Dustin Poirier often tries to use a jump guillotine to force his opponent into submission, but so far, he has not succeeded in this maneuver in his fighting career. UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev plans to keep this streak alive when they meet at UFC 302 in Newark, New Jersey next month.
Despite being known as a top striker in the 155-pound weight class, Poirier has a vulnerability to the guillotine choke. In his recent bout against Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299 in March, Poirier attempted multiple guillotine chokes against the advice of his corner. Although he did not succeed in locking in a submission, Poirier eventually secured a brutal knockout once the fight got back to stand-up striking.
As Poirier gears up for what could be his final chance at the UFC lightweight championship, fans caution him about relying on the guillotine. Going up against one of the division’s strongest grapplers in Makhachev, attempting a jump guillotine is a risky move. A similar situation played out when Poirier faced Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title at UFC 242 in 2019. Poirier exhausted himself trying to catch Khabib with a guillotine and was ultimately submitted later in the fight.
Makhachev claims that Nurmagomedov intentionally let Poirier catch the guillotine to wear him down.
Islam Makhachev suggests that Khabib strategically used Dustin’s guillotine attempt to tire him out.
“Before the fight, Khabib told me: Catch me in guillotine, I will give him my neck and make him tired.”
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“Before the fight, Khabib told me: Catch me in guillotine, I will give him my neck and make him tired,” Makhachev shared during a recent appearance on Good Guy / Bad Guy.
With a 13-fight winning streak in the Octagon, Makhachev is regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport today. The UFC lightweight champion has been a dominant force in the grappling department since Nurmagomedov’s retirement in 2020. While he warns Poirier against attempting a guillotine choke at UFC 302, Makhachev believes Poirier will still try it and face defeat.
“We will start, and I will aim to bring him down,” Makhachev told Yahoo Sports. “He will try to trap me in a guillotine (choke). I will defend against the guillotine, land a few punches, he will expose his back, then I will finish him.”
“Maybe one day, I hope (Poirier) will succeed with his guillotine on someone,” Makhachev added. “But it won’t be me.”
For more UFC 302 fight card updates and details, click HERE.
