Islam Makhachev will decide where Dustin Poirier fight goes at UFC 302, says coach Javier Mendez

American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez believes that Islam Makhachev will dictate where his fight with Dustin Poirier goes.

Makhachev is scheduled to put the UFC Lightweight Championship on the line against “The Diamond” in the main event of UFC 302 on June 1st. The action is being held inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Makhachev is in search of a third successful title defense, while Poirier looks to capture undisputed UFC gold for the first time in his career, and this could be his last chance.

There’s a lot riding on this fight, but Mendez feels it’s Makhachev’s night to lose.

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Javier Mendez Sees Islam Makhachev Deciding Where Dustin Poirier Fight Goes

During an interview with MMAJunkie.com‘s Danny Segura in Spanish, Javier Mendez expressed his belief that Islam Makhachev will decide where the matchup goes.

“Islam has it all. How he wants to win, when he wants to win, where he wants to win, it’s up to him. We can take the fight anywhere we want. That’s the difference between Islam and Khabib. Khabib’s No. 1 thing was wrestling, but Islam can do whatever he wants.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov has a submission victory over Poirier, and some fight fans feel the same fate awaits him against Makhachev. With that said, Islam has shown he has high-level striking as well, knocking out Alexander Volkanovski via head kick. As Poirier has shown in the past, playing the standup game is a risky business against the former interim UFC lightweight titleholder.

A running joke going into this title bout is that Poirier will hop on a guillotine attempt only to be thwarted once again. If that happens against Makhachev, it’ll likely be tough sledding for “The Diamond” on his back. It won’t be long before we find out who emerges victorious in this one.