Khabib Nurmagomedov is back to aid his protégé in perhaps his biggest career fight at UFC 302. And Islam Makhachev seems extremely happy about it. But guess what? Dustin Poirier also has a surprise waiting for the reigning lightweight champion this weekend. This is Dustin Poirier’s third and possibly final chance to capture undisputed gold and this could very well be the last time we ever see the former interim lightweight champion in the Octagon. And Team Khabib seems to have recognized that, hence, why ‘The Eagle’ is back in his corner. But Islam Makhachev isn’t the only one taking cautionary steps ahead of the massive lightweight clash.

Currently, on a 13-fight winning streak, Islam Makachev rarely misses his mark in any of his fights. However, the younger version of him did make one major mistake that will never get him on par with Khabib Nurmagomedov. At UFC 192, a 24-year-old Makhachev took on Adriano Martins, where the now-champion made a horrible mistake of using his striking rather than his wrestling, which is his main strength.

According to Makhachev’s close aids, his late former coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was against him using his striking in the fight. However, AKA head coach Javier Mendez had confidence in the Dagestani’s hands. So, what happened when Islam Makhachev chose another tactic? Well, he got clocked on his face with a counter-check hook from the Southpaw Martins and ended up staring at the arena ceiling with his back on the mat.

Since then, the LW champion has leveled up for sure but refrains from making such mistakes. However, the 32-year-old is all set to come face to face with his past mistake. Reports claim that Adriano Martins will return this weekend to UFC 302. More importantly, it was Dustin Poirier who decided to bring him in and thus Martins could find himself in ‘The Diamond’s corner.

It is no secret that defeat against Martins still haunts the Dagestani fighter, as it prevented him from continuing his mentor Khabib’s legacy of being undefeated in the promotion. Reflecting on his loss in a conversation with Daniel Cormier on the latter’s YouTube channel in 2021, Makhachev added, “Yeah, before this [Adriano Martins] fight, I think, DC, nobody can stop me. I can do whatever I want. But this is MMA; small gloves. It’s very dangerous because, you know, because [with] small gloves, every punch is gonna be very dangerous. That’s why I’m changing a lot after this fight.”

Now, it was only his second UFC fight when he lost to Adriano Martins and Islam Makhachev has jumped to a different level now. Hence, it begs to be seen if that’s going to affect him because he has a legend in his corner in Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nevertheless, Dustin Poirier has duly warned his opponent. And as a tip, asked him not to make the same mistakes he made against Adriano Martins.

‘The Diamond’ suggests Islam Makhachev to avoid “fumbling” tactics

Dustin Poirier, ahead of his third shot at the belt, had a chat on FOX Sports, where he weighed in on Islam Makhachev’s only MMA loss against the aforementioned Martins. As all fighters do, ‘The Diamond’ has studied that fight, and given that he’s also reportedly taking tips from Martins, he concluded that Makhachev was not thinking straight when he lost in his second UFC outing.

“I think the Islam I’m fighting Saturday night is a different guy than we saw in that time he lost. He was kind of fumbling, and his weight was over his feet. He was running in, kind of goofy, and got hit with a good shot,” said Dustin Poirier. Additionally, he added that if Islam Makhachev tried the same thing again, he’d be on the receiving end of some hooks. “But definitely, if he’s lunging in and covering space like that recklessly, I’ll throw check hooks all day,” Poirier concluded.

Their mutual rival Conor McGregor also predicted a KO win for ‘The Diamond’, citing Makhachev’s 2015 loss. The Irishman, who has first-hand knowledge of the Poirier’s check hook’s effectiveness, was banking on the Southpaw from Louisiana to repeat history. While it seemed ‘The Notorious’ may be extending an olive branch with this prediction, he switched up just days before the event and predicted a first-round finish for the Russian.

Who do you think has the edge on Saturday night – Dustin Poirier with Adriano Martins or Islam Makhachev with Khabib Nurmagomedov? Let us know in the comments.