There was undeniable tension in Islam Makhachev’s locker room despite having a dominant reign at lightweight. During the hours leading up to his title scrap with Dustin Poirier, there was some palpable angst. That is understandable, given the grit of the Layfette lightweight. Now, all such locker-room footage is privy to fans, thanks to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Fight Inc: Inside the UFC docuseries — a new release on The Roku Channel, follows viral backstage moments of fighters and brass. However, it was courtesy of ‘The Eagle’ that fans learned about the 32-year-olds’ training camp. Although Makhachev snagged a D’arce choke submission win at the 2:42 mark of Round 5, the build-up was tense, as seen from Khabib’s video.
Now we are going for a morning training session with Islam…The plan is as usual: Wake up on the day of the fight and 30–40-minute workout. Now we have breakfast, rest, and we are ready…
Khabib Nurmagomedov via his Islam Makhachev l UFC 302 FIGHT DAY – Final Episode Segement (@KhabibTheEagle)
In the final episode of his series, the camera crew gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at Fight Day. Even after months of build-up, Nurmagomedov himself was at the center of the crowd. Khabib advised Islam Makhachev to tune up and distribute his wrestle-heavy game properly. Rizvan Magomedov, Makhachev’s co-manager, aptly depicted how tenuous it all was.
The camera panned to Khabib Nurmagomedov for his immediate post-fight reaction as Team Makhachev paraded back. He was proud of the choke execution – more to it, he also praised Poirier. ‘The Eagle’ also mentioned staying with Poirier’s father at the UFC Host Hotel in Jersey City, N.J. All in all, Khabib’s iteration of backstage prepping has gone quite viral.
Ex-UFC champion doesn’t understand Dustin Poirier’s shorts-pull against Islam Makhachev
Khabib Nurmagomedov might have holes in his cornerman game. Still, he added plenty of value while cornering Islam Makhachev. Poirier’s fighting shtick of pulling up his shorts mid-fight is a prominent routine. It’s a running gag among UFC fans that if Dustin Poirier starts pulling at his shorts, it’s going down!
Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 (Source: IMAGO/UFC.go.com)As a consensus heavy-hitter, ‘The Diamond’ gives in to the habit right before accessorizing his limbs for high-volume strikes. It opened up gaps for Islam Makhachev’s rapid lean-ins. Ex-UFC Champions Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and TJ Dillashaw frequented this topic in their latest sitdown.
I used to wear shorts and I had that problem of pulling my front leg all the time and I stopped wearing shorts because of it. I started wearing tights so I can’t pull it up because look, your hands are coming down… it’s just a habit…I’ve seen myself doing it, I’d watch my early fights like Ultimate Fighter days… I don’t know why you do it, you just start pulling your shorts up and I do it with my front hand.
TJ Dillashaw via the ‘JAXXON’ Podcast (@JAXXONPodcastClips)
In a recap of the main event of UFC 302, the duo discussed how Makhachev found success in pockets due to this habit. The Dagestani found an opening in the second round as he timed Poirier’s shorts pull. Moreover, in the last round, Makhachev opted for a serious ankle sweep, thus grounding Poirier.
As Dillashaw stated, it is a habit that comes naturally. Despite fans considering the shorts pull as iconic, Poirier only opened himself for fluid counters from the lightweight champion. It only goes to show habits as simple as the shorts-pull, which can often lead to dire consequences.
