Dustin Poirier has fought the who’s who of the lightweight and featherweight divisions. However, his greatest career accomplishment is his interim lightweight title triumph against Max Holloway. In his upcoming fight at UFC 302, he will look to upset the odds against Islam Makhachev, the protege of his ex-opponent, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Dustin Poirier has everything stacked against him, with the only thing going for him being the infamous Paulo Costa Curse. Only Gleison Tibau has fought both Makhachev and Nurmagomedov. At UFC 302, Poirier would become the second fighter to do so. He recently compared the two Dagestanis in an interview with Kevin Iole.
Top position, some of the things they do are similar, but definitely a different fighter. He has a great clinch and good trips. I think he’s a little bit more of a fluid striker than Khabib, for sure. He chases submissions a bit more than Khabib does, especially with arm bars and stuff. We never see Khabib giving up position to go for an arm bar or something like that.
Dustin Poirier via Kevin Iole interview on YouTube
Poirier admitted there are similarities between the protege and the mentor. However, he also stated there are things they do better than the other. Despite the odds, many have predicted Poirer to spring an upset. Former opponent Justin Gaethje was one of them, citing to take lessons from their common opponent Nurmagomedov.
Islam Makhachev is the current pound-for-pound king, while Nurmagomedov retired as one. However, Nurmagomedov has three lightweight title defenses, a UFC record. Makhachev would aim to tie the record with his mentor Khabib, Frankie Edgar, Benson Henderson, and BJ Penn, with a victory over Poirier.
Ali Abdelziz compares Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier
Islam Makhachev was the favorite student of Abdulmanap, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father. The late Abdulmanap wanted his son to retire undefeated and have Makhachev continue the legacy. Nurmagomedov made his father’s wish come true as he trained Makhachev to become the champion.
Rizwan Magomedov, Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Ali Abdelaziz (Image via: Instagram)Many have found similarities and differences between Nurmagomedov and Makhachev. However, one person who is privy to both is their manager, Ali Abdelaziz. The manager recently talked about the two on his appearance on the Show Me The Money podcast.
Abdelaziz stated that Makhachev is a lot more funnier than Nurmagomedov as a person but is shy and reserved than his mentor. As a fighter, Abdelaziz found stark differences between the two. The manager stated Nurmagomedov was the strongest grappler, but Makhachev had the better BJJ.
When asked who would win in his prime, Abdelaziz picked Nurmagomedov. He stated that the mentality of the retired fighter and the impact he had on the sport was greater than the current pound-for-pound king.
!
