Islam Makhachev believes Dustin Poirier will defeat Max Holloway at UFC 318

Islam Makhachev is of the belief that former rival Dustin Poirier will defeat Max Holloway in their UFC 318 main event.

Next weekend, Dustin Poirier will come face to face with Max Holloway for the third time in his career. It will also mark the final time that we see ‘The Diamond’ compete in mixed martial arts. He’s made it clear that this is his retirement bout and while there’s always a chance he could change his mind, the fact that it’s in his home state of Louisiana would imply that he’s not going to go back on his word.

RELATED: Max Holloway has major plans if he ruins Dustin Poirier’s retirement fight at UFC 318

There are so many great things that could be said about Dustin Poirier. Even though he never became a fully-fledged world champion, he captured the imagination of the masses throughout the course of his career. That includes his most recent attempt at winning a title against Islam Makhachev, one of the best lightweights of all time.

In a recent interview, Makhachev gave his thoughts on how the trilogy between Poirier and Holloway – which Dustin currently leads 2-0 – is going to go.

Makhachev’s view on Poirier vs Holloway

“I think Dustin will win,” Makhachev told MMA Junkie. “He told me this is his last fight and I think he’s going to be ready. He’s going to be ready. He’s going to win, I think.”

“Dustin is a very good guy,” Makhachev said. “From my opponents I respect two guys: (Alexander) Volkanovski and Dustin. They’re really nice guys. I send them messages.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Do you believe that Dustin Poirier will get the job done against Max Holloway? If so, how exactly do you picture the fight playing out? Let us know your thoughts on this, BJPENN Nation!