Michael Bisping has claimed that Dustin Poirier’s resume within the UFC is remarkably clear of Islam Makhachev’s as both fighters gear up for their lightweight title bout on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey.
Michael Bisping Admires The Resume Of Dustin Poirier
During the most recent Believe You Me Podcast with Anthony Smith, Bisping discussed the resumes of both fighters. By doing so, he found a clear disparity between quality and quantity on each side.
The former UFC middleweight champion said: “When you look at the record of Dustin Poirier and you compare it to Islam Makhachev’s, Dustin’s record smokes Islam’s – which sounds like I’m being disrespectful to Islam. I’m not,” he then continued to name the Dagestani’s notable wins.
“But when you look at Islam: (He) fought Bobby Green, then it was for the belt against (Charles) Oliveira, then twice against (Alexander) Volkanovski.”
When moving on to “The Diamond”, there is a clear gulf in class regarding previous opponents.
Bisping said: “When you look at Poirier, I mean, it’s insane: Max Holloway multiple times, Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje, Anthony Pettis, Conor McGregor three times, Jim Miller, Dan Hooker, Oliveira, (Michael) Chandler, Gaethje again, Benoit Saint Denis. In terms of experience, he’s fought the tougher guys. I think that’s fair to say. Now, competition in common, Islam beat Charles Oliveira whereas Dustin lost.”
The Different Roads To Glory – Makhachev V Poirier
The Louisiana native made his UFC debut four years before that of Makhachev, however, being with the company for over 13 years, Poirier has only ever had two title fights. “The Diamond” does hold an astonishing catalogue of opponents and has maintained an impressive trend of never losing more than two fights in a row.
Though, this Saturday, his opponent will be making their third title defence in a bid to boost his winning streak to 14. Despite Makhachev not losing a fight since 2015, which was to Adriano Martins by knockout, Poirier will have to overcome all odds if he wants to experience champion status at UFC 302.
Featured image credit to Embed from Getty Images
