Many are seeing the upcoming lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier as a repeat of Poirier’s 2019 failed attempt to win the belt against Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, Javier Mendez, head coach of Makhachev and Nurmagomedov, thinks that analysis is totally wrong.
Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) looks to make his third title defense against Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) on June 1 in the main event of UFC 302. Although Makhachev’s team is familiar with Poirier, Mendez sees this as a different matchup.
“No, this is going to be a lot different because Islam is not Khabib,” Mendez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “They’re two different fighters, and they don’t work the same. The only thing they do the same is the discipline. They both work hard, but their style is different.
