UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev claims he is sparring with a better striker than Dustin Poirier ahead of his UFC 302 fight.
UFC Lightweight Champion and number one ranked pound-for-pound fighter, Islam Makhachev, is intensifying his preparations for his third championship defense at the upcoming UFC pay-per-view, UFC 302.
UFC 302 is set to take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, USA, on June 1, 2024. Islam Makhachev will face former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier.
Recently, Makhachev shared insights about his training camp for his lightweight championship defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. He revealed that he has been training diligently with Bellator lightweight champion Usman, who he believes is a better striker than Dustin Poirier.
Islam Makhachev stated, “Usman honestly always gives me better rounds. He was sick recently but came to support me just two days after recovering. We’ve been here a week, and as soon as he felt better, he joined me. Today, he gave me two good rounds. I think his striking is better than Dustin Poirier’s. Training with someone of his caliber, who can strike with such precision, really exemplifies the saying ‘iron sharpens iron.'”
You know ͏it’s going to be hard when Khabib Nurmagomedov comes to ͏your training camp and Islam Mak͏͏hachev͏ has firsthand experience in this. The lightweight champ is preparing himself for ͏͏another titl͏e defense, but this time it will be against a true lightweight—one of the best li͏ghtwe͏ig͏ht͏ fighters ͏in ͏the wo͏r͏ld, ͏Dustin Poirie͏r. Khabib Nurmagomedov fought with Poirier in UFC 242’s main event and scored an iconic victory via submission.
Therefore, no person can be better than Nurmagomedov for Makhachev to learn the tips and tricks for defeating the 35-year-old. However, when ‘The Eagle’ comes to train you, you better be ready, as he is going to push you even further than a Nissan GT-R. The lightweight champ in his recent escapade agreed that the existence of ‘The Eagle’ made the camp harsh.
In a video uploaded on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s YouTube channel, Islam Makhachev gave a detailed insight into his training session saying, “The training camp went well. Everyone gave their all we were there for more than two weeks. Khabib came to the camp slightly disrupting the start and, without any acclimatization, we immediately began training.” It’s quite funny that immediately after Makhachev’s statement, ‘The Eagle’ stated that it would be a fun day for him but a harsh day for the rest of the fighters in the camp.
“I was pushing them. I just came back for the next five days. For me, it’s gonna be fun days; for them, it’s gonna be very hard days,” concluded the former UFC champ. Nurmagomedov considers Islam Makhachev as his best protégé and he expects him to defeat his former opponent in the octagon during UFC 302 and successfully defend his title.
Khabib Nurmagomedov left the world of MMA even as a coach after Islam Makhachev won the belt. He stated that he wanted to spend time with his family and that it would be better for them to continue their journey without him. However, the former champ sometimes comes to the camp to train Islam Makhachev and others. In Makhachev’s own words, whenever he comes, everything comes ro͏u͏gh.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov laid the foundation of Dagestani training and many fighters from his camp have been making some significant noise in the sport. What makes them so special? Well, it is their rigorous training camps. There’s a set of rules the fighters under Team Khabib have to follow while being disciplined and focused, as explained by Joe Rogan in one of the recent episodes of his podcast.
Makhachev vows to submit Dustin Poirier just like Nurmagomedov
When you are the number one pound-for-pound fighter, as well as the lightweight champion, you can say whatever you want, and the community will believe you. On June 1st at UFC 302, Islam Makhachev is about to defend his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier and the current champ believes that he would be defeating ‘Diamond’ the same way ‘The Eagle’ scored a win in 2019.
