Is Poirier The Right Man To Fight Khabib
All UFC fans were excited a while back when Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier vs Khabib "The Eagle" Nurmagomedov fight was set for September 7th, 2019. But some were surprised that Dana White chose Poirier to be Khabib's opponent. Many people closely associated with UFC wanted Tony Ferguson to face Khabib Nurmabomedov. The presumption is that whoever wins in UFC 242 will be challenged by Tony Ferguson for the lightweight belt.
First face off between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier. #UFC242 pic.twitter.com/ngP2TbJFaL
— Chisanga Malata (@Chisanga_Malata) June 12, 2019
Dustin Poirier is more than confident to succeed where another 27 have failed, or as Portier puts it “A lot of people have been asking me where do I see weaknesses in Khabib’s game or where do I think he makes mistakes. I’ve kind of been sitting back talking to my coaches and thinking about this and I don’t really need him to be weak for me to be strong. I don’t need huge, glaring holes."
Earlier this year, UFC fans could see Poirier fight Max Holloway where Poirier won his 3rd time against his career-long opponent. Poirier record 25-5-0 No disrespect intended but Nurmagomedov and Holloway are very different fighters and there is no question that the reigning lightweight champion with his record 27-0-0 will make life difficult for any contender.
Poirier believes that his fight IQ and experience are the keys to defeating Khabib. "It’s going to be a very high-level fight. Two champions are going on, one champion is coming out. This is going to be a huge fight."
Hear what @DustinPoirier had to say about life after defeating Max Holloway for the @UFC's interim lightweight title 🔊⤴️
Read the full-story with Poirier here: https://t.co/Jqq51qrbQm pic.twitter.com/av2jWZwId3
— UFC News (@UFCNews) May 22, 2019
Khabib has dethroned one Champion already when he fought Conor McGregor 21-4-0 who is now asking for a rematch that Khabib does not want to grant him unless he fights someone else and wins. Why? Because Khabib does not deem Connor worthy to challenge him for the title.
"He tapped. He begged me, 'please don't kill me.'"@TeamKhabib shoots down McGregor rematch (via @ufc) pic.twitter.com/SYdZswNeR0
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 12, 2019
Does Dustin Poirier Stand A Chance Against Khabib Nurmagomedov?
Unlike McGregor Poirier is not underestimating Nurmagomedov nor tries to insult him in any way. He that he is a real professional that is getting ready to the first guy who will defeat the undisputed lightweight UFC Champion.
But does Poirier stand a chance against Khabib? He says “I don’t need to find huge holes. The guy’s good. I can’t sit up here and say anything bad about the guy. He’s good. He’s the world champ. But I’m going to make things happen in there and bring him to places he’s never been in there. That’s just it.” That statement sounds very fable for a guy who is going to fight for the lightweight title.
Dustin Poirier doesn’t think he’ll need all five rounds 🔮 (via @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/aeDjcsP1h0
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 17, 2019
The fact is that Poirier fought Conor McGregor before and lost. It was 5 years ago arguably in Conor's prime and yet Poirier was no match for McGregor. So how likely is it that he will stand a chance against Khabib who destroyed Mcgregor in their last encounter. Some may argue that McGregor didn't prep enough for the fight with Nurmagomedov but it's hard to believe that even in McGregor's prime he would have to get a lucky shot beat Khabib, who is incredibly composed and all-rounded fighter.
Let's see who will be the last man standing on September 7th in Abu Dhabi. Either way, UFC 242 should be very exciting because Khabib is not the only fighter returning in action after being banned from UFC. Islam Makhachev 17-1-0 was among another few Khabib teammates that were involved in the brawl with McGregor. Let's see if Makhachev can entertain UFC fans once again this time in a legal fight against Davi Ramos 10-2-0.
In order to be No. 1 P4P, @TeamKhabib says he needs to defeat Poirier, Ferguson, and GSP (via @ufc) pic.twitter.com/TpoHqiZF8c
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 12, 2019
Does Dustin Poirier Stand A Chance Against Khabib Khabib Nurmagomedov? What about Tony Ferguson would he be a better fit for the fight? Do you think that Khabib will beat both Poirier and Ferguson if he gets the chance? Please let me know your thought and opinions on the upcoming UFC fight!
