The former champion Charles Oliveira recently shared his thoughts on the lightweight title clash between champion Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier, set to headline UFC 302 on June 1.
Having faced both Makhchev and Poirier in the past, ‘do Bronx’ will have a unique perspective on how their bout could unfold. The Brazilian faced off against ‘The Diamond’ during Oliveira’s title reign when the pair squared off at UFC 269.
The then-champion submitted Poirier in Round 3 of the contest, before losing his title on scales against Justin Gaethje in his next fight. After defeating Gaethje via submission at UFC 274, he faced off against Makhachev for the vacant title at UFC 280, where the Dagestani secured a second-round submission win.
Ahead of UFC 302, the former champion shared his thoughts on the looming lightweight title fight, saying this:
“Styles make fights. It’s gonna be a grappler against a striker, I do think that Islam has the upper hand because of his grappling. I think he’s gonna be able to take him down, but Dustin also has really, really, strong hands. So we’ll see.”
He added:
“Dustin Poirier is a tough guy… but on the other hand he’s facing a guy who plays the game with everyone, which is to take down… Anything could happen, but I think [Makhachev] is not dumb. He won’t trade against Poirier and will want to take him down. I think it’s Poirier’s weak point of being taken down, and I think Islam continues with the title.”
While ‘do Bronx’ may be leaning towards Islam Makhachev to successfully defend his title, the Brazilian has not ruled out Dustin Poirier landing the punch that could knock the champion out.
‘The Diamond’ is currently tied with Drew Dober for the most knockout wins in UFC lightweight history and will no doubt be eager to reclaim the top spot on the list, as well as secure a UFC title, should he KO Makhachev.
Watch Charles Oliveira’s breakdown below from 5:30: