Comparison with hunting, daughter’s promise and colleagues ’forecasts: Nurmagomedov-Porye’s battle is nine days away

New wisdom of Nurmagomedov

There is nine days left before the title fight of the Absolute Fighting Championship (UFC) in lightweight between Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov and American Dustin Porie. Opponents continue to talk about the preparation process, share plans for continuing their careers, and also exchange harsh statements. Both have already arrived in the United Arab Emirates, where UFC 242 will take place on September 7th.

So, the current owner of the belt again shared his wisdom in which one can trace his attitude not only to the training process, but also to the upcoming fight. In the form of a metaphor, the fighter compared himself with an eagle (it is under this nickname that he is known in the world of MMA), and Porrier with prey.

“On September 7, a hungry eagle will go hunting. Only one thing makes you lazy - it's a full belly, but in my case it will not be so, so first I will have to take off and only then ... Nothing has changed, everything will be as usual. We will fly to hunt and catch prey, ”Nurmagomedov said in a video posted on Mendes’s Instagram page.

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Posted by Javier Mendez (@akajav) Aug 28, 2019 at 5:02 am PDT

At the same time, the life of a Russian is not reduced solely to training. His manager Rizvan Magomedov shared a joint photo with his ward. According to him, at that moment they were discussing "poetry and the problems of journalism of modern literature."

“There’s always something to talk with Habib. In the meantime, we move smoothly to the final week of preparation. Everything is going according to plan, ”Magomedov assured.

Porrier Plans

In turn, Porrier spoke about the final stage of preparation for the battle with Nurmagomedov. He admitted that he is at the peak of his form, and also fully trusts his coaches, with whom he has been collaborating for many years.

“I have already fought many battles and realize how risky what we are doing. If I get too focused on Habib’s takedowns, I’ll skip overhand from him. If I think too much about overhands, he will knock me down. Everything needs balance. Of course, we look at the expense of what he wins, and think over what can be opposed to him. Nevertheless, we are still talking about all the elements of mixed martial arts, ”Porye quotes MMAJankie.

According to him, he completed the preparatory process at a training camp in the United States and is now working on his weight. At the same time, the American is already thinking about who will become his rival if he succeeds in winning the title.

“The next 100% should be Tony Ferguson. I don’t think for a second, Tony is next, ”added Porrier.

Before flying to the UAE, Porrier posted a short video on his Instagram page with his three-year-old daughter Parker Noelle, in which he promised to bring the champion belt.

“I will bring it to you, baby. I can’t wait, ”said the fighter.

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Posted by Dustin Poirier (@dustinpoirier) Aug 27, 2019 at 8:53 am PDT

Forecasts for the battle

While the fighters are entering the final stage of preparation, their colleagues, current and former athletes and experts continue to make predictions about the outcome of the main meeting of the year, as well as discuss the advantages of both rivals. As for the favorite of the confrontation, here the scales are leaning in favor of Nurmagomedov. At the same time, many say that Porrier will show him decent resistance.

So, according to former UFC champion Oleg Taktarov, the Russians were not easy to get their last fights, and therefore we can assume that in Abu Dhabi he will not look like an indisputable favorite.

“Habib with Conor McGregor was also not easy. But not the way it will be now. You are a champion, they are discussing, studying you, now you are forced to think about how to make money. You don’t have that drive anymore, because everything seems to have appeared in your life, ”Taktarov said in an interview with the YouTube channel“ From Heart to Heart ”.

More harsh in his judgment was former UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington. In his opinion, Porrier knows well the strengths and weaknesses of Nurmagomedov, so the advantage will be on his side.

“Dustin will take Habib to pieces. Porrier may well stop Nurmagomedov’s attempts to transfer the battle to the ground. He is good at standing, he has excellent boxing skills, and the Russian has not the strongest jaw, he can be caught in an uppercut. In a duel with Michael Johnson, he already flew in, ”the American told theScoreMMA.

The opposite point of view is held by the Russian MMA fighter Denis Goltsov.

“Dustin has no chance. Habib conducts battles with fighters of any elements and confidently defeated them. And I think that Porye is unlikely to show something supernatural, ”RIA Novosti quoted Goltsov as saying.

In turn, the representative of the heavy weight category Curtis Blades suggested that Nurmagomedov would win if he manages to prolong the fight.

“I like both fighters. Habib’s fight is simply amazing. I can’t imagine how Porrier can avoid a permanent stall from an opponent. Dustin's only chance is to drop Nurmagomedov with a blow at the very beginning of the battle. There are no other options. Otherwise, many takedowns will exhaust him and he will be left without strength, ”says Blades.