Islam Makhachev hopes Dustin Poirier doesn’t retire after UFC 302
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is urging Dustin Poirier not to retire after UFC 302.
Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) defends his title against Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) in Saturdayās UFC 302 (pay-per-view/ESPN2/ESPN+) headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Poirier knocked out highly touted rising contender Benoit Saint Denis to earn his third crack at undisputed gold. āThe Diamondā said Makhachev could be his final fight, but Makhachev thinks Poirier still has a lot of fight left in him regardless of the outcome.
āHeās old, heās talking about retirement, but I donāt want him (to) retire after this fight if I beat him,ā Makhachev told NBC Sports. āThis guy is dangerous. He can beat everybody. Heās number, like, top five in the world, you know? Thatās why I donāt think itās a good idea for him to talk about retiring, because heās still a very dangerous guy. Thatās why Iām preparing very hard for him.ā
As for Makhachev, the champion isnāt concerned with whatās next but is open to whatever the UFC offers.
āIām just thinking about my next fight,ā Makhachev said. āItās not my job thinking about the future because I have a manager. I have a team. Iām fighting in the UFC. They make the decision. Who they put against me, I will be ready. Itās going to be Arman (Tsarukyan), or itās going to be Leon (Edwards), or itās going to be someone else. I will be ready.ā
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