Khabib: Makhachev Finishes Poirier In Under Three Rounds

In what will be his third attempt to do so, Dustin Poirier will look to become the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) undisputed Lightweight champion when he faces current title holder, Islam Makhachev, in the main event of UFC 302 in June 1, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey.

One of Poirier’s previous failed attempts came against Khabib Nurmagomedov, a training partner of Makhachev’s, at UFC 242 in Sept. 2019, losing via third-round rear naked choke. His other defeat came against Charles Oliveira the exact same way two years later.

Still, underestimating a seasoned veteran such as “The Diamond” isn’t something Khabib and Co. intend on doing.

“Many people underestimate Dustin Poirier,” Nurmagomedov said on his YouTube channel via MMA Junkie. “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.”

According to Nurmagomedov, the main thing Poirier has for him is experience inside the cage, which very few in this business can actually come close to matching.

“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 than 22 or 23 wins. Using our slang, he is a seasoned warrior. You can’t take him lightly.

Still, “The Eagle” is confident his team can create a winning formula against Poirier for Makhachev to execute based on his own experiences against him. That said, a finish in under three rounds for Makhachev is what the former Lightweight champion is predicting.

“We have great respect for Dustin, but on June 1, he is our opponent,” Nurmagomedov said. “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.”