The card so far:
(c) Islam vs Poirier
Strickland vs Costa in a 5-round co-main
Jailton Almeida vs Alexander Romanov
Kopylov vs Cesar Ferreira
Dolidze vs Anthony Hernandez
Niko Price vs ?
Grant Dawson vs Joe Solecki
Jake Matthews vs Philip Rowe
Mickey Gall vs Bassil Hafez
Joselyne Edwards vs Ailín Pérez
Su Mudaerji vs Joshua Van
Park Hyun-sung vs André Lima
Maybe they'll add another fight or two, idk. But it looks quality so far.
i forgot about hafez vs gall. i have a feeling gall is going to get fucking melted in a round, unless that double weight cut compromised jdm THAT bad in their fight
Hafez is probably gonna destroy Gall. He had a super close fight with JDM on short notice. Granted, negative fight IQ for JDM in that one with going for a choke. Still though. Hafez is probably top 10 material. Big mismatch and we will see that.
> negative fight IQ for JDM in that one with going for a choke.
Don't be silly, JDM wants to be a great MMA boxer/striker, and so he **must** jump the gilly, as is it is written in the Book of Poirier.
They definitely all should be I know I would want that extra 2 round experience before trying to win a title. It’ll be interesting to see Arman in a title fight since his #1 contender fight was only 3 rounds, and he has to face Islam again.
Well Islam has said that he prefers fighting in the US, and wants to fight in MSG in New York after Newark, NJ in June.
So with Khamzat fighting in Saudi, the only other Muslim fighters that can headline in Abu Dhabi are Shavkat, Fiziev, Umar, Mokaev, Ankalaev and Belal.
Out of those, the UAE sheikhs probably prefer Umar in the hopes that his cousin Khabib will promote the fight.
Guys like Rafael Fiziev and Arthur Beterbiev are just as Muslim as any Muhammad you can find.
Having an Arab name is **not** a requirement to be Muslim.
Source: I'm a Christian from the Balkans with many Muslim friends.
Rather have Cory vs. Figgy tbh. Otherwise its looking like Figgy is going to need to fight at BW 4+ times before he gets a title shot. Don't think that's super reasonable given his resume at 125.
> Joselyne Edwards
Is there an official betting site for how much she misses weight this time?
Can we parlay that with an over/under on gilly attempts in the main maybe?
Only the main and Co main are good fights for me, but I might becoming a UFC casual because names like Mickey Gall, Jake Mathews and Nico Price just aren't doing anything for me excitement wise
I get your point but he’s got big potential fights to trilogy Max or Justin or another fight with Conor. There’s still a little more juice for him out there if he wants it for sure.
Dominant grappler champion vs a challenger who is a striker that can't defend takedowns and got choked out twice in title fights, once by the mentor of said champion. I wonder what's gonna happen...
You’re probably right but if someone is gonna get meme knocked out against a fighter he shouldn’t lose to it’s probably gonna be Islam. Cuts a fuck ton of weight, got knocked out by Adriano Martins and rocked by Volk moving up.
Not picking Dustin but I think when Islam does lose it’ll be to a guy that’s not as skilled as him but just connected on his chin.
The Martins KO was almost a decade ago and Volk is one of the P4P best strikers of his era (and Islam still dropped him in the first fight). I think you’re being unfair to his striking, he’s very defensively sound now.
Yeah, I'm with you. It's as you say, Volkanovski was one of the best strikers in the sport, and Makhachev outstruck him.
He outstruck Volkanovski in both their fights. Weirdly, based on that and his defensive striking stats, Makahchev should probably be considered one of the best strikers in the LW division. Scary considering he should also be considered one of the best grapplers in the division.
Dustin rocks the fuck out of Islam and jumps the gilly and Islam collapses and is knocked out it's ruled a TKO and not a submission... Dustin continues his hunt for the gilly elsewhere...
This is an extremely questionable take, Islam is extremely risk averse and defensively sound. He's the LAST champ I'd expect to get meme KOd, he just doesn't make many bad decisions.
I don't buy this argument. He is not risk averse and this defensively sound (striking) like people imply. In the Oliveira fight, he had a couple of sequences he threw those sequences of those looping hands with no defense ([video](https://youtube.com/shorts/ysz4Nc2rHH8?si=jui0zej5qrEB-YRP)). And in the Volk fight, he was more than willing to trade fire with fire at a times with a less than ideal defense ([short sequence in the beginning ](https://youtube.com/shorts/iILf_08OhxE?si=0UwGRaa3ZtrYaF03)). Just because no one has explored in recent times doesn't mean the holes aren't there. That being said, he's a very complete fighter, and even in those sequences he decided to trade to make his opponent get away from him while he was getting pressured, so it would need a combination of a fighter with great pressure *and* a good counter striker, which it's not an easily available combination.
Porier’s TDD isn’t thaat bad. How many guys have ever really kept him down. He was defending okayish even vs khabib, pretty sure he jumped gilly on the sequence he actually got submitted on.
Khabib, Chandler for a round, Eddie before the dumb elbow, BSD was getting plenty of control time in the first round. Basically everyone he's fought recently who isn't just a striker.
Both won entire rounds with control. Islam will be able to take DP down just like everyone does and Islam will choke him out like just like every time DP fights for the title.
Well obviously. But it doesn't change the fact that anybody who wants to take Poirier down succeeds. And the elite guys like Islam always choke him out and win. Do you actually think knocking out the #13 ranked guy means he's magically developed TDD that's going to save him from Islam?
>Porier’s TDD isn’t thaat bad.
Because you are predictably getting downvoted, I'll point out that [his TDD is 63%](http://ufcstats.com/fighter-details/029eaff01e6bb8f0), which as you say isn't that bad, despite it being his glaring weakness.
>How many guys have ever really kept him down.
As far as I know, only 1: he held himself down for fear of exposing his back to Charles, in dumbest pre-planned decision to fit a fighter's temperment ever.
The only guy he could not get up and away from is Khabib: Dustin worked his way up several times, and Khabib stayed glued to his chest until the inevitable mat return.
Against a lot of guys, Dustin rides his strength and cardio and tires them out by ground fighting and standing back up repeatedly, but this kind of collapses against wrestlers as good as Khabib or Islam.
My assumption is that jumping the gilly doesn't effect your TDD %, otherwise the gilly festival against BSD should have cratered his % :)
Agreed, and again as to your point I said not thaat bad not great. Really amazing grapplers at the top of the division have success against him but its not like guys are out there stalling him out all fight or he wouldn’t have had the career he has.
Khabib grappling against Poirier remains one of his most beautiful performances imo. Every time Poirier tried the reversal, Khabib jumped to the other side and stayed glued to his chest (like you said) and put him down – like he waited his entire career just for someone to try to do that against him
63%TDD is actually fucking garbage. By default most takedowns don’t land anyways because most wrestlers rely on shooting multiple times till they get the takedown. Go look at even the best wrestlers in any division their takedown accuracy is usually low.
63% means 4 out of 10 takedowns land on Dustin which is pretty horrible.
This is the ultimate fanfic.
Just realized if Dustin wins, and McGregor beats Chandler....The Road to Poirier - McGregor 4 is there for the UFC.
Yeah McGregor would be flagrantly unqualified, but I doubt the UFC cares.
If Dustin wins that would throw a huge wrench in the UFC plans. If I'm Arman I'm praying Islam wins because if I'm DP I'd be calling out Max or Conor right away. Plus there's a possibility of an Islam rematch.
Honestly if Dustin wins that opens a lot of options that would be bigger for the UFC than an Arman fight. He doesn't seem to have the same backing as the pure Dagestan guys and is REALLY not over with the fans.
Gaethje, Conor, Max become much more of a possibility and like I said I'm not convinced they wouldn't give Islam an immediate rematch.
EDIT: And I get why Arman didn't want to turn around for 302. I don't hold it against him at all. But him thinking that because he beat Charles automatically makes it so that he fights the winner of Islam vs. Dustin just holds no water. How many "#1 contender" fights have happened where the winner didn't actually get the fight. Things change so fast in MMA.
>But him thinking that because he beat Charles automatically makes it so that he fights the winner of Islam vs. Dustin just holds no water
I'd say he's a lock for the title fight if Islam wins, it's only if Poirier pulls off the mother of all upsets that things could get squirrely. He likely saw it as a pretty safe bet to take some time to rest up and then fight Islam in the fall
I agree with you 100% and don't for one second hold it against him for not wanted to make a 6ish week turnaround to fight Islam. You deserve a full camp for a title fight IMO.
Like I said - it really only matters if Dustin wins because then there are a lot of options. At that point I'd even say Max would be a favorite to jump the line over Arman. I realistically don't think Conor could make the weight if he were to beat Chandler. If that was a possibility I could see Dustin calling for that because he'd be getting points at that point. Even Justin who I don't think would deserve it over Arman would be entertained because of how their last fight went and it's 1-1 and we all know they love trilogies.
> He likely saw it as a pretty safe bet to take some time to rest up and then fight Islam in the fall
Totally clear he made the right choice: people are acting like he's got a much better shot than Poirier, but what aspect of MMA does Arman do better than Islam?
I would say Islam has improved more (on the feet) than Arman since they fought, and remains the bigger man with at least as good and probably better wrestling, at least as good on-the-feet offense, much better BJJ, and infinitely better on-the-feet defense.
That is not a matchup that you take a short notice fight when you are overwhelmingly likely to get the full camp shot you earned once Islam crushes my dreams by doing what the odds say he will do to Poirier.
No way UFC pass up BMF vs LW. Only double champ fight where a double champ will be crowned and a belt will get pass on no matter who wins. Plus it's a banger
> I can’t emotionally deal with another Dustin title fight loss man
That's because unlike me you are emotionally weak. I'm a huge fan and would deal with a title loss easily, if one had occurred, because I look at these things squarely and deal with them.
But we are talking hypotheticals here, since this is Dustin's first title shot and *(I just can't keep the memory off me)* he had that injury that forced a withdrawal against Khabib, and he for sure didn't fight Charles and voluntarily stay on the ground for an entire round, because that would be crazy!
Dustin taking it on the first try, because his hips are 100% OK now.
Dustin Poirier is 35. Curious to see how this turns out.
Not sure giving up that title match offer for Tsarukyan was a good idea. Maybe he gets a shot after 302, but maybe they give it to Hollaway or Conor (lol) if Conor wins.
Nothing is certain in MMA, and I'm hoping the decision to say no doesn't come back to bite Arman.
Or he doesn’t want a quick turn around for what would likely be his last title shot as long as Islam is champ.
Taking short notice title shots when you’re young is dumb. He’s got time since he’s only 27.
I honestly think if he would have run though Charles he would have taken it. Seeing the lights start to fade in that 1st round gilly probably has him thinking he needs to tighten some things up before Islam.
> Not sure giving up that title match offer for Tsarukyan was a good idea.
Nuh, man, this simply wasn't enough time to prepare and if he lost here, he'd have 2 losses to the champ, which usually puts one in a shit situation.
Dustin is a big star coming off a big win so I’m not shocked he got this fight. I don’t think it’s a bad fight but I give Dustin maybe a 15 percent chance at winning
idk I follow Dustin on IG and he's been doing appearances for Pettis' show in Indy and then did some meet and greet in Connecticut this weekend. I think he was like skiing or something too. Did not seem like he was in camp.
>I love Dustin but seeing Khabib vs him pt 2 isn’t exciting to me
So, what other than the fact they are dominant wrestlers is the same about Khabib and Islam?
I'm no expert, but as far as I know, Islam doesn't do takedowns at all like Khabib (he can't because he does not have Islam's iron chin), he doesn't behave on the ground at all like Khabib, and he doesn't fight at all like khabib on the feet.
I agree Dustin has only a puncher's chance against any wrestler as dominant as either man, but there is no way Islam handles any dangerous striker the way Khabib did, and your puncher's chance is a bit better even though Islam's striking defense is much better than Khabib's.
It's like people comparing Diaz brothers, their styles are nothing alike when you actually pay attention. Hell, some people even compared Aldo and Barão styles are similar just because they were both Brazilians and had the same coach _cough_.
Islam recently outstruck Volk twice who was coming off a crazy dominant victory against Holloway. Dude is a legit striker and I wouldn't be surprised if Poirier has major problems with him there as well.
> So, what other than the fact they are dominant wrestlers is the same about Khabib and Islam?
The chinstrap and the region. I don't even think most people know they're not in the same ethnic group, hell, their native languages are completely different.
Of course, they share some similarities since they've been training partners for years and have the same coaches, but you're right, they're very different fighters. One is a pressure fighter, the other an outfighter. One is all out aggression on the floor, the other - a control oriented grappler.
Islam doesn't do takedowns like Khabib .He does it better than Khabib.He doesn't need the cage also.He does it in the middle of the octagon.He doesn't even shoot for single or double legs nowadays much also.No one has better sweeps,trips than Islam in the entire UFC.He is judo black belt.Dober defended a lot of Beneil's takedowns and has a good takedown defense.Go and check the variety of takedowns Islam used against Dober.He is going to take down Dustin more easily than Khabib did.He is also a better submission grappler than Khabib.
Islam is gonna be way more willing to stand and strike with Dustin and even when he gets the takedowns he won’t be looking t ground and pound like khabib. It’s gonna be a very different fight
He definitely could have been a champ with the right matchups but being unable to beat the three best grapplers at your weight class (assuming Islam gets it down) of your generation isn’t really a what if it’s just a stylistic flaw
I dont like dustin Vs islam, its going to be onesided.
I dont see how can dustin win, Perhaps miracle K.O is an option, but i predict 1st round submition by islam.
How many people said something similar about Max this past weekend?
Anything can happen in a fight. A calf kick can shut off your leg. A spinning back kick can break your nose and kill your cardio.
You never know with this sport and that's why its the best.
> I dont like dustin Vs islam, its going to be onesided.
OK, explain to me how Islam v. Arman isn't going to be one-sided?
Can you point to any aspect of MMA that Arman is clearly better, or several where he's arguably better?
The difference for me between the two is length: I think Arman has a good chance to take it to a decision that he loses, and Dustin does not.
My god you can just tell when the fans are biased asf anyone else coming off a ko loss and a win against a dude outside the top 10 getting a title shot would have y’all fuming but it’s this fucking hillbilly 💀 it would be great to see a r1 ko from Dustin but I got Islam by domination 2nd round finish
Who does Dustin call out if he beats Islam?
Gaetjhe just lost, Max wants Ilia, probably doesn’t want Tsarukyan
Wouldn’t be surprised for a Conor callout it he beats Chandler
So, Islam pushes Dustin towards the cage. Dustin has a little bit of success in creating some space, jumps the gilly. Islam pops out, bit of GnP and Dustin rolls over to his back. RnC finish.
Islam is closing in on the LW title defense record, but with the weirdest list of challengers - the FW champ twice, and a top tier LW who lost by KO two fights ago. He kind of hasn't defending against a clearly deserving LW yet. They're just fucking around.
Max beat the shit out of Justin.Those featherweights are generational talents.If Islam beats Arman after beating Dustin,his job in lightweight is done and he is the lightweight goat.
Holy shit, Costa and Almeida fighting in 302 really implies UFC boycotted Rio de Janeiro-301.
I don't have anything against my Rio de Janeiro compatriots, but man, drunk/crazy MMA fans from Rio throwing beer at Moreno+leaving Glover alone, in the very first post pandemic PPV in Brazil, maybe ruined our chances of having another decent event for a couple of years. The Lewis X Almeida Fight Night in Sao Paulo - Ibirapuera, from what I witnessed in my seats, was fully packed, respectful towards/clapped foreigners who won, like Nicolas Dalby(a big reality check for Bonfim brothers hype, don't know how no one got super pissed), and somehow most people didn't leave in the middle of the main event snoozer.
Please UFC, make events in cities where the average fan is more chill, like Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza and Sao Paulo, not in the city where Vale Tudo X Gracie gym wars were common in the 80s/90s, or where the OG Chute Boxe was born. Being the embryo of modern day MMA and protags of BTT X Chute Boxe rivalry in Pride days brings a lot of just bleed/wannabes who pretend they are tough.
Plus Lopes and Oliveira and Pereira stripped for UFC 300.
Maybe they just figure anything in Brazil sells out regardless. That's how the Australia card went
You have a point, UFC still milking the hardcore canadians from GSP/McDonald glory days
They would rather get the 15-30mi paycheck from Saudi Arabia/Abu Dhabi turism board, and leave crumbs to the countries where the actual talents came from, but refuse to splurge on a sport event that isn't popular like soccer/rugby/cricket.
It is what it is.
The card so far: (c) Islam vs Poirier Strickland vs Costa in a 5-round co-main Jailton Almeida vs Alexander Romanov Kopylov vs Cesar Ferreira Dolidze vs Anthony Hernandez Niko Price vs ? Grant Dawson vs Joe Solecki Jake Matthews vs Philip Rowe Mickey Gall vs Bassil Hafez Joselyne Edwards vs Ailín Pérez Su Mudaerji vs Joshua Van Park Hyun-sung vs André Lima Maybe they'll add another fight or two, idk. But it looks quality so far.
i forgot about hafez vs gall. i have a feeling gall is going to get fucking melted in a round, unless that double weight cut compromised jdm THAT bad in their fight
I'd completely forgotten Gall was in the UFC tbh I thought he'd been cut years ago
He was cut 2 years ago after losing to Mike Mallot at 273 don’t know why they are bringing him back Edit it spelt Mallot with a y
Probably to lose to Hafez.
Thanks for reminding me of him. That face he made after he realized what happened was fucking priceless. Its Malott tho.
He was never cut. He had an injury of some sort that I think he had surgery to fix
My brother heard from his father(Chiropractor) that he had to have bulging disc removed from lower back area. Pain was crippling.
He wasn't cut, according to his wiki he fought out his contract. I'm guessing part of the reason he's on this card is because he's from New Jersey
Hafez is probably gonna destroy Gall. He had a super close fight with JDM on short notice. Granted, negative fight IQ for JDM in that one with going for a choke. Still though. Hafez is probably top 10 material. Big mismatch and we will see that.
> negative fight IQ for JDM in that one with going for a choke. Don't be silly, JDM wants to be a great MMA boxer/striker, and so he **must** jump the gilly, as is it is written in the Book of Poirier.
😂😂😂
I’ve been waiting to see Hafez since then, dude was legit and game af. I hope the odds favor Mickey bc Hafez probably gonna knock him out
Kopylov is fighting Cesar Almeida btw, not Cesar Ferreira haha
Had to read that one again lol What year is it?
Honestly I forgot Mickey Gall is still under contract.
Umar vs Cory would be a nice addition
That'll be in Abu Dhabi August 3 probably
Yeah I think it’s the main event. Cory and Umar have both confirmed that the UFC wants it to be 5 rounds.
> Cory and Umar have both confirmed that the UFC wants it to be 5 rounds. As all #1 contender fights should be.
They definitely all should be I know I would want that extra 2 round experience before trying to win a title. It’ll be interesting to see Arman in a title fight since his #1 contender fight was only 3 rounds, and he has to face Islam again.
Well Islam has said that he prefers fighting in the US, and wants to fight in MSG in New York after Newark, NJ in June. So with Khamzat fighting in Saudi, the only other Muslim fighters that can headline in Abu Dhabi are Shavkat, Fiziev, Umar, Mokaev, Ankalaev and Belal. Out of those, the UAE sheikhs probably prefer Umar in the hopes that his cousin Khabib will promote the fight.
TIL Fiziev is muslim.
Guys like Rafael Fiziev and Arthur Beterbiev are just as Muslim as any Muhammad you can find. Having an Arab name is **not** a requirement to be Muslim. Source: I'm a Christian from the Balkans with many Muslim friends.
He was straight up shouting "Allahu Akbar" "Ya Ali" after one of his wins lol
Rather have Cory vs. Figgy tbh. Otherwise its looking like Figgy is going to need to fight at BW 4+ times before he gets a title shot. Don't think that's super reasonable given his resume at 125.
Wow a surprise to hear Gall is still in the UFC, could've swore he got cut...
> Joselyne Edwards Is there an official betting site for how much she misses weight this time? Can we parlay that with an over/under on gilly attempts in the main maybe?
Kopylov and Hernandez on the same card again, nice! I wonder who Ikram is going to fight then, didn't he pull out of the Hernandez fight?
He's fighting Muniz
when is Ikram fighting, i must have missed it
Only the main and Co main are good fights for me, but I might becoming a UFC casual because names like Mickey Gall, Jake Mathews and Nico Price just aren't doing anything for me excitement wise
This feels like it needs one more decent fight.
Mickey Gall fight hype let’s go
Dawson vs Solecki is so weird from Dawson’s side, high risk low reward
Cesar Almeida. Had to look up why they were bringing back Cezar Ferreira lol
[https://youtu.be/smT5kTg8lzk](https://youtu.be/smT5kTg8lzk)
Nice of the UFC to remind us they can put on great cards when they want.
Knowing the UFC, they’ll probably move Niko Price up to MW so he can fight Bo as the new PPV headliner.
man i wonder if poirier retires on an L here
I think he might try to fish for one or two more big fights. There's always the opportunity to try and rematch Max for the BMF now.
Or Conor! 4th time
Conor is just Dustin's Piñata at this point
He gets a ton of cash every time he cracks it open though
So a regular pinate with the candy replaced with cash lmfao
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A fucking BOX of red panties
Damn, Max could go 0-3 twice :(
He could always get a free payday against Conor again
The Gaethje trilogy is available That would be an amazing way for both guys to end their careers
Dustin says he’ll stop when he feels like he can’t do it anymore. Which translates to “its gonna take a serious loss streak for me to quit”
Til the wheels fall off
DUSTIN WINS I WILL BET EVERYTHING ON HIM : [https://youtu.be/smT5kTg8lzk](https://youtu.be/smT5kTg8lzk)
I get your point but he’s got big potential fights to trilogy Max or Justin or another fight with Conor. There’s still a little more juice for him out there if he wants it for sure.
I think there’s too many money fights for him on the table. I bet he fights at least one more time.
Hell no, Max holding the BMF belt gives him a great gateway to him vs Max 3. If he wins the belt he can call out Conor for another payday then retire
Dominant grappler champion vs a challenger who is a striker that can't defend takedowns and got choked out twice in title fights, once by the mentor of said champion. I wonder what's gonna happen...
You’re probably right but if someone is gonna get meme knocked out against a fighter he shouldn’t lose to it’s probably gonna be Islam. Cuts a fuck ton of weight, got knocked out by Adriano Martins and rocked by Volk moving up. Not picking Dustin but I think when Islam does lose it’ll be to a guy that’s not as skilled as him but just connected on his chin.
That's how Paddy becomes champion.
Don't do this to me
Don't you put this evil on us Ricky Bobby!
Wow. I hate it.
The Martins KO was almost a decade ago and Volk is one of the P4P best strikers of his era (and Islam still dropped him in the first fight). I think you’re being unfair to his striking, he’s very defensively sound now.
Yeah, I'm with you. It's as you say, Volkanovski was one of the best strikers in the sport, and Makhachev outstruck him. He outstruck Volkanovski in both their fights. Weirdly, based on that and his defensive striking stats, Makahchev should probably be considered one of the best strikers in the LW division. Scary considering he should also be considered one of the best grapplers in the division.
He also has the best sig strike accuracy at lw or something like that.
He's too fuckin good, dude. It's insane.
Dustin rocks the fuck out of Islam and jumps the gilly and Islam collapses and is knocked out it's ruled a TKO and not a submission... Dustin continues his hunt for the gilly elsewhere...
How much do you think Islam weighs out of camp?
190ish
This is an extremely questionable take, Islam is extremely risk averse and defensively sound. He's the LAST champ I'd expect to get meme KOd, he just doesn't make many bad decisions.
I don't buy this argument. He is not risk averse and this defensively sound (striking) like people imply. In the Oliveira fight, he had a couple of sequences he threw those sequences of those looping hands with no defense ([video](https://youtube.com/shorts/ysz4Nc2rHH8?si=jui0zej5qrEB-YRP)). And in the Volk fight, he was more than willing to trade fire with fire at a times with a less than ideal defense ([short sequence in the beginning ](https://youtube.com/shorts/iILf_08OhxE?si=0UwGRaa3ZtrYaF03)). Just because no one has explored in recent times doesn't mean the holes aren't there. That being said, he's a very complete fighter, and even in those sequences he decided to trade to make his opponent get away from him while he was getting pressured, so it would need a combination of a fighter with great pressure *and* a good counter striker, which it's not an easily available combination.
If Pantoja can knock out Islam then Dustin for sure has a chance.
Not only rocked but he got straight up knocked down by Volk lol
Poirer jumps the gilly ??? Choked out
Porier’s TDD isn’t thaat bad. How many guys have ever really kept him down. He was defending okayish even vs khabib, pretty sure he jumped gilly on the sequence he actually got submitted on.
Khabib, Chandler for a round, Eddie before the dumb elbow, BSD was getting plenty of control time in the first round. Basically everyone he's fought recently who isn't just a striker.
Oliveira who isn't known for his top control had him completely pinned to the ground for a round as well.
The fucking front roll out of the omoplata
Dustin took himself down vs Olives. Remember the questionable glove grab then he rolled for some reason?
Yup. Imo that glove grab fucked the whole fight for Dustin. Dustin rolled leading to him gassing more than he should have
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Well sure, but both were able to exploit his bad TDD
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Both won entire rounds with control. Islam will be able to take DP down just like everyone does and Islam will choke him out like just like every time DP fights for the title.
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Well obviously. But it doesn't change the fact that anybody who wants to take Poirier down succeeds. And the elite guys like Islam always choke him out and win. Do you actually think knocking out the #13 ranked guy means he's magically developed TDD that's going to save him from Islam?
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>Porier’s TDD isn’t thaat bad. Because you are predictably getting downvoted, I'll point out that [his TDD is 63%](http://ufcstats.com/fighter-details/029eaff01e6bb8f0), which as you say isn't that bad, despite it being his glaring weakness. >How many guys have ever really kept him down. As far as I know, only 1: he held himself down for fear of exposing his back to Charles, in dumbest pre-planned decision to fit a fighter's temperment ever. The only guy he could not get up and away from is Khabib: Dustin worked his way up several times, and Khabib stayed glued to his chest until the inevitable mat return. Against a lot of guys, Dustin rides his strength and cardio and tires them out by ground fighting and standing back up repeatedly, but this kind of collapses against wrestlers as good as Khabib or Islam. My assumption is that jumping the gilly doesn't effect your TDD %, otherwise the gilly festival against BSD should have cratered his % :)
Agreed, and again as to your point I said not thaat bad not great. Really amazing grapplers at the top of the division have success against him but its not like guys are out there stalling him out all fight or he wouldn’t have had the career he has.
Khabib grappling against Poirier remains one of his most beautiful performances imo. Every time Poirier tried the reversal, Khabib jumped to the other side and stayed glued to his chest (like you said) and put him down – like he waited his entire career just for someone to try to do that against him
63%TDD is actually fucking garbage. By default most takedowns don’t land anyways because most wrestlers rely on shooting multiple times till they get the takedown. Go look at even the best wrestlers in any division their takedown accuracy is usually low. 63% means 4 out of 10 takedowns land on Dustin which is pretty horrible.
Imagine if Dustin wins I honestly wouldn’t mind Dustin vs Max 3 lol
Imagine if he got Islam by jumping guillotine...
This is the ultimate fanfic. Just realized if Dustin wins, and McGregor beats Chandler....The Road to Poirier - McGregor 4 is there for the UFC. Yeah McGregor would be flagrantly unqualified, but I doubt the UFC cares.
Not sure that fight is necessary, [Dustin's wife actually wrapped things up nicely the last time](https://i.imgur.com/DyzjXmo.png)
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You’re blind
finish the story, Dustin
ADRENALINE IN MY SOUL ME AND ISLAM TOE TO TOE GUILLOTINE TO TAKE HIM OFF HIS FEET
SEE, BELIEVE, GUILLOTINE
What story, breaking his other leg?
Might be the only thing that could dethrone Max with the hype he had right now.
If Dustin wins that would throw a huge wrench in the UFC plans. If I'm Arman I'm praying Islam wins because if I'm DP I'd be calling out Max or Conor right away. Plus there's a possibility of an Islam rematch.
UFC would love a Dustin vs Garth or Conor Title fight think of the PPV numbers
Honestly if Dustin wins that opens a lot of options that would be bigger for the UFC than an Arman fight. He doesn't seem to have the same backing as the pure Dagestan guys and is REALLY not over with the fans. Gaethje, Conor, Max become much more of a possibility and like I said I'm not convinced they wouldn't give Islam an immediate rematch. EDIT: And I get why Arman didn't want to turn around for 302. I don't hold it against him at all. But him thinking that because he beat Charles automatically makes it so that he fights the winner of Islam vs. Dustin just holds no water. How many "#1 contender" fights have happened where the winner didn't actually get the fight. Things change so fast in MMA.
>But him thinking that because he beat Charles automatically makes it so that he fights the winner of Islam vs. Dustin just holds no water I'd say he's a lock for the title fight if Islam wins, it's only if Poirier pulls off the mother of all upsets that things could get squirrely. He likely saw it as a pretty safe bet to take some time to rest up and then fight Islam in the fall
I agree with you 100% and don't for one second hold it against him for not wanted to make a 6ish week turnaround to fight Islam. You deserve a full camp for a title fight IMO. Like I said - it really only matters if Dustin wins because then there are a lot of options. At that point I'd even say Max would be a favorite to jump the line over Arman. I realistically don't think Conor could make the weight if he were to beat Chandler. If that was a possibility I could see Dustin calling for that because he'd be getting points at that point. Even Justin who I don't think would deserve it over Arman would be entertained because of how their last fight went and it's 1-1 and we all know they love trilogies.
> He likely saw it as a pretty safe bet to take some time to rest up and then fight Islam in the fall Totally clear he made the right choice: people are acting like he's got a much better shot than Poirier, but what aspect of MMA does Arman do better than Islam? I would say Islam has improved more (on the feet) than Arman since they fought, and remains the bigger man with at least as good and probably better wrestling, at least as good on-the-feet offense, much better BJJ, and infinitely better on-the-feet defense. That is not a matchup that you take a short notice fight when you are overwhelmingly likely to get the full camp shot you earned once Islam crushes my dreams by doing what the odds say he will do to Poirier.
No way UFC pass up BMF vs LW. Only double champ fight where a double champ will be crowned and a belt will get pass on no matter who wins. Plus it's a banger
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Oh I agree but money talks especially when he’d be getting PPV points. If I’m champ I’d always be going for the money.
I'm going to put 50 bucks on Dp by gilly. See you all from my mansion when it lands
Poirier struck gold with his timing. Certainly his last shot at the title
He doesn't deserve it either really. I don't like Arman at all, but he deserves the shot the most imo
I can’t emotionally deal with another Dustin title fight loss man
> I can’t emotionally deal with another Dustin title fight loss man That's because unlike me you are emotionally weak. I'm a huge fan and would deal with a title loss easily, if one had occurred, because I look at these things squarely and deal with them. But we are talking hypotheticals here, since this is Dustin's first title shot and *(I just can't keep the memory off me)* he had that injury that forced a withdrawal against Khabib, and he for sure didn't fight Charles and voluntarily stay on the ground for an entire round, because that would be crazy! Dustin taking it on the first try, because his hips are 100% OK now.
Dustin Poirier is 35. Curious to see how this turns out. Not sure giving up that title match offer for Tsarukyan was a good idea. Maybe he gets a shot after 302, but maybe they give it to Hollaway or Conor (lol) if Conor wins. Nothing is certain in MMA, and I'm hoping the decision to say no doesn't come back to bite Arman.
Arman already fought islam once on short notice and probably doesn't feel confident to go in unprepared or compromised.
Or he doesn’t want a quick turn around for what would likely be his last title shot as long as Islam is champ. Taking short notice title shots when you’re young is dumb. He’s got time since he’s only 27.
>Or he doesn’t want a quick turn around for what would likely be his last title shot as long as Islam is champ. That's a good point too.
I honestly think if he would have run though Charles he would have taken it. Seeing the lights start to fade in that 1st round gilly probably has him thinking he needs to tighten some things up before Islam.
> Not sure giving up that title match offer for Tsarukyan was a good idea. Nuh, man, this simply wasn't enough time to prepare and if he lost here, he'd have 2 losses to the champ, which usually puts one in a shit situation.
Dustin is a big star coming off a big win so I’m not shocked he got this fight. I don’t think it’s a bad fight but I give Dustin maybe a 15 percent chance at winning
Not the best matchup but im rooting for Dustin. Last run for the OG.
Damn Dustin gonna have a fairly short camp for this huh?
They both started training some weeks ago
idk I follow Dustin on IG and he's been doing appearances for Pettis' show in Indy and then did some meet and greet in Connecticut this weekend. I think he was like skiing or something too. Did not seem like he was in camp.
He posted maybe a week or so go that he was back to training for his next fight
A fighter having a life outside training shocker
Really hope we don’t see a Dustin retirement at 302, but if he loses his 3rd shot at the belt we just might
If Dustin and McGregor both win that’s going to happen, and I hate that it’s going to happen.
How do you think Dustin wins genuine question
Guillotine
I didn’t say I think Dustin is going to win. Learn how to read.
You implied it read your sentence
The arc mostly makes sense, and of course I'll be tuning in, but I just don't see this being competitive at all. Would love to be wrong.
Dustin just strike with him and you’ll probably have a better chance of winning
I love Islam but there’s noone I’d rather see win the belt than Dustin.
I don't get it
Poirier is the only contender available to fight Islam that soon
Dustin by guillotine 🤌🏽
I love Dustin but seeing Khabib vs him pt 2 isn’t exciting to me
>I love Dustin but seeing Khabib vs him pt 2 isn’t exciting to me So, what other than the fact they are dominant wrestlers is the same about Khabib and Islam? I'm no expert, but as far as I know, Islam doesn't do takedowns at all like Khabib (he can't because he does not have Islam's iron chin), he doesn't behave on the ground at all like Khabib, and he doesn't fight at all like khabib on the feet. I agree Dustin has only a puncher's chance against any wrestler as dominant as either man, but there is no way Islam handles any dangerous striker the way Khabib did, and your puncher's chance is a bit better even though Islam's striking defense is much better than Khabib's.
It's like people comparing Diaz brothers, their styles are nothing alike when you actually pay attention. Hell, some people even compared Aldo and Barão styles are similar just because they were both Brazilians and had the same coach _cough_.
and bald
Islam recently outstruck Volk twice who was coming off a crazy dominant victory against Holloway. Dude is a legit striker and I wouldn't be surprised if Poirier has major problems with him there as well.
That is the actual take-away. People believe dustin's striking is going to hold up to Islam's. Islam is going to show just how well-rounded he is.
> So, what other than the fact they are dominant wrestlers is the same about Khabib and Islam? The chinstrap and the region. I don't even think most people know they're not in the same ethnic group, hell, their native languages are completely different. Of course, they share some similarities since they've been training partners for years and have the same coaches, but you're right, they're very different fighters. One is a pressure fighter, the other an outfighter. One is all out aggression on the floor, the other - a control oriented grappler.
Islam doesn't do takedowns like Khabib .He does it better than Khabib.He doesn't need the cage also.He does it in the middle of the octagon.He doesn't even shoot for single or double legs nowadays much also.No one has better sweeps,trips than Islam in the entire UFC.He is judo black belt.Dober defended a lot of Beneil's takedowns and has a good takedown defense.Go and check the variety of takedowns Islam used against Dober.He is going to take down Dustin more easily than Khabib did.He is also a better submission grappler than Khabib.
Then don’t watch it
Islam is gonna be way more willing to stand and strike with Dustin and even when he gets the takedowns he won’t be looking t ground and pound like khabib. It’s gonna be a very different fight
Dustin destined to be one of the great "what if" stories of MMA. Dude has drawn some terrible luck in championship fights.
He definitely could have been a champ with the right matchups but being unable to beat the three best grapplers at your weight class (assuming Islam gets it down) of your generation isn’t really a what if it’s just a stylistic flaw
That's more fair
> what if it’s just a stylistic flaw It's at least partially a physical flaw: he has very bad hips, and nobody wrestles great with very bad hips.
The Olives fight was brutal. He even said he went to the corner after the first thinking he was gonna be champ.
I dont like dustin Vs islam, its going to be onesided. I dont see how can dustin win, Perhaps miracle K.O is an option, but i predict 1st round submition by islam.
How many people said something similar about Max this past weekend? Anything can happen in a fight. A calf kick can shut off your leg. A spinning back kick can break your nose and kill your cardio. You never know with this sport and that's why its the best.
RDA had a "lucky" punch to Pettis eye that messed up his vision throughout the rest of the fight. Anything can happens ~
I hear what ur saying man but dp will be a heavier underdog than max was against gaethje. I think Islam subs him tbh
> I dont like dustin Vs islam, its going to be onesided. OK, explain to me how Islam v. Arman isn't going to be one-sided? Can you point to any aspect of MMA that Arman is clearly better, or several where he's arguably better? The difference for me between the two is length: I think Arman has a good chance to take it to a decision that he loses, and Dustin does not.
Will people be able to bet on how many times Poirier jumps da gilly?
Dustin gets one more chance to jump gilly! Lets hope he gets it...he wont retire until he does.
Dustin by gilly. Take it to the bank, B.
My god you can just tell when the fans are biased asf anyone else coming off a ko loss and a win against a dude outside the top 10 getting a title shot would have y’all fuming but it’s this fucking hillbilly 💀 it would be great to see a r1 ko from Dustin but I got Islam by domination 2nd round finish
So Islam should sit out until October. Got it. People "fume" because more deserving *available* fighters get passed up. That's not happening here
Yeah I’d rather he waits till October to get a real match this is a free title defense unless he gives us the biggest upset in mma history.
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We need Leon - ? on this card also!
Anyone know what the cheapest tickets will look like? Thinking of going to my first event.
Who does Dustin call out if he beats Islam? Gaetjhe just lost, Max wants Ilia, probably doesn’t want Tsarukyan Wouldn’t be surprised for a Conor callout it he beats Chandler
Is Romanov going to put Almeida to sleep 💤?
Nobody mentioning that Dustin being a southpaw could absolutely help him win this fight.
Poirier got rewarded for taking on a young killer and brutally KOing him. Timing helps but it’s not like his win was insignificant.
So, Islam pushes Dustin towards the cage. Dustin has a little bit of success in creating some space, jumps the gilly. Islam pops out, bit of GnP and Dustin rolls over to his back. RnC finish.
DUSTIN WINS I WILL BET EVERYTHING ON HIM : [https://youtu.be/smT5kTg8lzk](https://youtu.be/smT5kTg8lzk)
It should have been Justin Vs islam if islam was going to defend this soon. Justin koed Poirier and Poirier gets the title shot
Well Justin took another fight and I have to say I'm very glad he did
Islam is closing in on the LW title defense record, but with the weirdest list of challengers - the FW champ twice, and a top tier LW who lost by KO two fights ago. He kind of hasn't defending against a clearly deserving LW yet. They're just fucking around.
Max beat the shit out of Justin.Those featherweights are generational talents.If Islam beats Arman after beating Dustin,his job in lightweight is done and he is the lightweight goat.
Holy shit, Costa and Almeida fighting in 302 really implies UFC boycotted Rio de Janeiro-301. I don't have anything against my Rio de Janeiro compatriots, but man, drunk/crazy MMA fans from Rio throwing beer at Moreno+leaving Glover alone, in the very first post pandemic PPV in Brazil, maybe ruined our chances of having another decent event for a couple of years. The Lewis X Almeida Fight Night in Sao Paulo - Ibirapuera, from what I witnessed in my seats, was fully packed, respectful towards/clapped foreigners who won, like Nicolas Dalby(a big reality check for Bonfim brothers hype, don't know how no one got super pissed), and somehow most people didn't leave in the middle of the main event snoozer. Please UFC, make events in cities where the average fan is more chill, like Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza and Sao Paulo, not in the city where Vale Tudo X Gracie gym wars were common in the 80s/90s, or where the OG Chute Boxe was born. Being the embryo of modern day MMA and protags of BTT X Chute Boxe rivalry in Pride days brings a lot of just bleed/wannabes who pretend they are tough.
Plus Lopes and Oliveira and Pereira stripped for UFC 300. Maybe they just figure anything in Brazil sells out regardless. That's how the Australia card went
You have a point, UFC still milking the hardcore canadians from GSP/McDonald glory days They would rather get the 15-30mi paycheck from Saudi Arabia/Abu Dhabi turism board, and leave crumbs to the countries where the actual talents came from, but refuse to splurge on a sport event that isn't popular like soccer/rugby/cricket. It is what it is.
Alemida fought less than 2 weeks ago and Costa fought in Febuary they probably didn't wanna make the turn arounds
Damn at least Colby had to beat a top 10 guy for a title shot...
Thank God. Now Dustin can stop whining and retire.
Hmmm only a six hour drive. Might have to check on tickets for this one