Tag: Islam Makhachev

Javier Mendez confident Dustin Poirier’s guillotine won’t work on Islam Makhachev at UFC 302

Coach Javier Mendez doesn’t think it’s a good idea for Dustin Poirier try to score his first guillotine at UFC 302.

[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] is known in the MMA world for his persistence and never-give-up attitude.

He’s 15 years and 39 professional fights into his MMA career, and yet here he is once again fighting for an undisputed UFC title. This Saturday, Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) challenges UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) in the main event of UFC 302, which takes place at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Poirier’s unbreakable determination is not something only seen in his trajectory in the UFC, but also in his fights. Apart from countless comebacks and Fight of the Nights, he’s become infamous for his guillotine choke attempts, a submission he’s yet to land in his career. 

[autotag]Javier Mendez[/autotag], head coach of Makhachev, advises Poirier against the guillotine choke, as he’s seen its effectiveness firsthand when Poirier fought Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019.

“Look, the first time when Khabib fought Dustin, Khabib told Islam, we’re going to train the guillotine, and they did it,” Mendez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “In the fight, they had already talked about the guillotine, so they would let Poirier exhaust his arms. So what happened is that Khabib got in that position against Dustin. It was the first corner I worked with Khabib’s dad. I had never worked with his dad before, so when he went for it, Khabib’s dad and I turned and looked at each other and threw our hands up like, ‘Ahh, what a dummy. He’s going to burn his arms out.’

“So look, if Dustin plans to do that with Islam, there’s a great chance that the same thing is going to happen. Islam is very, very tough to finish that way. If he couldn’t do it against Khabib, I think it’s best he goes for something else because there’s a good chance you’re not going to get it this time.”

Mendez is not only confident that Makhachev will be able to defend Poirier’s guillotine chokes, but also every attack. He believes his student has a big advantage over Poirier and expects him to win convincingly.

“We already fought him, so we know everything he can do,” Mendez said. “He’s very dangerous, very dangerous. If we treat him as dangerous, and we do what we’re supposed to do, it’s not going to be a tough fight for us. It’s going to be a fight that favors us. Islam is incredible in all areas and disciplines. He’s got the boxing, the jiu-jitsu, the Muay Thai. He’s got it all. Sambo. He’s got it all, and that’s why he’s the No. 1 in the world.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

UFC free fight: Islam Makhachev knocks out Alexander Volkanovski with vicious head-kick

Watch Islam Makhachev knock out Alexander Volkanovski with a vicious head-kick to defend his lightweight title back in October.

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] left no doubt in his rematch with Alexander Volkanovski.

The UFC lightweight champion, who had defeated Volkanovski in a close unanimous decision win in February 2023, viciously knocked out Volkanovski in their rematch back in October to put an end to what many thought could become a rivalry series. It was a quick night for Makhachev, as he needed less than two of the scheduled five rounds to defend his title.

You can watch Makhachev’s second title defense in the video above.

Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) returns to the octagon to defend his lightweight title against veteran Dustin Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) in the main event of UFC 302. The card goes down this Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

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For more on the cards, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

UFC 302 faceoff video: Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier meet for final time before title fight

Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier had a final encounter ahead of their UFC 302 title fight, and the intensity was palpable.

NEWARK, N.J. – [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] had a final encounter ahead of their UFC 302 main event title fight during Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins.

After making weight earlier in the day, reigning lightweight champion Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) and challenger Poirier (30-8 MMA, 14-1 UFC) got one last look at each other during the staredown, which was regulated by UFC CEO Dana White.

Makhachev, who will look to make a third consecutive defense of his 155-pound belt, was locked in in front of his opponent. But Poirier, who tries to make good on his third chance at an undisputed champion, was not intimidated as he stood in front of arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Check out the video above to see the final Makhachev vs. Poirier faceoff before UFC 302.

UFC 302 takes place Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The main card airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

UFC 302 ‘Embedded,’ No. 5: Paulo Costa gets hotel hallway twerk lesson from Ailin Perez

In Episode 5 of UFC 302 “Embedded,” Paulo Costa gets some dance tips from a fellow fighter after handling media obligations.

The UFC is back on the East Coast with UFC 302, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 302 (pay-per-view/ESPN/ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

In the headliner, lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) puts his belt on the line against former interim champ [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC). In the co-feature, [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) meets former middleweight champ [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC).

The fifth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

As fight week winds down, champion Islam Makhachev and Paulo Costa do their media day rounds; Sean Strickland gets in one more sparring session to wrap up his camp; Niko Price goes fishing on the Hudson River; The UFC 302 Pre-Fight Press Conference heats up between Dustin Poirier and the champ.

Also see:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

UFC 302 weigh-in video: Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier on point for lightweight title headliner

Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier have never missed weight in their careers, and that trend continued for the UFC 302 main event.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] never have missed weight in their decorated MMA careers, and that trend continued ahead of Saturday’s UFC 302 headliner.

Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) will put his lightweight championship on the line for the third time against former interim titleholder Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) in the main event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+), but first both men had to attend to business on the scale.

There were no issues from champion Makhachev, who registered at 155 pounds on the nose during Friday’s official UFC 302 weigh-ins at the UFC host hotel. The same can be said for challenger Poirier, who was 155 pounds, as well, ahead of his third and potentially final shot at an undisputed UFC belt.

Poirier was the first fighter to the scale; Makhachev came about a minute behind him.

Watch the video above to see Makhachev and Poirier make weight for UFC 302.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Islam Makhachev: Arman Tsarukyan should ‘thank me’ for putting him on UFC map

Islam Makhachev believes Arman Tsarukyan should show him gratitude for kickstarting his UFC career.

UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] believes [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] should show him gratitude for kickstarting his UFC career.

Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) made his UFC debut in a short-notice matchup against Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) back in April 2019. He lost a back-and-forth Fight of the Night unanimous decision and has since gone 9-1 to climb into lightweight title contention.

Makhachev takes credit for giving a 22-year-old Tsarukyan the big opportunity.

“I think Arman should thank me. I signed Arman for a fight against me,” Makhachev told UFC Eurasia. “He got signed to the UFC. I didn’t know anything about Arman then. I haven’t seen him fight. I just thought of him as a debutant. I wouldn’t call it a close fight even though many people say it was. I won every round, but Arman still calls for a rematch.”

Tsarukyan emerged as No. 1 contender when he defeated Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 in April but declined the short-notice opportunity to rematch Makhachev in Saturday’s UFC 302 (pay-per-view/ESPN2/ESPN+) main event. Makhachev faces Dustin Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) instead at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

“He had many opportunities to come out as a substitute,” Makhachev said. “I know that before UFC 302, he was offered to fight me. Either way, our rematch is inevitable. We’ll settle this soon.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Javier Mendez not interested in Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria: ‘He doesn’t need to fight him’

Islam Makhachev’s coach weighs in on Ilia Topuria’s comments of interest in a UFC lightweight title shot.

[autotag]Javier Mendez[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] needs to pump the brakes on his push to get a lightweight title shot against [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag].

Mendez, head coach of Makhachev and other notable fighters at American Kickboxing Academy, heard of Topuria’s request to fight Makhachev but was not interested in the idea. Mendez believes there are bigger challenges at the moment other than the UFC featherweight champion.

“You know what, for me, if Islam were to do another champ vs. champ fight, it’s better for him to go up in weight,” Mendez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “If we had the choice, if UFC told us we could fight with the UFC welterweight champion or Topuria, we’d choose welterweight. That’s what I want. I’m confident that that’s what Islam wants, too.”

Mendez has respect for Topuria and his body of work but pays little mind to his comments. At the end of the day, it’s the promotion that decides what’s next for both fighters and not Topuria.

“(Ilia) is a great fighter, and he’s been doing well, but he (Makhachev) doesn’t need to fight him,” Mendez said. “That’s my opinion. I think Tsarukyan is a better choice. That’s what I think. Ilia needs to do more in his weight class. He wants to go up in weight and challenge for a second belt, but we want to do the same. And what happened? The UFC didn’t let us. We wanted to, but they told us to defend. What UFC tells us to do, that’s what we have to do. It doesn’t matter what you say, what we say, what Ilia says. What matters is what the UFC wants.

“The UFC just comes up to you and offers you a fight, and you get to say yes or no. They’re not going to have you picking your fights. Maybe there’s a chance they do that a little, but only people like Conor McGregor and Khabib if he were still fighting because of what they draw.”

Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) defends his lightweight belt against Dustin Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) this Saturday in the main event of UFC 302, which takes place at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Like Makhachev, Mendez suggests Topuria should defend his belt first against someone in his weight class – starting with whom many believe to be the greatest UFC featherweight champion.

“Look at all the title defenses Alexander Volkanovski had to do at featherweight,” Mendez said. “He’s the No. 1 at featherweight, so why not give him a rematch? He should get a rematch from everything he’s done. And look, Ilia is even saying he wants to fight Conor McGregor, but Alexander Volkanosvki wants the fight again and is willing to go to Spain to fight you. So hey, give the man what he deserves. How many times did he defend the featherweight title? He needs the rematch.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

UFC 302 press conference: Best photos from Newark

Check out the best photos from the UFC 302 press conference in Newark.

NEWARK, N.J. – The UFC 302 pre-fight press conference took place Thursday at the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House at the Prudential Center and featured the athletes set to be featured in Saturday’s main and co-main event.

UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag], challenger [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag], and middleweight contenders [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] and [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag].

Check out the best photos from the event in the gallery.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

‘You’re going to sleep motherf*cker’: Hear what Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier said during intense faceoff

Check out what Islam Makhachev said to Dustin Poirer during their first faceoff before UFC 302.

The headliners of UFC 302, [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag], came face-to-face for the first time during fight week, and had plenty of words to exchange.

After a spirited press conference Thursday in New Jersey, the competitors in the lightweight title bout faced off. After getting up close and personal, Makhachev and Poirier began exchanging words that could not be heard on the event’s official live stream. Shortly after, the UFC released a video from on stage, where the words traded could be heard more clearly.

“I’m going to knock you out on Saturday,” Poirier said to Makhachev. “Sleep. I’m going to sleep-stop you. You’re going to be diving for my legs, praying. You’re going to be diving for my legs. You’re going to be laying and praying, that’s what you’re going to be doing. You’re going to sleep, motherf*cker.”

While Poirier was talking, Makahchev offered short, dismissive replies, including “Don’t tap and you will sleep.”

Makhachev appeared to enjoy the banter until Poirier went too far in his eyes.

“Don’t say motherf*cker,” Makhachev said. “Don’t say motherf*cker. Don’t say that or I’ll slap you.”

“Don’t get in my face like that,” Poirier responded. “Be respectful.”

Security on the stage stepped between the fighters at that point, but Makhachev insisted he wanted to continue the conversation without getting physical.

“Brother, it’s not – in my county, you do not say,” Makhachev said.”Don’t say motherf*cker to me.”

“I have respect for you, brother,” Poirier responded. “We’re going to fight.”

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UFC 302 video: Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier have intense debate at first faceoff for title fight

Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier exchanged plenty of words in an intense faceoff for Saturday’s UFC 302 title fight.

NEWARK, N.J. – [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] finally got a chance to cross paths Thursday ahead of their UFC 302 lightweight title fight.

Following the pre-fight press conference, Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) and Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) had their first staredown in advance of their anticipated championship collision, which takes place Saturday at Prudential Center (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).

Both the champion and the challenge are intense characters. That made for an interesting faceoff between Makhachev, who attempts to tie the record for most consecutive 155-pound title defenses at three, and Poirier, who will try to make good on his third and likely final shot at UFC gold.

Checkout the video above to see the Makhachev vs. Poirier staredown from the UFC 302 pre-fight press conference.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.