Dustin Poirier explains why he doesn’t focus on Islam Makhachev’s one KO loss

By Harry Kettle - May 30, 2024

UFC star Dustin Poirier has explained why he doesn’t put too much stock in Islam Makhachev’s one loss in mixed martial arts.

Islam Makhachev vs Dustin Poirier

This weekend, Dustin Poirier will challenge Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight championship. In the eyes of many, this could well serve as his final shot at the undisputed belt. He’s tried a few times prior to this and came up short, but this time around, the belief is that he could retire regardless of whether he wins or loses.

RELATED: Islam Makhachev takes aim at Dustin Poirier’s confidence ahead of UFC 302: “He doesn’t believe he can beat me”

The man he’s facing, Islam Makhachev, has looked unstoppable over the course of the last few years. He has torn through the lightweight division and now, he sits at the top of the mountain as the champion.

He has, however, been knocked out before, back in October 2015 against Adriano Martins. In a recent interview, however, Poirier explained why he hasn’t been focusing on that.

Poirier’s view on Makhachev’s loss

“I think the Islam I’m fighting on Saturday night is a different guy than we sat in that time he lost. He was kind of fumbling and his weight was over his feet, he was running in kind of goofy and got hit with a good shot but definitely if he’s lunging in and covering space like that recklessly, I’ll throw check hooks all day.”

Quotes via MMA News

The fact that Islam has been knocked out before isn’t likely to impact Dustin’s preparation too much. At the same time, we know that ‘The Diamond’ will try to keep it standing as much as he possibly can.

Do you believe there’s something Dustin Poirier can take away from Islam Makhachev’s one loss in MMA? Let us know your thoughts, BJPENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Topics:

Dustin Poirier Islam Makhachev UFC