Light-weight champion Islam Makhachev places his title on the road in opposition to former interim titleholder Dustin Poirier within the UFC 302 most important occasion on June 1. The 2 have not fought earlier than however Makhachev has carefully studied Poirier previously.
When Poirier fought Makhachev’s coach and mentor, former light-weight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, at UFC 242 in September 2019, Makhachev helped Nurmagomedov put together for the battle. He was additionally concerned in setting the sport plan for Nurmagomedov to defeat “The Diamond.”
“When Khabib was making ready for him, we educated collectively, and I used to be already concerned within the dialogue of the battle preparation plan in opposition to Dustin. I don’t suppose the preparation and plan for the battle will differ a lot as a result of we all know Dustin’s strengths and weaknesses,” Makhachev mentioned in a YouTube video.
Makhachev and Nurmagomedov’s roles have change with Nurmagomedov now aiding Makhachev in his preparations to defend his title in opposition to Poirier. Whereas Nurmagomedov and Makhachev respect Poirier’s talents and legacy, they plan to make use of the identical blueprint that Nurmagomedov employed again in 2019. Nurmagomedov completed Poirier within the third spherical, and he hopes Makhachev will do the identical.
“Many individuals underestimate Dustin Poirier,” Nurmagomedov mentioned within the video. “I personally fought him, spent three rounds and over 10 minutes with him, and I’ve an excellent sense of his strengths and weaknesses. We’re working exhausting on these points.”
“Dustin could be very skilled. He’s been in lots of battles already,” Nurmagomedov continued. “Sure, he has misplaced, however he additionally has many victories within the UFC, greater than 22 or 23 wins. Utilizing our slang, he is a seasoned warrior. You may’t take him calmly. Now we have nice respect for Dustin, however on June 1, he’s our opponent. Now we have a clearly developed plan for the battle, and I imagine Islam will comply with it. I actually hope that Islam will end him off within the second or third spherical.”
