There’s nothing wrong with confidence. When has that been the case? But when you talk about Islam Makhachev vs Dustin Poirier at UFC 302, it’s a different story.
It’s been said on multiple occasions in the past that Islam Makhachev is a better striker than Khabib Nurmagomedov. Not just fellow fighters, even coach Javier Mendez and former two-division champion Daniel Cormier believe that Islam Makhachev is superior on the feet.
More recently, Makhachev’s coach also opined that the Dagestani fighter is a better pure boxer and Muay Thai fighter than Dustin Poirier. Does it indicate Makhachev will look to strike against Poirier? Not likely.
When Poirier raised this question during the pre-fight press-conference, Makhachev reminded the former interim champion that it’s MMA and not boxing. However, if you look at Islam Makhachev’s fighting style, despite the comparison, it’s not all that similar to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Islam Makhachev is a lot different than Khabib Nurmagomedov
You wouldn’t hear a lot of praise for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s striking from his fans, let alone MMA fans in general. The reason is simple, Nurmagomedov wasn’t that good. What made him great, and one of the greatest fighters of all time was his grappling.
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Every month or so, the same video goes viral where Khabib can be seen throwing haymakers (in the air). Once again, fans flood the comment section in a sheer reminder to “Khabib fans” of his poor striking. However, there’s more to it.
Despite the obvious disadvantage on the feet, Nurmagomedov dominated every striker he ever faced, and that wasn’t solely because of his grappling, but his striking that was built around his obvious gameplan.
Khabib‘s ability to pressure his opponents, take them down, and then keep them there was next to none. And what did he use to put himself in that position? His striking. Nurmagomedov’s striking was built around securing those takedowns. But that’s not the case with Islam Makhachev.
Even though both fighters like to take the fight to the ground, and play to their advantages, Makhachev’s striking is not based around his grappling prowess. And that’s a problem. Well, sometimes.
Islam Makhachev has shown a tendency to engage in striking unlike Khabib Nurmagomedov
Islam Makhachev has mentioned several times, even in the lead-up to UFC 302, that he is willing to strike against Poirier. The lightweight champion did the same against Charles Oliveira, and expressed his desire to finish Alexander Volkanovski on the feet when they first shared the cage. He did that in the second fight, but the first fight proved that Makhachev makes mistakes which Khabib Nurmagomedov avoided throughout his career.
No wonder you don’t see a photo of Khabib Nurmagomedov bruised and battered after a fight. The reason is simple, Nurmagomedov never put himself in those situations. He always fought defensively on the feet, and aggressively on the ground. As for Makhachev, he likes to be explosive everywhere.
In that sense, Islam Makhachev is quite similar to fighters like Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones and we saw that in the first fight against Volkanovski. Fighters who are elite grapplers, but who also like to strike.
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When Makhachev had trouble taking down the former featherweight champion, he started to rely on his striking, more importantly his counter striking, which by the way, is one of the finest in the game right now. However, when you are on the feet, it’s a game of inches. And we saw that in the fight against Volkanovski, where the featherweight champion did not only hurt Makhachev on several occasions, but also secured a knockdown in the final round.
Now that’s not something you will see from Khabib, who will take you down 21 times if he has to, in order to win the fight.
Dustin Poirier has a real chance at winning the undisputed gold at UFC 302
Taking on a seasoned veteran in the form of Dustin Poirier, Islam Makhachev has little left to prove to as he looks to tie Khabib Nurmagomedov, BJ Penn, and Benson Henderson for the most number of title defenses in the UFC’s lightweight division. But achieving this rare milestone will be easier said than done against someone like Dustin Poirier, who has proved his mettle time and again inside the Octagon.
Now obviously a lot will depend on the improvements Poirier has made in his takedown defense, but it’s safe to say, should there come a point where Makhachev decides to play striking against Poirier, it might not go as planned for the lightweight champion,
Expect Dustin Poirier to come guns blazing against Islam Makhachev, in what many believe will be his last UFC fight. Moreover, fighting in his home town of Lafayette, everything seems to be pointing towards a potential retirement; win or lose.