SUMMARY
- The Dustin Poirier vs Islam Makhachev fight at UFC 302 is less than two weeks away.
- Coach Javier Mendez believes Islam could possibly use Khabib's game plan to defeat Poirier.
The showdown between Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev is expected to be nothing less than a war in the octagon. Poirier is a veteran who has been a part of the UFC since 2011. Since then, he’s had quite a few title fights against a couple of legendary champions, most notably versus Islam’s closest mate, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
When Poirier fought the retired 35-year-old undisputed champion, he was the interim lightweight king. Khabib more or less had a lot of control over the fight in terms of strikes and ground time. But Khabib’s classic trick of gassing out his opponents on the floor came into play when Poirier jumped a guillotine choke. Surprisingly, Khabib broke loose and submitted Poirier with a rear naked choke.
Javier Mendez claims Dustin Poirier didn’t have a chance to finish Khabib Nurmagomedov with a guillotine
Dustin Poirier has made the guillotine choke one of his signature moves, and though he hasn’t had much success with it during fights, he still tends to attempt them a lot more. But jumping guillotines may not be Poirier wisest choice against Makhachev, claimed Javier Mendez, a coach who formerly trained Khabib.
During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Mendez revealed that it was Khabib’s plan to let Dustin jump the submission hold. He claimed that Islam might also use this tactic at UFC 302 which is less than two weeks away. “It could be the truth because listen before Khabib fought him, Khabib and Islam practiced that [Guillotine choke] in the back room before it happened,” he said.
Mendez added, “People don’t understand that Khabib gave Dustin that. He purposely gave it to him so he can tire him out. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if they do something like that, [if] Islam does that because Khabib did it. And it’s well known, Islam’s talked about it.” Several individuals including Khabib claimed that Poirier’s choke was locked properly. However, Mendez stated that Khabib had already prepared for it and managed to counter the attempt during the fight.
Khabib Nurmagomedov makes Dustin Poirier’s life harder by joining Islam Makhachev in training
The odds are currently stacked against Dustin Poirier in this fight. But to make matters worse for the underdog, Nurmagomedov recently joined Islam for training. He posted a picture on Instagram as well. Several individuals claimed that working under Khabib is nothing less of a nightmare due to the intensity he brings. But this can only work in favor of Islam since his longtime training partner was one of the smartest fighters around.
Khabib Nurmagomedov has arrived in New Jersey for Islam Makhachev’s fight camp for #UFC302 💪
📸 IG / @TeamKhabib #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/2yFkrNcRaP
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 18, 2024
And it seems like Islam himself thinks Dustin’s guillotine will be ineffective against him during the fight. But in terms of the fight, Islam is much bigger and stronger on the ground. Dustin has a good chance of winning only if he keeps Islam on his feet. Poirier averages 5.45 strikes with 51% accuracy while Islam only averages 2.46 per minute with 61% accuracy. Both fighters possess knockout power while the former interim champ has a good standup game. But Poirier needs to have great takedown defense to avoid losing.