Islam Makhachev Submits Dustin Poirier at UFC 302

Islam Makhachev defended his UFC lightweight championship Saturday after submitting Dustin Poirier in the fifth round with a D’arce choke at the UFC 302 event, which took place inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Poirier put up a valiant effort, opening up a nasty gash on Makhachev’s face and making him wear a mask of blood but, ultimately, this fight finished like so many others that Makhachev has competed in — with an oppressive fighting style in which he displays elite skills as both a kickboxer and a grappler.

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Makhachev vs Poirier Was a Bruising, Bloody Battle

The UFC champion retained his title with a D’arce choke

Kickboxing early from Makhachev, landing solid strikes, before initiating a takedown in the very first minute of the fight and successfully bringing Poirier to the floor, and keeping him there into the third minute of the round. From there, Makhachev attempted a kimura which Poirier escaped from, yet the bad news kept on coming for the American as he found himself wrapped in Makhachev’s arms, finding openings for a rear-naked choke. Poirier managed to survive the opener, but it was one in which Makhachev asserted his dominance throughout, for a clear 10-8 round.

Countering a Poirier leg kick with a takedown early in round two, Makhachev was unable to keep him on the ground, as Poirier got back to his feet, prompting chants of “USA! USA! USA!” from the crowd. Poirier had far more success in the second, largely because the fight was mostly on the feet, and so he could throw all kinds of fistic weaponry at Makhachev, forcing him to retreat into positions he’d not gone to in the first. There were left hands, powerful rights, and body shots — all from Poirier, yet the takedown never seemed far away. Sure enough, Makhachev scored a single-leg moments before the break.

Knee strikes damaged Poirier in the third, as Makhachev slowly brought Poirier to the ground with his back to the fence barely a minute into the round. In a vulnerable position, on his back with Makhachev underneath him, Poirier was back to where he was from the first, looking to defend against the champion’s oppressive submission attempts with a lot of room to work. Poirier, though, was back to his feet with two minutes left. He jabbed, but appeared more sluggish, with blood pouring from his face. Between rounds, when on his stool, Poirier told his corner that he “shattered his nose again,” suggesting he was nursing a break.

The championship rounds followed a similar theme in which Makhachev asserted tremendous control during grappling exchanges, yet Poirier could never seemingly be counted out, and though he had likely lost every round, he remained competitive throughout. A left elbow that thudded against Makhachev’s skull opened up a nasty gash that required urgent attention from his cutman before the fifth.

In the fifth, it was Makhachev’s turn to appear sluggish, throwing knee strikes in far slower fashion than he did earlier in the fight, while wearing a mask of blood, and getting tagged further by Poirier’s peppering punches. Midway through the round, he looked for a D’arce choke, and secured the last-gasp tap in the fifth.

By the end, it was a valiant attempt from Poirier, but Makhachev showed — once again — that he’s not only the heir apparent to Khabib Nurmagomedov, but a fighter carving his own elite, historic, legacy.

Makhachev Reacts to His Thrilling Win at UFC 302

The UFC lightweight champ credited Poirier for being a ‘legend’

Before he even spoke of his win, Makhachev told UFC commentator Joe Rogan, during the ESPN broadcast, that credit had to also go to Poirier for the type of fight that he fought.

On the finish, he said: “It’s one of my favorite chokes. I tried it, and it happened.”

Summing up Makhachev, Poirier said simply: “He’s the champ.”

After the official announcement, which advanced Makhachev’s pro MMA record to 26 wins (five KOs, and 12 submissions) against just one defeat.