Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez feels Dustin Poirier may have figured out the secret to beating Islam Makhachev.
Makhachev defeated Poirier by fifth-round submission on Saturday in the main event of UFC 302 in Newark. It was an impressive finish for the pound-for-pound champion, but Poirier outperformed most expectations against the dominant titleholder.
Makhachev is the latest in a string of Dagestan stars to dominate inside the Octagon after his mentor, friend and coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov, retired with a perfect 29-0 record in a UFC Hall of Fame career.
Although Poirier lost to Makhachev, Alvarez believes his former two-time rival may have exposed weaknesses in Makhachev's technique.
Eddie Alvarez analyzes Islam Makhachev/Dustin Poirier
Recently appeared MMA HourAlvarez explained that Poirier showed it's possible by fighting Makhachev.
“Dustin [Poirier] “He was in good shape, he was mentally clear and focused, so he was able to reset and keep fighting after each round,” Alvarez said of Poirier. “Whatever happened in that round, Islam was a big part of it.” [Makhachev] I had his back for the whole 5 minutes and it was fine, I took a breath and got through it. After 15 minutes the wrestling just wasn't the same. It basically just comes down to two guys standing up and doing what Dustin does…sprinting on him and taking him down…
“Dustin didn't come in with a sprint, maybe a little too late, but it took the energy out of him. Islam did that cool sweep with one leg and just kept going. [D’Arce choke] What he got. It was a great finish. … It's a puzzle, but Dustin helped us solve that puzzle a little bit more on Saturday night.”
Alvarez has faced Poirier twice during his time at UFC: the first bout ended in a no contest at UFC 211 and the second in a 2018 rematch, when Poirier knocked out Alvarez.
Makhachev could face UFC welterweight titleholder Leon Edwards next, depending on Edwards' upcoming title defense. Arman Tsarukyan also has a lightweight title shot lined up.
As of this writing, Makhachev remains the UFC pound-for-pound champion, but Alvarez believes Poirier may have laid out a road map to dethrone him.
