UFC 302 was headlined by a lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier.
Islam Makhachev (26-1 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since scoring a nasty knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski at October’s UFC 294 event in Abu Dhabi. That victory had marked the Dagestani’s thirteenth in a row and second defense of the lightweight title.
Meanwhile, Dustin Poirier (30-9 MMA) was most previously seen in action at March’s UFC 299 event, where he scored a sensational second-round knockout victory over Benoit Saint-Denis. That win was of course preceded by a knockout loss to Justin Gaethje in a fight for the BMF title at UFC 291.
UFC 302 main event resulted in a thrilling back and forth affair. Islam Makhachev was able to get off to a strong start in the opening round, dominating Dustin Poirier on the canvas. However, ‘The Diamond’ had a much better second frame and was able to gain some confidence. Round three resulted in another good round for Makhachev, as he was once again able to get the fight to the floor. Then, in round four, ‘The Diamond’ was able to find success on the feet, opening up a bad cut on the reigning champ. Despite his best efforts, Poirier wound up getting taken down in the fifth and final round, which allowed Islam to lock up a fight-ending d’arce choke submission.
Official UFC 302 Results: Islam Makhachev def. Dustin Poirier via submission (d’arce choke) in Round 5
Check out how the pros reacted to ‘Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier’ fight at UFC 302 below:
Post-fight reactions to Islam Makhachev defeating Dustin Poirier at UFC 302:
Who would you like to see Islam Makhachev fight next following his submission victory over Dustin Poirier this evening in New Jersey?