Daniel Cormier believes the UFC matching up Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier would be a win-win situation.
Based on availability, UFC lightweight champion Makhachev suggested Poirier for his next title defense. Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan are all competing at UFC 300 on April 13, which is what steered Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) toward “The Diamond.”
Makhachev doesn’t think Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) deserves it but wants to return in June. Cormier sees Poirier being a great fight to help build Makhachev’s star power.
“This is a no-lose situation for the UFC,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “Islam wants to fight, so I think you’ve got to try and make that happen as soon as possible. It works. For Dustin Poirier, massive chance. For Islam Makhachev, another former champion you can put under your belt. That is storytelling.
“You can’t control the outcome, but you can put them in a position for someone to make magic and then you, as the company, capitalize on it. I love it. Book it right now, book it: Makhachev vs. Poirier. It will be a massive fight. It really will be the biggest fight that Islam Makhachev has ever had in terms of the box office.”
Cormier suggests Makhachev become a heel in the buildup. Makhachev already took aim at Poirier for falling short twice at becoming champion, and Cormier encourages him to continue this approach.
“I think this is the next logical step in the evolution of Islam Makhachev,” Cormier said. “Now you’ve got to be a little bit more forward. Look, he’s very blunt, a lot of the Dagestanis are. At times, that can get misinterpreted for being disrespectful. Nope, it’s just how they are. They’re very blunt, they’re very direct. While it may come off as (disrespectful), I would steer into that if I’m the champion. I would try to become the evil empire. I would try to become the villain.
“Islam needs to tell Dustin, ‘You’re never going to do it. You don’t belong on my level. You got here because there was no one else.’ That would make the people hate him. That would make people run to support Dustin Poirier. That would also make people think about it more, make people care more, make people tap into what they have going on more, and ultimately that’s what’s important. Nothing else. What’s important is people caring.”
