Facing off with undisputed lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev once more ahead of tomorrow’s headliner at UFC 302, former interim titleholder, Dustin Poirier took in all of the Russian during tonight’s tense staredown at the ceremonial
Poirier, the current number four ranked divisional contender, looks to snap his losing trend in undisputed title attempts in his showdown with Makhachev, coming up short in tangles against both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira.
As for Makhachev, the pound-for-pound number one puts his title up for grabs for the third occasion – this time against a fellow lightweight counterpart for the premiere time, having knocked back former featherweight kingpin, Alexander Volkanovski in two immediate clashes.
And sharing the stage during a tumultuous press conference last night, Makhachev and Poirier traded verbal barbs and predictions for how their clash would play out in New Jersey – with the duo corralled by security officials after the challenger used expletives during his trash talk attempt.
Successfully making their undisputed title fight proper earlier today, both Makhachev and Poirier made 155lbs title clash weight during early-morning weigh-ins.
Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier face off once more
And tonight during a tense face-off at the ceremonial event ahead of their meeting at the Prudential Center, all eyes from Poirier were firmly on the defending champion, Makhachev – who remained stoic, with the former darting back-and-forth in anticipation.
Claiming all the talk was said and done ahead of UFC 302, an excited Poirier urged fans that the time to fight was now.
“It means everything to me, man,” Dustin Poirier told Joe Rogan during the UFC 302 weigh-ins. “New Jersey, it’s great to be here, thank you all – appreciate you. But the talk is done, Joe, it’s time to fight.”
As for Makhachev, the dominant force atop the 155lbs division was met with a chorus of boos from the Newark crowd, however, promised to remind any naysayers why he holds the moniker of the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC.
“I will show you guys what it means [to be] pound-for-pound best fighter in the world,” Islam Makhachev explained. “See you tomorrow.”
Who are you picking tomorrow at UFC 302: Islam Makhachev or Dustin Poirier?