Dustin Poirier has said UFC 302 could mark the end of his career, but one guy who doesn’t want to see him walk away from mixed martial arts is his opponent, Islam Makhachev.
Makhachev is scheduled to defend the lightweight title against Poirier in Saturday’s pay-per-view main event in Newark, and the Dagestani believes Poirier should keep fighting afterward no matter the outcome.
“He’s talking about retiring, but I don’t want him to retire after this fight if I beat him,” Makhachev told NBC Sports’ Stephen DeAugustino. “This guy is dangerous. He can beat everybody. And he’s top five in the world.
“That’s why I don’t think it’s a good idea for him talking about retirement. He’s still a very dangerous guy, and that’s why I’m preparing for a very hard fight.”
Last week, Poirier said he was “on the fence” about whether he would announce his retirement after the Makhachev fight, win or lose. Poirier, 35, has been a pro since 2009 and has twice challenged for the undisputed lightweight belt, coming up short against Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019 and Charles Oliveira in 2021.
Makhachev is seeking his third title defense since beating Oliveira to become the new champion in 2022. The 32-year-old is coming off a brutal knockout win over then-featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 last October.
