Khabib Nurmagomedov Expected to Roll Over Dustin Poirier

Published on April 20th, 2019 10:55 am EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


Khabib Nurmagomedov is expected to return from suspension in September, and newly minted interim Lightweight champion Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier will be waiting for him.

This past weekend, Poirier defeated Max Holloway in a thrilling fight to claim the interim title. Poirier looked amazing in the fight, capping off an incredible ride through the Lightweight ranks. It wasn't long ago that Poirier was struggling to find his place in the Featherweight division, and now he is a Lightweight champion.

There was some question as to who Nurmagomedov would fight next. Would it be a Conor McGregor rematch? Would the long-awaited fight against Tony Ferguson take place?

Given Poirier's thrilling win over Holloway, the next fight makes itself, as Poirier will square off against Nurmagomedov later in the year.

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Poirier is going to have a very hard time getting through Khabib, and the odds certainly reflect that.

While Poirier is a well-rounded fighter that is comfortable everywhere, Khabib is an absolute beast on the ground. In addition, Khabib showed that his stand-up is not terrible at all against Conor McGregor, as he was able to drop McGregor to the ground during the second round.

Khabib's path to victory - take Poirier to the ground and "smesh" him. If Khabib gets Poirier on the ground, he will inflict a great deal of damage and it will be a very long night for the interim champion.

For Poirier to win, he needs to stay light on his feet and keep the fight standing. Khabib will default to a takedown at the first sign of trouble, so Poirier will need to stay very focused and stay out of Khabib's trap. This is obviously easier said than done.

Poirier almost certainly has the stand-up advantage, though Khabib has a massive advantage on the ground.

Nobody has figured out Khabib yet, and it seems hard to imagine that Dustin Poirier will be the one to do it.

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Here are the current betting odds for this fight, courtesy of a Las Vegas sports book:

Dustin Poirier, 3.35
Khabib Nurmagomedov, 1.36