Arman Tsarukyan: Boxing Dustin Poirier Could Be Dangerous for Islam Makhachev

Arman Tsarukyan isn’t counting out Dustin Poirier in his upcoming UFC 302 title fight against Islam Makhachev.

Poirier challenges Makhachev for the lightweight title in the main event at UFC 302 on June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Poirier previously suffered a submission loss in a foiled championship bid against Makhachev’s teammate and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 in 2019. Given the similarity of style between both Dagestanis, Poirier is a massive underdog heading into UFC 302.

Makhachev also arguably has developed a cleaner striking skillset than Nurmagomedov over the years. According to Makhachev, teammate and Bellator MMA lightweight champ Usman Nurmagomedov has better striking than Poirier. Regardless, Tsarukyan believes standing up against Poirier will be a dangerous game to play for Makhachev. While Tsarukyan expects Makhachev to successfully execute his obvious game plan against Poirier, the Armenian-Russian could also put his money on “The Diamond.”

“I see like Islam gonna try to push him to the cage, to try to take him down and, try to hold him, submit him. But if he can’t do that, it’s gonna be dangerous. If he wants to box him, I think Dustin Poirier on a different level — his punch, his speed, he can knock him out very fast," Tsarukyan New York Post Sports. “That’s why Islam’s gotta try to take him down right away. So yeah, for me, the favorite is Islam, on this fight but I can put money on Dustin Poirier KO, because it could be happen.”

Tsarukyan had originally earned the title shot with a split-decision win over Charles Oliveira in a title eliminator at UFC 300 last month. However, he turned it down, citing the quick turnaround as Makhachev was adamant about fighting this summer. Having already suffered a loss against Makhachev in his short-notice UFC debut in 2019, “Ahalkalakets” wants a full camp to prepare for the rematch.