The Costa curse: can he ‘make’ Poirier champion against Makhachev at UFC 302?

One of the most anticipated UFC main event fights in the first half of 2024 is getting closer and combat sports fans are hyped for the battle of styles that promises to be the Islam Makhachev vs Dustin Poirier battle.

The Russian is the lightweight king and one of the most feared fighters in the entire company due to his lethal ground game and impressive record (25-1).

Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s disciple, is a massive favorite in his fight against the American, and he will try to defend his crown for the third time after beating Alexander Volkanovski twice.

His opponent, the charismatic and veteran Poirier, is one of the UFC’s best and most competitive fighters. The Louisiana native (30-8-1) is a former Interim UFC lightweight champion but has never won the UFC championship belt. He had the chance to get the glory in title fights twice against Charles Oliveira and Nurmagomedov, but he lost both clashes.

Dustin Poirier... the lightweight champion thanks to Paulo Costa?

Poirier, at 35, won’t be fighting much longer, as he has accumulated lots of damage in many fights through the years and is probably past his prime. However, The Diamond is one of those fighters who seems to be aging like fine wine, as his conditioning and results don’t seem to have worsened.

In his last fight against the young aggressive Benout Saint-Pierre, Poirier was an underdog, but he proved the oddsmakers wrong with another vicious performance that ended via KO in the second round.

Against Makhachev, he will have the third chance, and probably the last one, to fight for the title. The Russian has repeatedly underestimated him, but Poirier is confident he can pull off the upset and go home with the UFC gold. And there’s another factor that could prove crucial, the Paulo Costa curse.

The Brazilian will fight in his eighth PPV this weekend against former champion Sean Strickland, and his presence at UFC 302 could provide fans with a big surprise in the main event. No champion has defended titles when Costa fought on the undercard, meaning seven champions lost their titles every time he featured in a pay-per-view card.

One of those events, UFC 253, can be ruled out because he faced Israel Adesanya in the main event and tasted defeat by TKO in the second round. However, a new light heavyweight champion emerged, as Jan Blachowicz won the vacant title in the co-main fight.

Will Poirier have that ‘extra help’ from his Brazilian colleague to become the lightweight champion and fulfill his dream?