The UFC’s first PPV event of June will feature the lightweight champion Islam Makhachev putting his belt on the line against Dustin Poirier. With the fight almost knocking on our doors, predictions are coming in thick and fast. Interestingly, according to Poirier’s former opponent, Charles Oliveira, ‘The Diamond’ does not have the skill set to beat Islam Makhachev.
‘Do Bronx’ is quite familiar with Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev’s styles since he has fought both with the UFC gold on the line. While the 34-year-old was able to best Poirier, he fell short against Makhachev and lost his title to the Dagestani. Still, the experience has allowed Oliveira to make an informed prediction during his recent interview with ‘Full Violence,’ where he said,
“Man in reality, we’re talking about MMA, MMA is unpredictable you know that. Anything can happen right? But we’re talking about the style game. A guy who is a puncher who has a hard hand who has a very nested boxing style. Against a guy who has been evolving on the feet but his strength is wrestling sambo. I think the fight is more on Islam’s side. We’re talking about MMA, it’s complicated, but I think Islam will stay champion.”
Islam Makhachev has always been regarded as one of the most elite grapplers in the sport. However, he has also been honing his striking skills over the past few years. His most recent fight against Alexander Volkanovski was a perfect example of the same. Going into the fight, the champion is uber confident in his abilities as well as his team’s to keep the belt in Dagestan.
Islam Makhachev predicts a similar outcome for Dustin Poirier at UFC 302
In many ways, Dustin Poirier is preparing for a similar fight to the one he had against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242. Makhachev and Nurmagomedov are both extremely skilled Sambo practitioners who use their grappling to smother opponents and keep them on the ground.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and his team came up with the perfect game plan to beat Poirier in the past. This will surely make Makhachev even more confident in his ability to make history repeat itself. In fact, Makhachev has already stated that the upcoming fight against Poirier would be an easy one for him.
