THE last time Khabib Nurmagomedov was in the cage, he wasn’t satisfied with beating a fighter considered by many to be the best in the game (I don’t). He climbed out of the cage and went after one of Conor McGregor’s handlers, Dillon Danis.
Afterward, he refused to apologize, deflecting criticism by referring to what McGregor did when the latter attacked a busload of fighters just to get to him. The guy is as real as it gets. A fighter’s fighter. Totally unlike McGregor, who punches innocent old men drinking at bars.
Today, Khabib matches up against Dustin Poirer in a compelling matchup at UFC 242 held in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
POIRER. In 2018, Poirer (25-5) went on a five-fight unbeaten streak. Nonetheless he comes in as a 3-1 underdog against the unbeaten Nurmagomedov (27-0). Poirer is a well-rounded fighter who has good (not great) striking skills and an excellent Jiu-jitsu background. What makes Poirer effective in the stand-up game is his southpaw stance and his height and reach advantage over most opponents.
At 5-foot-9 he towered over McGregor when they fought in 2014, but he made the mistake of trading almost exclusively with the “Notorious One” in the first round, got clipped behind the ear and was eventually TKO’d. In his last loss, which came against Michael Johnson, he also lost via stoppage in the first round when he got caught on the chin by a wicked right hand.
KHABIB. While his strength is obviously his ground game, Khabib’s stand-up game is nothing to be trifled with. He has fast hands, and has good balance. His hands are also heavy enough to cause damage (ask Conor about it) so he should be able to strike with Poirer in the first half of the fight. The key here is for Khabib to dictate the pace. Poirer always comes in good condition, but his chin is suspect and so Khabib has to impose himself as the aggressor early on.
Eventually I expect this contest to go to the ground where Khabib will have the slight edge. Poirer will be a tough nut to crack, but I expect Khabib to get in more dominant positions, pile in more points during the rounds and prevail via unanimous decision.
VERBATIM. “I’m a realist here but it’s how I make him work and how willing he is to tire out his body and his arms trying to hold me down because I can go.”--Dustin Portier (www.MMAFighting.com)
LAST ROUND. It’s on my bro, Atty. Ramsey Quijano who celebrates his birthday tomorrow. Cheers!