“He’s not going to be champion anymore,”- Islam Makhachev gives his honest opinion on Dustin Poirier moving to welterweight


“He’s not going to be champion anymore,”- Islam Makhachev gives his honest opinion on Dustin Poirier moving to welterweight

Dustin Poirier-Islam Makhachev

UFC #4 Lightweight Islam Makhahchev is on a 9-fight winning streak run and aims to tie his winning streak as the longest active in lightweight division alongside the champion Charles Oliveira, only when Makhachev faces and defeats #3 ranked Beneil Dariush at UFC Vegas 49 on February 26, 2022, in UFC Apex.

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Dariush himself is on a 7-fight winning streak. It’s going to be a tough grappling match between both the fighters and seems like the winner is most likely to get a title shot after #2 Justin Gaethje who’s now going to fight the champion Oliveira for the belt at UFC 274 in May, 2020.

Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje
Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje

This is because the #1 lightweight Dustin Poirier, who lost his second undisputed title fight when he got choked out by Oliveira at UFC 269, has affirmed that the lightweight involving a weight cut that is hard to do and it would be the right time to move up to the welterweight. That somewhat clears the road for either one out of Makhachev and Dariush.

Islam Makhachev believes that Dustin Poirier is not going to be UFC champion anymore

Dustin Poirier welterweight
Dustin Poirier during weigh ins

In an interview with Red Corner MMA before departuring from Russia to USA to train with his coach Javier Mendez from American Kickboxing Academy, Makhachev talked about various things including the 165-lbs division in MMA, Kevin Lee, his opponent Beneil Dariush, the champion Charles Oliveira, and finally, UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier going up at welterweight.

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“I think he just wanna make money,” says Makhachev “He knows, he’s not going to be champion no more that’s why he thinks about money now and he just wanna choose weight he can make more money, so this is my opinion.”

What do you make of Makhachev’s assessment of Poirier? Do you think Poirier genuinely cannot make 155-lbs for lightweight anymore or is it just more easy fights for him that he is now going to cut less weight at 170-lbs? Who do you think is ideally next for Poirier? Who do you think wins between Makhachev and his opponent Beneil Dariush at UFC Vegas 49?

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