Makhachev ‘can do whatever he wants’ against Poirier

Many are seeing the upcoming light-weight title battle between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier as a repeat of Poirier’s 2019 failed try and win the belt towards Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nevertheless, Javier Mendez, head coach of Makhachev and Nurmagomedov, thinks that evaluation is completely fallacious.

Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) appears to be like to make his third title protection towards Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) on June 1 in the primary occasion of UFC 302. Though Makhachev’s crew is conversant in Poirier, Mendez sees this as a distinct matchup.

“No, that is going to be quite a bit completely different as a result of Islam isn’t Khabib,” Mendez advised MMA Junkie in Spanish. “They’re two completely different fighters, they usually don’t work the identical. The one factor they do the identical is the self-discipline. They each work laborious, however their model is completely different.

“Khabib was extra ground-oriented, however that’s what we needed. We’d all the time inform him, ‘Take the battle to the bottom, take the battle to the bottom. Father’s plan, father’s plan.’ … With Islam, he’s coaching all of the kinds; Muay Thai and boxing with different instructors in Dagestan. Khabib by no means did, he solely educated with me. That’s why Islam advanced a lot within the putting. Islam can battle nonetheless he desires, Khabib we’d inform him to wrestle as a result of nobody on the planet may cope with it, and we knew it.

“Islam has all of it. How he desires to win, when he desires to win, the place he desires to win, it’s as much as him. We will take the battle wherever we would like. That’s the distinction between Islam and Khabib. Khabib’s No. 1 factor was wrestling, however Islam can do no matter he desires.”

Many have instructed that Makhachev’s path to victory is to wrestle towards Poirier like Nurmagomedov did in his 2019 title protection. Poirier is a harmful striker, however Mendez is assured that Makhachev can’t solely cling with Poirier on the ft but additionally beat him at his personal sport.

“Look what occurred towards Volkanovslki, he beat him within the putting,” Mendez stated. “If folks suppose that Islam can solely win by taking the battle to the bottom, they’re fallacious. That’s not the way it has to occur. Islam can do no matter he desires. Now, I’m not going to inform you what we now have deliberate for the battle, however I can inform you Islam can do no matter he desires. Placing or floor sport, we are able to do all of it.”

For extra on the playing cards, go to MMA Junkie’s occasion hub for UFC 302.