UFC fighters predict who will get their hand raised in the main event of UFC 302 this weekend, champion Islam Makhachev or fan-favorite veteran Dustin Poirier.
Heading into UFC 302 this weekend in Newark, New Jersey, Dustin Poirier remains a sizable underdog in the face of dominant lightweight champion Islam Makhachev – and if his fellow UFC fighters are to be believed, it’s sadly not going to be a decidedly dull night for ‘The Diamond’.
UFC fighters predict the winner of Makhachev vs Poirier
Unsurprisingly, given both the nature of Makhachev’s rise to the top and the current stage of career in which Dustin Poirier finds himself, the vast majority of (but certainly not all) UFC fighters past and present are picking the Russian juggernaut to defeat ‘The Diamond’ this weekend.
Let’s start with a few of those fighters who will be gracing the Prudential Center on June 1 prior to Makhachev and Poirier making their walk to the octagon:
Jailton Almeida: “I have always been a big fan of Makhachev – I’m a fan of that school, I’m a fan of that style… Big fan of Makhachev, I think you see his surreal evolution [this weekend], he’s growing a lot and I think it’s going to be Islam.”
Kevin Holland: “It would be nice for Dustin to write that story… I don’t really bet a lot, but if I was shooting some dice, I’d probably roll my dice on Islam. I would love to see Poirier’s dreams come true, but to be able to say Khabib and his brother were the most dominant people of all time, that’s pretty bada** too.”
Paulo Costa: “I like both [guys], but I think Islam is maybe even tougher than Khabib, maybe. It’s a very hard fight for both of them, but I think Islam is going to win.”
Whilst Makhachev is indeed the undisputed lightweight title, UFC 302 will be his first title defense against a legitimate 155lber, whilst Poirier has only ever tasted interim title success – so who are some former undisputed champions siding with?
Michael Bisping: “Islam is just incredible, he’s the pound-for-pound number one on the planet and I believe after Saturday night, he’s still going to be the champ.”
Israel Adesanya: “If I’m going to put money on this fight, I’m going to have to go with Islam Makhachev, I want Dustin to win… [But] I’m going to go Makhachev by submission.”
Demetrious Johnson: “Honestly, I’m going to have to go with Islam Makhachev, I know that I want to see Dustin Poirier finish the story and become champion, but I think it’s a tall mountain to climb when you’re taking on Islam Makhachev.”
Henry Cejudo: “I’m going to have to go Islam Makhachev, I think there’s something about Islam going in there where the maul is going to continue pretty quickly.”
Kamaru Usman: “I love the fight, it’s a good one for Islam to get back in there- I’m going to go with, I think Islam for the win… And I’m going to go higher than the 10-minute fight time [mark].”
Alexander Volkanovski: “Islam’s going to be too good, I think he’s too safe of a fighter to make mistakes where he’s going to get caught against someone like Dustin Poirier… I don’t see anyone beating Islam for a while unless they catch him.”
Conor McGregor: Notably changed his tune over the course of UFC 302 Fight Week, initially predicting that “I think Dustin does him, knocks him out,” before later posting on social media that he thinks Makhachev “still subs Dustin in the 1st.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov: “We have great respect for Dustin, but on June 1st, he is our opponent. We have a clearly developed plan for the fight, and I believe Islam will follow it… I really hope that Islam will finish him off in the second or third rounds.”
Jiri Prochazka: “Man, I like Dustin, but in this fight, I think there are more chances on the side of Islam.”
Whilst the vast majority of fellow fighters are understandably siding with the champion to retain his world title, that isn’t to say that some big names aren’t hoping Dustin Poirier pulls off the underdog upset:
Aljamain Sterling: “I think once you get a little more comfortable and find your openings, I think for some reason – no disrespect to Islam, but I think that Dustin is going to get it done. I don’t know how, I can see him knocking him out, I can see him for once catching the gilly.”
Renato Moicano: “If there’s a fighter who deserves the title, it’s Dustin Poirier… I can only hope Dustin Poirier wins not because he is my teammate… But because of his career and what he’s accomplished in UFC, I just hope to see him winning that fight.”
Arman Tsarukyan: “I see Islam trying to push him into the cage, roll him, submit him… For me, the favorite is Islam in this fight, but I can put my money on Dustin Poirier KO.”
Randy Brown: “Makhachev is a hell of a champion, he’s a very good fighter and that style is a tough style for Dustin – but I’ll be rooting for Dustin.”
Victory for ‘The Diamond’ in New Jersey would certainly put a cap on one of the most iconic careers in UFC history, but one former title challenger is warning fans of Poirier that they need to have a more realistic expectation for how the fight will play out:
Kenny Florian: “Fighting is not based on hopium, it’s not based on ‘I wish, and I hope, and I like this guy’, it’s based on data, it’s based on styles, it’s based on momentum… Islam Makhachev is the man right now until proven otherwise and I just don’t see that changing for a very long time, give me Islam Makhachev.”
Dan Hardy: “This talk about guillotines is most likely going to end with him in bottom position… I think he’s going to maul him in the first round and then sub him in the second.”
Gilbert Burns: “I want my guy Dustin Poirier to do good, I hope he wins and gets the finish, but my prediction is going to be Islam Makhachev by submission.”
Michael Chandler: “Dustin’s a certified competitor but that being said, I think Islam is better in every single aspect of the sport, except the sheer boxing. It’ll be fun, it’ll be entertaining, and I’ll be watching.”
Cory Sandhagen: “I think everyone has a chance, I think that if MMA has taught everyone anything, it’s that anyone has a chance – especially with some of these upsets that have happened in the last couple of years, like some of them are unbelievable.”
Arnold Allen: “If I had to put money on it, I’d put money on Islam. Heavy wrestling pressure, getting the takedowns, probably a round or two of striking and shooting… But you know, Dustin’s dangerous [too].
Dominick Reyes: “I got to go with ‘The Diamond’ man, I’m a big fan.”
Whilst I will personally be pleading with the MMA gods for a Dustin Poirier knockout, I have to concede to the BE team that it’s just too difficult of a stylistic matchup not to predict anything other than a submission victory for the champion.
UFC 302 goes down this weekend live from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday, June 1.