Khabib Nurmagomedov expects Islam Makhachev to defend his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier in convincing fashion at UFC 302 . Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC), a retired former 155-pound titleholder and a primary coach for Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC), has been diligently preparing his athlete to face a previous opponent of his own in Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) on Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+ ). Poirier comes into the fight as a sizeable underdog against Makhachev, who is No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie pound-for-pound rankings
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