Khabib Nurmagomedov is the only champion in UFC history that is officially undefeated (Jon Jones has a DQ). He has an official MMA record of 27-0. His dominance can be attributed to his absolutely unstoppable wrestling ability and gas tank. Fighters might be able to fend off a takedown here and there, but sooner or later, Khabib gets what he wants, and that's usually a takedown followed by ground and pound.
As Khabib's career has matured, his stand up has improved and has become a secret weapon powered by his wrestling. In other words, fighters are so afraid of being taken down and mauled, that they either leave their hands down, or drop their hands just enough to leave their head open for chingasos! Conor McGregor found that out the hard way!
Dustin Poirier is coming into this championship fight with an overall record of 25-5-1. He's on a 6 fight winning streak that has culminated in wins over champions! If Poirier can win, that will be 3 champions in a row he's taken out!
Poirier is one of the most technical stand up fighters on the UFC roster. If you were running an MMA class, you'd want to have your students watch him. He also has 7 submissions on his resume although we haven't seen much of his ground game lately.
So what's the bottom line? Well, this fight, like all of Khabib's fights will come down to what can you do about the takedown. Poirier will not only have to fight off takedowns, but also be offensive while avoiding the takedown and that's where all of Khabib's opponents have failed.
When fighters open up with their stand up, it leaves them vulnerable to takedowns. Championship fighters that like to stand usually have enough takedown defense to let their stand up shine. But, Khabib's wrestling is on another level and Poirier will not be able to solve the problem of striking while defending the wrestling.
Look for the fight to start slow, but, sooner or later Khabib will get that takedown and ground and pound his way into another victory at UFC 242!
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