Dustin Poirier Alleges Huge Weight Disparity Against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302

While Dustin Poirier is widely expected to earn a place in the UFC Hall of Fame, the Louisiana native never managed to capture undisputed gold. However, a closer look at his three title-fight losses highlights the level of competition he faced: Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242, Charles Oliveira at UFC 269, and Islam Makhachev at UFC 302.

All three opponents held noticeable size advantages over Poirier, but ‘The Diamond’ recently singled out Makhachev, pointing to his physicality and alleged fight-night weight as particularly unusual. The former interim champion highlighted the impact of extreme weight cuts and subsequent rehydration, claiming that Makhachev was significantly heavier when they faced off at the Prudential Center in June 2024.

Dustin Poirier Claims Islam Makhachev Weighed Around 192 Pounds on Fight Night at UFC 302

During a recent appearance on episode #176 of The JRE MMA Show, Dustin Poirier recalled the sheer size he encountered when facing Islam Makhachev in 2024. At the time, the Dagestani was in the midst of a dominant lightweight title reign that began at UFC 280 and included back-to-back wins over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 and UFC 294. 

However, discussions about his difficult weight cuts had already surfaced, with Makhachev himself hinting at a potential move to welterweight well before it eventually materialized. Making the lightweight limit was no easy task, often requiring significant cuts, something Poirier said became evident on fight night. 

Under the bright lights, he immediately realized he was sharing the Octagon with one of the biggest lightweights he had ever seen. He said, “I looked across under those spotlights, and he had veins in his shoulders and shit. I’m like fuck, this guy’s huge.”

‘The Diamond’ went on to reveal that he later gained insight into the UFC’s internal fight-night weight records, figures that are typically not made public, except in select jurisdictions like California.

Poirier explained the same and added, “Islam is huge. He’s huge. Hunter [Campbell] from the UFC, I was in his office not too long ago, and they keep a record of all the weights [from] fight night. They don’t release it all, but they keep it. We were talking about the Islam fight when I fought Islam, and he was telling me about his weight, and I was like that’s insane. 192 [pounds] or something, I think. I think so. 190, 191, something around there.”

 

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The Louisiana native then compared it to his own weight inside the Octagon, highlighting the stark difference. He said, “I was 176 [pounds].” If accurate, that would suggest a dramatic rehydration of over 30 pounds in less than 24 hours after weighing in at 155 pounds. However, Makhachev was quick to dispute the claim after the clip circulated online.

“I’ve never weighed more than 80 kg [176 pounds], ever,” Makhachev wrote on Telegram. For context, Makhachev officially weighed 178 pounds on fight night for his title bout at UFC 311 in California, data that was publicly disclosed due to the state’s regulations, roughly seven months after his clash with Poirier at UFC 302.

 

Soon after, Makhachev vacated the lightweight title and moved up to welterweight, where he captured gold with a dominant win over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322, becoming a two-division champion. Whether Poirier’s estimate was exaggerated or not, Makhachev has long been regarded as one of the larger lightweights in the sport, and now, competing at 170lbs, he continues to build on that imposing reputation.