He will be on the verge of defeat, but he will repeat Khabib’s trick. How Makhachev will defend his belt
Sergey Sorokin May 29, 2024, 13:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
We simulate a duel between Islam and the American Diamond.
On the night of June 1-2, the Prudential Center sports complex in Newark (USA) will host the grandiose UFC 302 numerical tournament. Russian champion Islam Makhachev and American Dustin Poirier will compete in the main event of the evening. Our compatriot will make another defense of the belt.
“Championship” is conducting an interesting experiment that simulates upcoming major fights. We suggest exactly what the fight between the Russian champion and the American Diamond would be like.
A huge numbers tournament could feature Islam’s last fight in the lightweight division:
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UFC 302: Will Mahachev overcome Khabib? The Russian has already decided how Poirier will win. LIVE
The opponents will take the first round to warm up. Makhachev is unlikely to force things too much, as he is well aware of the danger of Poirier’s striking technique. Dustin himself likes to play it cool in the opening five minutes. Only 1 of the American’s last 14 fights ended in the first round. And even there the reason was that Conor McGregor suffered a serious fracture in his leg. And in the previous fight with Benoit Saint-Denis, Diamond didn’t look his best in the first five minutes. But in the second he found the reach of him and knocked out his opponent. Most likely, after the halfway point of the segment, Islam will make a successful attempt to take down Poirier and simply control his opponent until the end of the round.
Daniel Poirier
Photo: Chris Unger/Getty Images
In the second round, the Russian will try to be much more active. But this is precisely what will play a cruel joke on him. Makhachev will go on the attack and try to get to the ground. But instead he will feel the guillotine on his neck. There’s almost no doubt that Diamond will try his favorite technique. The thing is that it is unlikely to be completed. Islam, although with difficulties, will endure. And then he will take the position and control the situation until the end of the round. Exactly what the American coach fears most will happen.
Daniel Poirier
American UFC fighter
“My trainer is trying to convince me not to use the guillotine. She keeps repeating: “Don’t lose your position.” In Makhachev’s case, this is actually true: if you lose position and give him the advantage, you will try to get off the ground until the end of the round. You will end up in a bad situation. Let’s see how I feel in the octagon.”
And the third round will be the moment of the outcome, as in the case of the Diamond’s fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov. The American will begin to get tired. Firstly, the intensity of the title fight will have an impact. Secondly, too much fighting will literally wear down Poirier. At this time, Islam will perform the trick that helped defeat Orla. He will choose the right moment and climb behind his opponent’s back. And these situations are an easy task for Makhachev. The champion will perform the perfect choke. But Poirier will once again show the character of a warrior. He will not knock on the door and “fall asleep” in Makhachev’s clutches.
It is worth noting that Makhachev is confident that he can finish off his opponent in this way: “I will throw him to the ground, he will try, unsuccessfully, to execute a guillotine. Then I’ll take him from behind and strangle him. “That’s how it all ends.”
The fees of Islam cannot be compared with those of Habib:
Are they saving money on Makhachev in the UFC? How much does the Russian champion earn?
It seems to us that the fight between Makhachev and Poirier will end with the Russian’s victory in the third round via rear-naked choke. This title defense will be Islam’s third. And after the cage fight, he will challenge the winner of the fight between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad and announce an attempt to take the second championship belt.
How exactly do you think the title fight between Makhachev and Poirier will turn out?
