Conor McGregor reveals prediction for Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier: “He’ll knock him out”

Conor McGregor believes Dustin Poirier will defeat Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 next month.

‘The Diamond’ is set for his third crack at undisputed lightweight gold next Saturday night in Newark. The longtime contender is fresh off a second-round knockout of Benoit Saint-Denis in March at UFC 299. Following the victory, Dustin Poirier called out Islam Makhachev. Despite a litany of other contenders, the champion accepted.

The former interim lightweight champion is now set to headline UFC 302 next month. As of now, Dustin Poirier is a massive underdog against Islam Makhachev. However, that doesn’t mean that everyone is counting him out. In fact, he’s got a shocking supporter in the form of his longtime rival Conor McGregor.

‘The Notorious’ recently appeared on a live stream where he discussed the UFC lightweight title bout. There, Conor McGregor predicted that Dustin Poirier would knock out Islam Makhachev next month. According to the Irishman, the current champion has a tendency of falling over his feet and falling into big shots.

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Conor McGregor believes Dustin Poirier will defeat UFC champion Islam Makhachev

With that in mind, the Irishman feels that he has to pick his longtime rival. However, Conor McGregor also stated that he wasn’t particularly rooting for either man to win. Given his three prior bouts with Dustin Poirier, that doesn’t come as a huge surprise. McGregor also has a history with Islam Makhachev, given that the Russian is very close to the Irishman’s rival Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“I think Dustin does him, knocks him out. I think the things that Makhachev does wrong, the things he’s not good at, he fumbles over his feet usually early and falls into shots.” Conor McGregor stated on a live stream, discussing the UFC 302 main event between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier. “[Islam’s] been knocked out by a back check hook from a southpaw before… and that’s one of Dustin’s best shots. If Dustin’s ever gonna do it, it’ll be this time…”

He continued, “Who do I wish for, who would I like to see [win]? You know, either or. I have history both, and let’s see how it goes.” (h/t Championship Rounds)

What do you make of these comments from ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor? Do you believe Dustin Poirier can defeat Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 302?