Dustin Poirier gets honest on the Islam Makhachev vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov debate

Who is the better fighter – Islam Makhachev or Khabib Nurmagomedov? And who better to weigh in than Dustin Poirier, the man who shared the octagon with both the lightweight legends?

'The Diamond' shared an insightful answer to this question during the recent UFC 322 Q&A:

"Oh, that's a tough one, bro. I think Islam is a better complete fighter. He is better on the feet, but grappling, I think Khabib is better than Islam."

Check out Dustin Poirier's comments below:

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Although Poirier came up short against both Nurmagomedov and Makhachev, the Louisiana native still gave them some genuinely tense moments.

At UFC 242, Poirier had 'The Eagle' in a seemingly tight guillotine choke in the third round. At UFC 302 against Makhachev, many believed the fight was 2-2 going into the final round.

The 36-year-old has since retired from MMA, following his swansong against Max Holloway at UFC 318 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Makhachev is in action this weekend at UFC 322, where he'll take on the reigning welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena. A win at the pay-per-view will see the Dagestani become the 11th two-division champion in the history of the promotion.

According to the current betting odds, Makhachev is a -285 favorite over Della Maddalena (+230 underdog) for the matchup. Fans in the U.S. can catch the event live on ESPN+ on pay-per-view. In the U.K., the fight card will be broadcast on TNT Sports.

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When Dustin Poirier compared Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov's grappling

Despite both having developed their wrestling game under the tutelage of the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, there seem to be intrinsic differences between Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov's grappling styles.

During an interview with Ariel Helwani following his UFC 302 loss to Makhachev, Dustin Poirier highlighted key factors that made the sambo maestros' ground games different:

"[Their] takedowns are different, pressure is similar. Takedowns are different. [Makhachev] does a lot of upper-body stuff. He kept trying to clinch up with me. Khabib would shoot lower shots. I think Khabib is stronger, physically stronger. Islam's squeeze was incredible, that torque he got in that D'Arce choke, and it was like a vice grip."

Edited by Ujwal Jain