Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev puts his title on the line against former interim titleholder Dustin Poirier in the UFC 302 main event on June 1. The two haven’t fought before but Makhachev has closely studied Poirier in the past.
When Poirier fought Makhachev’s coach and mentor, former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, at UFC 242 in September 2019, Makhachev helped Nurmagomedov prepare for the fight. He was also involved in setting the game plan for Nurmagomedov to defeat “The Diamond.”
“When Khabib was preparing for him, we trained together, and I was already involved in the discussion of the fight preparation plan against Dustin. I don’t think the preparation and plan for the fight will differ much because we know Dustin’s strengths and weaknesses,” Makhachev said in a YouTube video.
Makhachev and Nurmagomedov’s roles have switch with Nurmagomedov now assisting Makhachev in his preparations to defend his title against Poirier. While Nurmagomedov and Makhachev respect Poirier’s abilities and legacy, they plan to use the same blueprint that Nurmagomedov employed back in 2019. Nurmagomedov finished Poirier in the third round, and he hopes Makhachev will do the same.
“Many people underestimate Dustin Poirier,” Nurmagomedov said in the video. “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 is very experienced. He’s been in many battles already,” Nurmagomedov continued. “Yes, he has lost, but he also has many victories in the UFC, more than 22 or 23 wins. Using our slang, he’s a seasoned warrior. You can’t take him lightly. We have great respect for Dustin, but on June 1, 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.”
https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/khabib-nurmagomedov-we-have-great-respect-for-dustin-poirier-but-
