Islam Makhachev welcomes a fight with Dustin Poirier, but that doesn’t mean that “The Diamond” can say whatever he wants.
In a recent interview, Poirier responded to the lightweight champion mentioning Poirier as a possibility for his next title defense, saying that it’s the only fight he’s interested in right now. In selling himself as a challenger, Poirier added, “I’ve done more in the sport of mixed martial arts than he has. I’ve been around a long time. I was doing this before it was cool, and I’m still here — still here doing it at the highest level. I can beat anybody in the world, and I hope he’s next.”
Makhachev soon responded on social media, writing, “Dustin, if you could beat anybody, you’d be holding this belt right now, not me.”
At 25-1, not many have been able to say they’ve been able to get the better of Makhachev, with his lone loss coming via way of knockout at the hands of Adriano Martins back in October 2015. He dominated Charles Oliveira to capture the lightweight title at UFC 280 and has successfully defended it twice in back-to-back victories over then-featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.
Poirier’s list of accomplishments are impressive in their own right. The Louisiana native has knocked off contenders at both featherweight and lightweight, winning an interim lightweight title in April 2019 and twice challenging for the undisputed championship at 155 pounds. His UFC record stands at 22-7 (1 no-contest), with numerous Fight of the Night awards and highlight-reel finishes during that stretch.
He recently added to his legacy with a second-round knockout of the streaking Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299, which could set him up to challenge Makhachev at an event this summer.
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