Khabib Nurmagomedov says Islam Makhachev will use "clearly developed plan" to finish Dustin Poirier inside three rounds at UFC 302
Khabib Nurmagomedov recently weighed in on Islam Makhachev's strategy for his upcoming title defense against Dustin Poirier. Nurmagomedov noted that he expects his pupil to finish the challenger and believes that it won't be going to the judges' scorecards.
'The Eagle' has been present for Makhachev's training ahead of his UFC 302 main event against 'The Diamond'. Nurmagomedov is no stranger to preparing for Poirier as he submitted him in the third round to unify the lightweight championship in 2019.
Championship Rounds uploaded a video from the former UFC lightweight champion's YouTube channel, where he is documenting Makhachev's training. He mentioned that they have great respect for Poirier, but believes that Makhachev's strategy will be effective in finishing him within three rounds. He said:
"I have a good sense of his [Poirier's] strengths and weaknesses. We are working hard on these aspects...We have a clearly developed plan for the fight, and I believe Islam [Makhachev] will follow it. I really hope that Islam will finish him off in the second or third round."
Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov's comments below:
Islam Makhachev credits Khabib Nurmagomedov for knowing what to expect with Dustin Poirier
Islam Makhachev recently opened up about his training camp for his upcoming title defense against Dustin Poirier and credited Khabib Nurmagomedov for knowing what to expect.
In the aforementioned episode, Makhachev noted that he helped 'The Eagle' prepare for his bout against Poirier at UFC 242 and was actively involved. The 32-year-old mentioned that he doesn't believe there will be any surprises from 'The Diamond' and that the result will be the same. He said:
"When Khabib [Nurmagomedov] was preparing for him [Poirier], we trained together, and I was already involved in the discussion of the fight preparation plan against Dustin. I don't think the preparation and plan for the fight will differ much because we know Dustin's strengths and weaknesses." [1:38 - 1:56]
Check out the full video below: