Khabib Nurmagomedov getting caught in Dustin Poirier's guillotine was a tactical move, claims Islam Makhachev
Khabib Nurmagomedov's childhood friend and longtime training partner, Islam Makhachev, has addressed the oft-discussed guillotine choke sequence in the former's fight against Dustin Poirier. Makhachev has asserted that Nurmagomedov voluntarily gave Poirier the guillotine choke position as a tactical maneuver.
One of the rare occasions that Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) appeared to be in trouble was in his UFC lightweight title unification match against Dustin Poirier.
Then-UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov faced then-interim UFC lightweight champion Poirier at UFC 242 in 2019. 'The Eagle' dominated most of the matchup with his grappling prowess. However, in the third round, 'The Diamond' put him in a guillotine choke.
Nurmagomedov escaped the submission hold and submitted Poirier with a rear-naked choke in the same round, thereby successfully defending his lightweight belt and unifying the titles. In the ensuing years, 'The Diamond' gave props to his Dagestani opponent, suggesting that 'The Eagle' narrowly escaped the submission hold.
On ESPN MMA's Good Guy / Bad Guy podcast hosted by Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen, Makhachev gave his take on the Nurmagomedov-Poirier guillotine sequence.
Cormier, who's a longtime teammate of both Nurmagomedov and Makhachev at the AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) in California, recalled that 'The Eagle' admitted the choke was tight.
Makhachev, who's scheduled to defend his UFC lightweight title against Poirier at UFC 302 in June, responded by claiming that Nurmagomedov himself planned to give Poirier the guillotine choke position. 'The Diamond' has been known to have a penchant for attempting guillotine chokes.
On that note, Makhachev explained that Nurmagomedov gave up the choke position to make Poirier tire himself out. Makhachev stated:
"Before the fight, I swear to God, Khabib told me, 'Catch me in guillotine. I have to feel. I will give him my neck and make him tired.'"
Check out Makhachev's comments below:
Catch Islam Makhachev's comments below (1:30):
What did Khabib Nurmagomedov say about Dustin Poirier's UFC 242 guillotine choke?
During the UFC 242 post-fight press conference, Khabib Nurmagomedov labeled Dustin Poirier a "great opponent." Moreover, 'The Eagle' opined that apart from a few punches Poirier landed on him, he controlled the better part of their showdown. He also acknowledged that 'The Diamond' did catch him with a tight guillotine choke.
Nurmagomedov discussed Poirier's two guillotine choke attempts. The first one was tight and dangerous. 'The Eagle' indicated that he intentionally gave up the guillotine position the second time around, as he wanted to make 'The Diamond' exhaust himself.
The UFC icon, who retired from MMA in October 2020, highlighted that he expected the guillotine because Poirier used it in many previous fights. Nurmagomedov said:
"First time, it was close. Second time, I give him because I feel he lost so much energy, so much power, because of guillotine. And this is part of the game how I can play with my opponents. Not many people can understand this."
Watch Khabib Nurmagomedov's assessment below (12:02):