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

UFC champion Islam Makhachev believes he’s the greatest fighter on the planet heading into his fight with Dustin Poirier.

The Russian is set to fight this Saturday for the first time since a knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski in October. There, Islam Makhachev will meet longtime contender, and former interim champion, Dustin Poirier. For his part, ‘The Diamond’ is fresh off a second-round stoppage victory over Benoit Saint-Denis in February.

Heading into the contest, Dustin Poirier is a massive underdog. According to the current line from MGM, Islam Makhachev is a substantial -600 betting favorite for the contest. Meanwhile, Poirier is a +425 underdog for the UFC 302 main event. However, the challenger believes that he can beat the odds this weekend.

Heading into UFC 302, Dustin Poirier has been nothing but confident. However, Islam Makhachev believes that’s a bit of a facade. Speaking at media day earlier today, the lightweight champion was asked about Poirier’s comments heading into the contest. There, Makhachev opined that the challenger didn’t mean anything that he was saying.

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(via Zuffa LLC)

Islam Makhachev takes aim at Dustin Poirier’s confidence heading into UFC 302

Speaking at UFC 302 media day, Islam Makhachev also stated that Dustin Poirier’s own team didn’t believe in him either. While the champion has a lot of respect for ‘The Diamond’, he plans to finish him this Saturday. Anything less wouldn’t satisfy Makhachev, who believes he’s the greatest fighter alive right now.

“Honestly, he’s the same fighter [as when he fought Khabib Nurmagomedov]. Maybe he’s become more old.” Islam Makhachev stated at UFC 302 media day, referring to Dustin Poirier. “He doesn’t believe he can beat me. His coach doesn’t believe that he can beat me. I know that I can make this fight easy.”

He continued, “Yeah, [I’m expecting to finish him in round two or three]. I will finish him because I’m on a different level. I’m the best fighter in the world right now.”

What do you make of these comments from Islam Makhachev? Do you believe he will defeat Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 302 this Saturday night?