Islam Makhachev Envisions ‘Easy’ Night Against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302

Islam Makhachev believes he has the blueprint for a quick night at the office against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302.

Makhachev will look to defend his lightweight strap against Poirier in the main event at UFC 302 this weekend at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. This will be the third title shot for Poirier, whose first gold bid was foiled by a third-round submission loss to Makhachev’s teammate and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 in 2019. Like Nurmagomedov, Makhachev also doesn’t think Poirier has made any significant improvements since that loss. Makhachev also believes that both Poirier and his coach Mike Thomas Brown don’t think “The Diamond” can win at UFC 302. Makhachev acknowledges Poirier’s elite striking, but considers himself the worst stylistic matchup for the Louisiana native.

“Honestly, he’s the same you know. Maybe [he’s aged,]” the lightweight champ said during UFC 302 media day. “And he doesn’t believe he can beat me, his coach doesn’t believe he can beat me. And I know I can make this fight easy…Honestly, my style, it’s the worst style for him. That’s why he can beat some strikers; he is one of the best strikers in this game. But we’re not strikers, we’re MMA fighters and my skills [are] on a different level.”

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While the Dagestani brigade is notorious for its relentless grappling game, some like Makhachev have shown impressive developments in their stand-up skills. As their camp has been recently emphasizing, Makhachev also claims that he can hold his own in striking exchanges with Poirier. However, Makhachev also notes that he can strictly resort to wrestling to make it an “easy” fight if need be.

“Yeah, I can strike with him, but I told you guys, if I want to make this fight easy, I know the way… Always when his opponent pressures him, takes him down; he has the same problem always.”

Makhachev dethroned Charles Oliveira via submission in 2022 and has since defended his strap twice against former featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski, first via unanimous decision, followed by a head kick knockout. Meanwhile, Poirier is coming off a second-round knockout over surging French contender Benoit St. Denis, that saw him bounce back from a head-kick knockout loss against Justin Gaethje.