Islam Makhachev denies underestimating Dustin Poirier ahead of UFC 302 clash, says 'The Diamond' has "a pretty good guillotine"
Islam Makhachev recently refuted claims that he underestimates Dustin Poirier ahead of their UFC 302 showdown, clarifying that the media has significantly misrepresented some of his remarks.
The reigning lightweight champion is poised to defend his title against Poirier in the headlining bout of the upcoming pay-per-view, set to take place on June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
In the lead-up to the fight, Makhachev stated on the Good Guy/Bad Guy podcast, hosted by Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen, that 'The Diamond' would be unable to choke him out with a guillotine. During the show, 'DC' mentioned that Makhachev might be lying and mocking his opponent. After the interview, the prevailing opinion was that the Dagestani was downplaying Poirier's skills.
However, in a recent interview with Sport24 (via Championship Rounds), Makhachev emphasized the extensive efforts he has invested in his training camp to counter guillotine chokes and clarified that his remarks about Poirier were misconstrued:
"Yes, I gave my neck a lot in training. You need to find yourself in the positions that your opponent is in so that it doesn't come as a surprise to you in the fight. The media made a big joke out of this that I was joking about his guillotines. No, I'm telling the truth that I think he has a pretty good guillotine."
He added:
"This is a big mistake... underestimating Dustin is stupid in general. We have seen his last fight. It was the same thing. Everyone didn't give Dustin any chance... so it's a big mistake to underestimate Dustin."
Check out Islam Makhachev's comments below:
UFC 302 will mark Makhachev's third title defense following his championship win against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 in October 2022. His most recent victory came by way of a first-round knockout in a rematch against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 last year.
Meanwhile, 'The Diamond' is coming off a second-round KO victory against Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299 in March. Poirier has tallied two victories and suffered two losses in his last four fights.
Conor McGregor predicts Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier UFC 302 headliner
In a recent livestream hosted by Duelbits on KICK, Conor McGregor forecasted that Dustin Poirier would manage to catch Islam Makhachev and secure a victory at UFC 302.
'The Notorious' discussed Makhachev's vulnerability and his knockout defeat to Adriano Martins at UFC 192 in October 2015, foreseeing a similar result when the lightweight champion squares off against Poirier:
"I think Dustin does him, knocks him out. I think the things that Makhachev does wrong, the things he’s not good at, he fumbles over his feet usually early on and falls into shots. He’s been knocked out by a back check hook from a southpaw before inside the UFC, and that’s one of Dustin’s best shots. If Dustin’s ever going to do it, it’ll be this time."
Check out Conor McGregor's comments below: