Jailton Almeida has backed Islam Makhachev to beat Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 this weekend.
The MMA franchise is back on Saturday, and heavyweight Almeida will be fighting Alexander Romanov. The winner can hope to clear a path for a heavyweight world title shot down the line, though Tom Aspinall might consider himself first in line to face Jon Jones when the American is back fit.
Also on the 302 card is Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier, with the latter being linked with retirement should he be beaten, given he is now 35.
Speaking to Stake, Almeida thinks the American will indeed come off second best.
He said: “I’m extremely excited about this fight. It will be electrifying. Dustin is a great striker. He will definitely be looking for the knockout.
“Islam is a great grappler, and a very hard trainer. He will be better prepared than Poirier. He will put [massive] amounts of pressure on Poirier and get the victory.”
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