5 reasons why Islam Makhachev will defeat the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier

#4. Islam Makhachev’s wrestling could neutralise Dustin Poirier just like Khabib’s did

Islam Makhachev's wrestling could give him an advantage over Dustin Poirier

Charles Oliveira won the UFC lightweight title against Michael Chandler rather than Islam Makhachev's mentor and previous champ Khabib Nurmagomedov. Considering this, there’s an argument that Dustin Poirier, rather than ‘Do Bronx’, is the best 155lber on the planet.

‘The Diamond’ holds recent wins over Conor McGregor, Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje. There’s every chance that his brand of pressure-boxing and punching power can get him past Oliveira at UFC 269, allowing him to claim the title.

Could Poirier defeat Islam Makhachev, though? He’d definitely be hopeful but, based on what we saw when he faced Makhachev’s training partner Khabib Nurmagomedov, it seems unlikely.

Poirier’s famed pressure-boxing was thoroughly neutralized by Khabib, who closed him down from the opening seconds of the bout, never allowing him to settle. With ‘The Diamond’ firmly on his back foot, Khabib then took him down with ease and dominated him en route to a third round submission.

Could Islam Makhachev replicate his mentor's gameplan? There’s no reason why he couldn’t.

Islam Makhachev is arguably not quite as explosive as Khabib – meaning he’d have to be very careful when closing Poirier down. However, it’s also arguable that, technically, his striking is better than Khabib’s, meaning he perhaps would not leave himself quite so open to counterpunches.

Essentially though, the fact is that based on his fight with Khabib, Poirier’s Achilles heel might be a fighter who can pressure him back, take him down and bully him from the top.

Right now, the fighter who could deliver that gameplan is definitely Islam Makhachev. Therefore, it’s easy to imagine a potential fight between the two going the same way as Poirier vs. Khabib did.

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#3. Islam Makhachev has an aura of invincibility that both Oliveira and Poirier lack

Right now, Islam Makhachev feels invincible

Unlike his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev is not undefeated in the UFC. However, he only has one loss to his name, and that loss – a KO at the hands of Adriano Martins – came so long ago that most fans barely remember it.

Aside from that loss in October 2015, Makhachev has been perfect inside the octagon, defeating a total of ten opponents.

Not one of those ten fighters even came close to giving him real problems, with even tough outs such as Drew Dober, Dan Hooker and Gleison Tibau finding themselves absolutely dominated.

More to the point, the native of Dagestan has been looking more dominant as he’s been faced with tougher opponents. He finished his last three foes, who were arguably the trickiest tests he’s ever faced, with ease.

Essentially, Islam Makhachev has developed an aura of invincibility that’s usually reserved for unbeaten UFC champions like Israel Adesanya and Khabib.

It’s arguable that neither Charles Oliveira nor Dustin Poirier possess that same aura. Poirier’s loss to Khabib is still fresh in the memory despite taking place two years ago. Oliveira, meanwhile, has suffered eight losses in the octagon despite his current nine-fight win streak.

When it comes to momentum, it feels like Islam Makhachev is on an unstoppable path to claim UFC gold. While both Oliveira and Poirier are excellent fighters in their own right, it’s unlikely that they’ve got what it takes to crack the Dagestani’s aura of invincibility.