Many are seeing the next lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev It is Dustin Poirier as a repeat of Poirier’s failed 2019 attempt to win the belt against Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, Javier Méndezcoach of Makhachev and Nurmagomedov, thinks the analysis is completely wrong.
Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) seeks to make his third title defense against Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) on June 1 in the main event of UFC 302. While Makhachev’s team knows Poirier, Mendez sees this as a different matchup.
“No, this will be very different because Islam is not Khabib”, Mendez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “They are two different fighters and they don’t work the same way. The only thing they do the same is discipline. They both work hard, but their style is different.
“Khabib was more ground-oriented, but that’s what we wanted. We always told him, ‘Take the fight to the ground, take the fight to the ground. Father’s plan, father’s plan. … With Islam he trains all styles; Muay Thai and boxing with other instructors in Dagestan. Khabib never did that, he only trained with me. This is why Islam has evolved so much in the strike. Islam can fight how it wants, Khabib we would tell him to fight because no one in the world could handle it, and we knew it.
“Islam has everything. How he wants to win, when he wants to win, where he wants to win, depends only on him. We can take the fight wherever we want. This is the difference between Islam and Khabib. Khabib’s main thing was wrestling, but Islam can do whatever it wants.”
Many have suggested that Makhachev’s path to victory is to fight Poirier, as Nurmagomedov did in his 2019 title defense. Poirier is a dangerous striker, but Mendez is confident that Makhachev can not only keep Poirier on his feet, but also beat him. you in your own game.
“See what happened against Volkanovslki, he won with striking,” said Mendez. “If people think that Islam can only win if it takes the fight to the ground, they are wrong. That’s not how it has to happen. Islam can do whatever it wants. Now, I won’t tell you what we have planned for the fight, but I can say that Islam can do whatever it wants. Strike or ground game, we can do it all.”
For more information on the cards, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC 302.
