Dustin Poirier makes bold statement in retaliation to Islam Makhachev's dismissive claims: "If I touch his chin, he'll go down"
Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier is bound for his third shot at undisputed gold at UFC 302 this weekend. He'll be challenging divisional kingpin Islam Makhachev, a protege of Khabib Nurmagomedov - the man who beat him in his first title shot.
At media day ahead of UFC 302, Makhachev was dismissive of Poirier's chances at fulfilling the proverbial 'third time's the charm' in his quest for UFC gold.
To this, 'The Diamond' gave a stern response, saying:
"I can definitely win this fight. If I touch his chin, he'll go down. And he'll find that out on Saturday. Maybe that's something he doesn't need to believe. Maybe he needs to be positive and be confident walking into this - which he should be. But if you don't think I have a chance to win, you're lying to yourself."
Check out the clip of Dustin Poirier's statement:
Makhachev only has one defeat in his near-perfect career - and it was a knockout. It came at the hands of Adriano Martins at UFC 192 in 2015, Makhachev's second bout in the promotion. At the time, Poirier had already had eight career KO wins, with a total of 15 so far.
If there's one thing we know as a possible weakness of Makhachev's armor, it's that he can be knocked out. If there's one thing we know Poirier is very good at, it's knocking people out. This paints a very interesting story.
What did Islam Makhachev say about Dustin Poirier during UFC 302's press conference?
To understand Dustin Poirier's words and what motivated him to have such a response toward Islam Makahchev, it pays to hear what the world champion initially said. When asked how Poirier is different from how he was in the Khabib Nurmagomedov fight, the Dagestani wrestler said:
"Honestly he's the same, you know? Maybe become more old, and he doesn't believe he can beat me. His coach doesn't believe he can beat me. And I know I can make this fight easy."
Here's a clip of Islam Makhachev's statement on Dustin Poirier: