Kevin Lee says ‘it might be a long night for Khabib’ against Dustin Poirier

At UFC 242, Khabib Nurmagomedov will look to defend his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi. The champion is already a big betting favorite.

Although the odds are against Poirier, UFC welterweight Kevin Lee believes it is a much tougher fight for Nurmagomedov than many think. The reason for that thinking is simple. He suspects Poirier’s footwork will be too good for Khabib.

“I don’t know. I really don’t know. Before the Max fight, I would have for sure been like Khabib is going to blow him out of the water. He is going to take him down and be too big,” Lee said on the Joe Rogan Experience.

Although the likes of Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, and Max Holloway had trouble getting Poirier down, Rogan added that Nurmagomedov is different.

However, Kevin Lee knows just how important footwork is to stuffing takedowns. And, if “The Diamond” can stay on his feet, “The Motown Phenom” says it’ll be a long night for the undefeated fighter Nurmagomedov.

“The way Dustin’s footwork was looking, that is what makes you think about it. Khabib is a one train mind, he is going to come at you. You know what he is going to do, too. If Dustin can, not even necessarily can outwrestle him, it is way easier to play defense on wrestling than offense. And, if you have got great footwork like that to keep your back off the fence. It might be a long night for Khabib. It is a good fight. He’s southpaw, that is going to play a big factor in it. It is a little harder to get in on those shots.”

Ultimately, both Joe Rogan and Kevin Lee understand the key to Dustin Poirier’s success is to stuff the takedowns. And, the 26-year-old is confident that Poirier can and will do that.

Who do you think will win the fight between Kevin Lee and Dustin Poirier?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/6/2019.