Dustin Poirier explains the keys to victory against Khabib Nurmagomedov

Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier | Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

Dustin Poirier has been here before.

Time and time throughout his career, “The Diamond” has been told he had no chance to win and he was facing insurmountable odds heading into a fight.

He’s been the underdog against four of his most recent opponents in the lightweight division and the odds are definitely against him at UFC 242 when he faces undefeated champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event Saturday at The Arena in Abu Dhabi.

“That’s my whole life story. That’s why I’m excited to do it again,” Poirier told MMA Fighting about his underdog status yet again. “Traveling across the world and doing it there is just a part of that same story. It’s going to be tough but that’s what we’re prepared for.”

Nurmagomedov has earned his reputation as a smashing machine who has only lost one round in his entire UFC career while mauling the competition as he worked his way up the ranks before winning the title last year. Almost every opponent to face him has tried to point out weak spots where they believe Nurmagomedov can be exposed.

Twenty-seven fighters have made those kinds of statements and 27 have then failed to defeat him.

That’s why Poirier isn’t making that cardinal mistake as he prepares to face Nurmagomedov on Saturday because he concedes this is going to be an impossibly tough test to conquer.

“I think he’s a tough challenge because he has incredible wrestling and grappling skills. He’s big for the weight class. His conditioning is very good. He seems like he’s pretty physically imposing in there. He smothers guys and he’s stronger and his technique is better, he’s relentless with his takedowns,” Poirier said about Nurmagomedov. “When he’s in there, his focus is on getting the job done and a lot of fighting has to do with mindset and focus. The champs are the guys who can do it the best, to lock it in for 25 minutes and do what they plan to do. He’s just really good at all off those things.

“We haven’t seen him make a whole lot of mistakes. We really haven’t seen people make him positionally look bad. That’s why when people say ‘where do you see his weakness?’ I don’t really see a whole lot. That’s just being honest.”

Perhaps the most daunting task that Poirier faces this weekend is the relentless wrestling attack that Nurmagomedov employs whenever he fights.

With 50 takedowns in his UFC career, Nurmagomedov is already tied for third-most in company history. He set a record with 21 takedowns in his fight against Abel Trujillo over just three rounds.

Meanwhile, Poirier didn’t come from a grappling background and he’s not going to pretend like he’s going to somehow out-wrestle Nurmagomedov during their 25 minute fight on Saturday.

“I have a pretty high fight IQ. It’s not me beating my chest saying Khabib is not getting a takedown. It’s what I’m going to do technically and mentally when he does,” Poirier explained. “I’m sure there’s going to be some times in the fight where I do stuff some takedowns or I do get away and he falls off my leg. But there’s probably going to be some times where he puts my back on the fence, where he puts my back on the mat, and what I do in those positions are going to win or lose the round for me. That’s where the fight is going to be won or lost.

“It’s going to be in those transitions. It’s going to be in my patience. It’s going to be in my technique and tightness of getting up [off the ground]. My risk and reward to putting myself in bad positions to get up. All of those things tie in and that’s what I’m thinking about everyday. It’s not what if Khabib doesn’t get the takedown or does get the takedown. It’s what I’m going to do when he does.”

What separates Poirier from the rest of the crowd is understanding that he’s not going to go inside the cage and suddenly make Nurmagomedov look inferior after demolishing every opponent he’s ever faced.

The key to victory according to the interim UFC lightweight champion is making Nurmagomedov work for everything he gets in the fight and then making him pay for it.

“I’m a realist here but it’s how I make him work and how willing is he to tire out his body and his arms trying to hold me down because I can go,” Poirier said.

“That’s how I’m going to make him uncomfortable and ultimately win this fight. I need to make it a fight the whole entire time. It’s not going to be a wrestling match. It’s not going to be a jiu-jitsu match. It’s not going to be leaning on the cage and tiring each other out. It’s going to be a fight from bell to bell, 25 minutes. That’s my goal to make this a fight, whatever I have to do. That’s my only game plan honestly.”

If there’s one area where Poirier feels he succeeds where so many others have failed is that he’s ready for anything and everything that Nurmagomedov is going to throw at him.

He’s not disillusioned enough to think this is going to be an easy night at the office. Poirier just hopes that Nurmagomedov is preparing for the same.

“I’m the most complete fighter he’s ever fought I believe. Just because I haven’t fought wrestlers doesn’t mean I’m not wrestling in every camp. Of course, he’s a different guy when it comes to wrestling but every fight is different. I don’t need the wrestling crutch or the boxing crutch to lean on. I just need to make it a fight,” Poirier said.

“There’s only one way to find out how he’s going to react by putting him in those positions. But the good thing is, I’ve been in those positions before and I know how I react. I rally back. I bite down. I have the grit it takes to lose and come back. I’m not a frontrunner. I’m a complete fighter. I’m coming into this fight the most complete I’ve ever been.”