Khabib Nurmagomedov  and his team are taking over the MMA world with back-to-back title wins in three promotions. Dana White has also announced that UFC 311 will see two of Dagestan’s most prized fighters right at the very top. Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov are about to fight in the event soon. Naturally, ‘The Eagle’ is busy training his top dogs, and at the same time, he decided to give his opinion on his former opponent and lightweight fighter Dustin Poirier.

Makhachev is the number one P4P fighter while Poirier sits at #4 in the 155lbs rankings. Not to mention, Poirier came up short against the Dagestani in his pursuit of finally securing undisputed gold. On the same note, the retired Hall of Famer discussed Poirier’s career status with Henry Cejudo and said, “I think Poirier has to stop fighting. I think he’s finished. Justin Gaethje, Khabib, Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson. This is old school brother. Stop fighting.”

‘The Diamond’ has had a 15-year run in the promotion and is now preparing for his swansong. Even though there was a feeling that the loss against Makhachev would see him call it a day, now the scenario is different. Amidst this, ‘The Diamond’ gave a sequel of X posts regarding his plans. “Got something planned for you,” he wrote. “Hold on. I’m coming.” He replied to a fan who said “uno mas” with “The last dance. I promise ya.”

He also sent a pretty cryptic message that seemed to be referring to a fight and read, “There will be blood. See you soon.”  If you were already confused, get ready for more riddles because Poirier is playing with words now! During an interview with Ariel Helwani, he said, “Could be uno mas, could be dos mas.” He continued, “To be completely content, I’d love to lay my gloves down at home and never fight again,” he added. “Finish here in front of my Louisiana friends and family, the people who have been supporting me since I was 17 years old through fighting, and to go out on top.” Now that we know what ‘The Diamond’ is planning and what Khabib wants, let’s see the crisis that the latter is going through as he thinks of a potential showdown between two champs he has trained.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s ‘heart was not okay’ thinking about one particular matchup

Even the most dangerous and undefeated UFC star from Dagestan has moments where his heart falls prey to fear. Given the fact that family takes precedence for the retired lightweight phenom, it is hard for him to see his pupils pitted against each other. However, Islam Makhachev has a dream of becoming a dual-weight champ just like Conor McGregor which might need him to fight Belal Muhammad.

Makhachev is focused on creating history like his mentor Khabib did, so consequently, he might fight for a second title soon. However, the 29-0 star has a feeling that he does not want the duo to fight as it would be a slippery slope to choose a side between the duo. “My heart not okay… It will be hard to prepare Islam to beat Belal,” Nurmagomedov said regarding this scenario, in an interview with Henry Cejudo.

he added that he would still support his family and said,  “Of course [he’ll support Islam], but I don’t think it’s ever gonna happen.” Besides Khabib, even Muhammad and Makahchev have refused to fight each other. According to Championship Rounds, Muhammad vowed to never fight Makahchev and said, “I would never fight [Islam], 100 percent. But honestly, he could go up to 185 and beat [Dricus] du Plessis right now.” 

So what do you think about ‘The Eagle’s’ stance on Dustin Poirier and his reluctance to see Makhachev vs Muhammad? Share your thoughts in the comments below.