The American Dustin Poirier little chance of beating Russian UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhacheva whose next fight is with Arman Tsarukyan it will be much more interesting. This opinion was shared with by ASA league vice-president Aslanbek Badaev.
Earlier, UFC head Dana White announced that the fight between Makhachev and Poirier will headline the UFC 302 tournament, which will be held on June 1 in the United States. Makhachev won the lightweight belt in October 2022 and made two successful defenses against Australian Alexander Volkanovski. Poirier has 30 wins and eight losses. Poirier has previously fought for the UFC lightweight belt twice, losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2020 and to Charles Oliveira in December 2021.
— Is the fight between Makhachev and Poirier interesting? Yes, Poirier is a former interim belt holder. He’s a guy who is still dangerous, he has a hard shot. He is technical in his stance and throws punches from different angles. Poirier is an experienced guy with character. But the problems with combat are obvious. In the last fight, Saint-Denis carried Poirier until he was tired. And as it turned out later, Saint-Denis suffered from staphylococcus… If Saint-Denis had not slowed down, it is not known how Poirier would have coped… And Makhachev is at another level of struggle . I believe that if something goes wrong, (Makhachev) can always resort to fighting and transferring in a way that is not dangerous for himself, and then get it over with. Poirier’s issues on the ground and in wrestling are evident. Although the puncher still has a chance to strike. Even in the fight with Khabib, Poirier landed some good shots and there was a guillotine attempt.
If there are no surprises, Poirier has little chance. And in general, it seems like he’s fighting so much for his services to the league, and also because Armand refused to fight so soon after the fight with Oliveira. It would be short-sighted for Tsarukyan to fight Islam now; the UFC made the right decision. Now Gaethje and Oliveira have lost, but there is Poirier. Although it was possible to lure Max Holloway, Max will most likely go to Topuria. In any case, we will definitely watch the fight between Makhachev and Poirier, but we are more interested in the fight between Islam and Tsarukyan. If there are no surprises, Makhachev will deal with Poirier, and in October we will see the fight between Makhachev and Tsarukyan. We will prefer that,” Badaev told .
Last weekend, Russian fighter of Armenian origin Tsarukyan defeated Oliveira at the UFC 300 tournament in Las Vegas (USA). Previously, White said the winner of the fight would have to meet Makhachev, who defeated Tsarukyan and Oliveira.
Watch all UFC tournaments live on and Match! Fighter”, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru. In addition, all ACA tournaments are broadcast on and Match! Fighter”. The ASA 174 tournament will take place on April 19 in St. Petersburg. The broadcast begins on April 19 on from 9:15 p.m. (Moscow time), on Match! Fighter” – from 7:30 p.m. (Moscow time).
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
