Islam Makhachev thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov prevented him from knocking Dustin Poirier out

Islam Makhachev is confident that he could’ve finished Dustin Poirier on the feet if Khabib Nurmagomedov allowed him too.

Makhachev and Poirier shared the Octagon back in June 2024. Makhachev’s UFC Lightweight Championship was at stake. In the champion’s corner was none other than Nurmagomedov, who was none too pleased with his fighter’s decision to keep the fight standing.

Ultimately, Makhachev secured the fifth-round submission finish, but he thinks he could’ve won the fight with his striking.

RELATED: KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV RATES ISLAM MAKHACHEV 4/5 AFTER TRAINING SESSION AHEAD OF UFC 311

Islam Makhachev Wanted to Beat Dustin Poirier Standing

In a new interview with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri, Islam Makhachev revealed that Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cornering prevented him from stopping Dustin Poirier via strikes.

“If he let me strike more in that last fight, I can knock him out, knock out Dustin,” Makhachev said. “I go like one-two, one-two-three, and then, ‘Take him down, take him down,’ but he choose the easy way, you know, because the weakness from Dustin everybody know, his wrestling. But the last fight he defend very well. That’s why I use my striking more.”

It’ll be interesting to see if Makhachev utilizes his striking again for his next title defense. He will be going one-on-one with Arman Tsarukyan in a rematch to headline UFC 311 on January 18th. The first encounter between Makhachev and Tsarukyan took place back in 2019 and it was a grappler’s delight. Makhachev won the competitive bout via unanimous decision.

If Makhachev emerges victorious over Tsarukyan a second time, he’ll secure his fourth successful UFC lightweight title defense. That would set a new record for the most successful UFC title defenses at 155 pounds.

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