"I'm not sure who he is" - When Dustin Poirier casually threatened "youngster" Islam Makhachev with an 'a** whooping'
A video of Dustin Poirier from 2015 is doing the rounds on social media, with the lightweight star admitting he didn't know who Islam Makhachev was.
Makhachev, the current 155lb champ, made his UFC debut back in 2015. The Russian fighter won his debut bout against Leo Kuntz before suffering a surprising TKO loss to Adriano Martins later that year. The loss remains Makhachev's only professional MMA defeat.
Poirier, meanwhile, headed into 2015 off the back of a defeat to Conor McGregor. 'The Diamond' used the loss to McGregor as a catalyst for success and finished three of his next four wins via knockout.
The 33-year-old was interviewed by Ariel Helwani following the finale of The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians. During the interview, Poirier was asked whether he was interested in fighting the up-and-comer Islam Makhachev at the time. Helwani said:
"A youngster named Islam Makhachev wanted to fight you and you kind of laughed it off. Are you interested?"
Poirier responded:
"I'm not sure who he is. Yeah I can fight him and he can get his a** whipped too man."
7 years later...
Dustin is fighting to be the #1 contender vs the "youngster"
@arielhelwani / @DustinPoirier
https://t.co/b1ElxBl0UH
Fans can be sure Dustin Poirier knows exactly who Islam Makhachev is in 2022. The Russian stunned fans at UFC 280 when he submitted Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title. 'The Diamond' is now vying for a title shot against Makhachev and aims to become the No.1 contender once again if he can defeat Michael Chandler at UFC 281.
Michael Bisping casts his prediction for Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler
In a video on his YouTube channel, Michael Bisping named Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler as the "people's main-event" of UFC 281.
The lightweight clash pits two of the division's biggest stars against one another in what should be an action-packed bout. According to 'The Count', as much of a fan favorite as 'Iron' has become, his wreckless fighting style has cost him in the UFC so far.
With that in mind, the former middleweight champ has backed Poirier to win the bout due to Chandler being dropped in his last few fights:
"A fight that I think should be labelled as the people's main event is Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler...Poirier is obviously looking for the TKO but Michael Chandler is very tough, however, he has been dropped. He got dropped off Tony Ferguson, he got dropped off Charles Oliveira. He has been shown to be a little bit chinny...I think he [Dustin Poirier] can put Michael Chandler away."
Catch Bisping's video here: