Eddie Alvarez: Dustin Poirier showed how to solve the “Dagestani puzzle” at UFC 302

Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez feels Dustin Poirier might’ve cracked the code to defeating Islam Makhachev.

Makhachev defeated Poirier by fifth-round submission in the UFC 302 main event on Saturday in Newark. While it was an impressive finish by the pound-for-pound king, Poirier put on a better showing than most expected against the dominant titleholder.

Makhachev is the latest in a slew of dominant Dagestani stars inside the Octagon. His mentor, friend, and coach Khabib Nurmagomedov retired with a perfect 29-0 record during his UFC Hall of Fame career.

While Poirier fell short against Makhachev, Alvarez believes his former two-time rival might’ve exposed holes in Makhachev’s skillset.

Eddie Alvarez breaks down Islam Makhachev/Dustin Poirier

In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Alvarez explained what Poirier showed is possible fighting against Makhachev.

“Dustin [Poirier] was in so good of shape and so mentally clear and focused, that he was able to kind of reset each round and keep himself in the fight,” Alvarez said of Poirier. “No matter what went on that round, if Islam [Makhachev] had his back for five whole minutes, no problem. Breathe through it. You know by minute fifteen, that wrestling isn’t going to be the same, and it’s essentially going to become you two standing up and do what Dustin does…put that sprint on him, and put him away…

“The sprint never came and Dustin, maybe it was a little bit too late, and the energy got sucked from him. Islam was able to do that cool-ass little sweep he did with the single leg and transition right to the [D’Arce choke] that he got. It was a great finish…it’s definitely a puzzle, but Dustin helped us solve that puzzle a little bit more on Saturday night.”

Alvarez fought Poirier twice in their UFC tenures. Their first clash resulted in a no-contest at UFC 211 before Poirier knocked out Alvarez in their 2018 rematch.

Makhachev could face UFC welterweight titleholder Leon Edwards in his next fight, depending on Edwards’s upcoming title defense. Arman Tsarukyan is also waiting in the wings for lightweight title contention.

Makhachev remains the UFC’s pound-for-pound king as of this writing, but Alvarez believes Poirier might’ve shown the roadmap to dethroning him.