UFC 302 is perhaps the most important fight for Islam Makhachev in his career. If you ask why, well, it’s because his opponent Dustin Poirier is one of the most decorated lightweights, even though he never won the undisputed title. But guess what? Makhachev intends to keep it that way as Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s protégé was recently seen practicing the guillotine choke ahead of UFC 302, drawing reactions from the MMA community.

Dustin Poirier is primarily touted to have some serious boxing skills, which is evident by the 15 KO/TKO wins he’s had in his MMA career. But he’s also a great grappler, which he’s shown with the multiple attempts of the guillotine chokes on his opponent. Now, his opponent on June 1, Islam Makhachev is also working on that maneuver as ESPN recently shared a brief video of the lightweight champion rolling on the mat during a training session.

In the video, Islam Makhachev attempted to control his opponent’s posture using the guillotine choke. Later, he ended up being at the top. He has been referring to training on this technique before his championship fight and it is quite evident that Khabib Nurmagomedov gave him all the hints, since he fought Dustin Poirier and made him bite the dust almost five years ago.

As the video made rounds on social media, many personalities from the MMA community, including fans, took to Instagram and reacted to the 10-second video clip. But would you believe it? Islam Makhachev received mixed reactions.

Islam Makhachev garners mixed reactions from MMA pros and fans

Where do we start? Well, for starters, Conor McGregor‘s friend, training partner, and former BJJ coach, Dillon Danis, jumped into the comments section and tried to rip into Islam Makhachev. He called out his guillotine choke technique. Danis commented, “Terrible technique.” Meanwhile, Makhachev’s manager and his training partner, Ali Abdelaziz, and Belal Muhammad, seemed to appreciate the champion’s submission move and reacted with the fire emojis.

From the fans’ perspective, there were some of Dustin Poirier’s supporters, who believe that despite what we’ve seen with Islam Makhachev, ‘The Diamond’ could be the one to get that finish, and that too, fairly quickly. Meanwhile, one fan claimed that Makhachev would somewhat disrespect Poirier if he tried to get that guillotine locked in. While one stated, “DP -2nd round TKO,” the other said, “If he submits him by guillotine that’s so disrespectful.”

On the other hand, some fans said, “Islam is levels above Dustin, let’s be real,” “Islam by Guillotine would be insane,” and, “Dustin about to get retired,” siding with Islam Makhachev. Also, fans believe that the fight between the champion and the challenger may not last too long as one fan called out ESPN for not letting Makhachev’s guillotine move stay a secret. While one said, “It’s gonna be a quick fight,” the other said, “Why espn giving us spoiler.”

What do you think after witnessing Islam Makhachev adding his opponent’s move to his arsenal? Do you think that’s gonna help him win against the seasoned Dustin Poirier? Share your takes in the comments section.