UFC 302 title challenger Dustin Poirier is under no illusion about Khabib Nurmagomedov's superiority on the night of September 7, 2019.
Poirier is currently days away from his third crack at reaching the undisputed lightweight throne on MMA's biggest stage, He's set to challenge the reign of Islam Makhachev in the main event of this weekend's pay-per-view.
Inside Newark's Prudential Center, "The Diamond" will look to avoid falling to the fate he did opposite Khabib in 2019 and Charles Oliveira two years later. In both the unification showdown with the Dagestani and title bid against the Brazilian, Poirier was submitted in round three.
While the results read almost exactly the same on paper, the Louisianan fan favorite looks back on them very differently...
Poirier Acknowlegdes He Wasn't Ready To Handle Khabib's Skills In 2019 Title Shot
During a recent fight week interview with ESPN MMA, Poirier previewed what could serve as both his final championship opportunity and last fight overall as an active competitor in the Octagon.
When assessing his previous title failures, "The Diamond" was asked whether he regrets certain moments in his defeats to "The Eagle" and "Do Bronx" in Abu Dhabi and Las Vegas, respectively.
The Khabib fight, not really," Poirier said. "Obviously I wish I would have performed better and won. But I was just outmatched, outgunned. I can say that honestly with where I'm at with my life and in fighting. I'm comfortable with saying that. I just wasn't prepared the way I needed to be for what he was bringing.
In the Charles fight, there's more things that I look back at and say, 'Damn, I shouldn't have done that... I wish that didn't happen,'" Poirier continued. "Yeah (mystique played a part against Khabib). I felt that the first time I fought Conor (McGregor) as well. I think I'm past that, the aura of people... fighting not only the person, but the crowd, the media, the critics. I don't have that anymore. I'm fighting Islam.
Following Saturday night, Poirier will be hoping to look back on his third chance at achieving undisputed champ status more positively.
That will be no easy feat, however, with Makhachev shooting for a record-tying third successful title defense in the UFC 302 main event as a heavy favorite.