Islam Makhachev successfully defend his lightweight title in the main event of UFC 302 but it wasn’t an easy night for the champion.
Dustin Poirier came in as a big underdog and was able to make the fight competitive due to a lot of it playing out on the feet.
The fight also saw the former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov return to his long-time training partner’s corner for this fight.
As pointed out on commentary during the main event, “The Eagle” was incredibly animated during some of the rounds after Makhachev showed a willingness to stand and strike with Poirier.
Though the champion got the better of many of the exchanges, boxing with “The Diamond” was always going to be the best chance that the challenger had to win the fight.
Mendez Says Khabib’s Passion Led To Corner Receiving Multiple Warnings From The Commission
During his podcast, coach Javier Mendez recapped the fight and how he felt Makhachev performed in Newark.
Mendez stated that he was happy with the work that his fighter did in the exchanges with Poirier but was still aware of the danger in doing so, as was proven by some of the shots that the former interim champion landed.
The AKA head coach stated that the commission in New Jersey were constantly warning their corner to settle down due to Nurmagomedov’s actions during the fight where he repeatedly called for Makhachev to initiate the grappling.
It has been a while since the former champion was working the corner and Mendez said that he forgot just how passionate “The Eagle” gets when he’s coaching his fighters.
I had Khabib in the corner going crazy on me. Like, I forgot how crazy he is in the corner, so nuts man. I’m like, I’m trying to calm him down and say hey, don’t worry, don’t worry, just scream loud but, ‘No coach, I have…’ but that’s his style, that’s his dad’s style, that’s his style. But I’m trying to get him to settle down a little bit, so the commission kept yelling at us, ‘Sit down! Sit down! Sit down!’ And it almost reminded me of the old style. But Khabib’s an unbelievable corner, he gives unbelievable advice.”
