Khabib Nurmagomedov offers huge respect to "great fighter" Dustin Poirier after grueling UFC 302 clash against protégé
Khabib Nurmagomedov recently opened up about his UFC 302 and offered a great deal of respect to Dustin Poirier for his performance in the main event. The Louisiana native fell short of his goal of becoming lightweight champion, but received plenty of praise for his efforts.
'The Diamond' challenged Islam Makhachev in the main event and did a great job in stuffing some of his takedowns. Poirier managed to have some success on the feet with his standup, however, the Dagestani eventually found an opening and submitted him in the fifth round.
Championship Rounds tweeted a clip from 'The Eagle's YouTube channel, where he heaps praise on Poirier for the grueling bout he had with his protege. Nurmagomedov mentioned that he holds Poirier in high regard and expressed his well wishes to his family. He said:
"Dustin [Poirier] is a great fighter. I have very big respect for him. I meet his father yesterday, we stay at [the] same hotel...End of the day, this is life. All about respect. All about relationship...First of all, [this sport is] about discipline and respect. And I just want to wish him all the best. Him and all his family, his daughter, his parents, everybody."
Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov's comments below:
Khabib Nurmagomedov worked on submissions with Islam Makhachev prior to UFC 302
It appears as though the gameplan for Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 was a submission win over Dustin Poirier.
Championship Rounds tweeted another video from Khabib Nurmagomedov's YouTube channel, which shows the UFC Hall of Famer analyzing the position Makhachev needed to target to ensure a submission win. 'The Eagle' is seen coaching his protege as they outline what he needed to do. He said:
"Look here, he should have countered. He went for the neck, didn't block the arm, and stood up. He should have countered it, but he went for the neck. Again, he lays on his back."
Check out the clip of Khabib Nurmagomedov coaching Islam Makhachev on his submissions below: