhachev believes that a similar outcome can be expected at UFC 302.
According to the champion, his and Nurmagomedov’s style is the worst matchup for Poirier. While he did not take anything away from ‘The Diamond’, Makhachev insisted that his grappling and ground game would be too much for Poirier to handle. The UFC lightweight king went on to add that if he can stick to the game plan, he can “easily” beat Dustin Poirier.
