Dustin Poirier is gearing up for what will be the most important fight of his career. Having been in the fight business for 15 years now, Poirier has a lot of mileage under his belt. That said, he still has a little more to give and will look to use that to end his career on a high.
For those unaware, Dustin Poirier takes on lightweight champion Islam Makhahchev at UFC 302 on June 1. Understandably set to be his career swansong, ‘The Diamond’ is looking to capture the lightweight strap in his third time of asking. Unfortunately, the man facing him happens to be one of the most dangerous and dominant lightweight fighters of all time.
We’re back!! This Saturday it’s #UFC302!!
🏆 Islam Makhachev vs Dustin Poirier
🔥 Sean Strickland vs Paulo Costa pic.twitter.com/hMl1rTXqxE— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) May 27, 2024
Whilst many initially disputed as to why Poirier was getting the title shot off of a win against then #12 ranked Benoit Saint Denis, the focus has since shifted to fans egging him on to win the fight. Seeing that the fans have already dug up evidence and theories of why the Louisiana native will emerge victorious, others have gone down the more realistic and analytical route.
Alexander Volkanovski reveals the main danger for Islam Makhachev in Dustin Poirier’s gameplan
For the most part, Alexander Volkanovski is a great authority when it comes to analyzing two competitors ahead of a fight. With his sound understanding of the game and his experience with Islam Makhachev in the past, he’s seemingly the leading authority on what to do and what not to do against the Dagestani champion.
In a recent breakdown on his YouTube channel, Volkanovski gave his predictions for the big fight this weekend. Without wasting any time, the Aussi former champ was clear with his pick and chose Islam Makhachev to be the winner of the fight. That said, Volk revealed that he holds Dustin Poirier in high regard, before explaining potential pain points for Islam in the fight.
“Do I think the guillotine’s gonna be there for Dustin? Yeah, it might be there but think of the amount of times people have tried to put Islam in a guillotine, I guarantee you he’s been there and in this camp, he would’ve done hours and hours of defense there.”
“He (Islam) is gonna look for the grappling, again southpaw is gonna be more of a threat for him. I think the only time he ever got knocked out was against a southpaw, (both are) southpaw and southpaw. Again, you’re usually used to going outside the jab hand, now it’s your power side. So it’s a little bit awkward.”
“You choose to attack, the threats are coming from a totally different side that you haven’t dealt with as much, as orthodox fighters. I don’t think he’s gonna take too much risk on the feet cause Dustin Poirier has got great hands, great striking.”
All things considered, Volkanovski spoke about how Islam may struggle to get to the takedown seeing that he is up against a southpaw and has a tendency of veering into their power side. As such, it could be a long day for him if he chooses to shoot towards Dustin Poirier’s stronger side, especially after the work he has put in with his wrestling. Further, Volk also commended Poirier’s striking and labeled it as a key difference maker along with his stance.
Sean O’Malley, Jorge Masvidal, and others who have picked Dustin Poirier to win
Whilst Alexander Volknaovski did not entirely pick Dustin Poirier to win, he explained in great detail why his stance could be a problem for Islam Makhachev. At the same time, others have fully doubled down on Poirier to emerge victorious and ‘finish his story’ by becoming undisputed lightweight champion. Notably, Michael Bisping and Conor McGregor also brought up the one time that Islam was KOed and Dustin’s propensity to do the same.
As such, it would seem that UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley and former UFC BMF champion and welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal have also jumped on the bandwagon and are siding with their countryman to win the fight and fulfill his destiny. Notably, Masvidal has been a close friend and training partner of Poirier at American Top Team for a long long time as well.
O’Malley: “Dustin Poirier guillotines Islam, round number two… that’s what I know is gonna happen.”
Masvidal: “I know it’s not gonna be no walk in the park, but man I just have this feeling he pulls it off bro… he catches Islam, puts him down, he hits him while he’s on the ground, fight’s over and he walks away with that f***ing belt on his shoulder.”
Although unlikely, it is great to see so many big names and the massive parts of the fanbase side with Dustin Poirier. Win or lose, it is undeniable that he has had an illustrious and epic career, one that will for sure see him find his place in the UFC’s Hall of Fame.