Coach Javier Mendez called Poirier Makhachev’s toughest fight to date. Nurmagomedov thinks Makhachev can only grow from a back-and-forth battle such as that, which was a nominee for the 2024 Fight of the Year.

The highly anticipated fight between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan has been canceled after Tsarukyan withdrew due to a back injury.

Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) notched his third title defense when he submitted Poirier in Round 5 at UFC 302 in June. Makhachev, who’s dominated most of his opposition throughout his career, was surprised with how competitive “The Diamond” made things.

Islam Makhachev says he still likes to watch his fight with Dustin Poirier despite making a lot of mistakes in it.

Many people might disagree with Javier Mendez ’s pick for UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev ’s toughest fight. Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) has been dominant for the most part, but a few fighters have given him competitive fights during his career. Outside of his knockout loss to Adriano Martins in 2015, Makhachev has never lost.

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Sentiment was low for Poirier, whom many considered undeserving of the title shot. ‘The Diamond’ earned his fight off the back of knocking out the surging Benoit Saint-Denis, but otherwise, he was 3-2 in his last five performances. This reflected in the bookies, who had Poirier as a +360 underdog.

With UFC 311 set for tonight, here are the best sports betting sites and sportsbook promos for the MMA card from Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California: UFC 311 is headlined by Islam Makhachev vs.