UFC 302 full results: Islam Makhachev retains belt with 5th-round submission of Dustin Poirier
In perhaps the most dangerous bout of his reign as UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev lived up to his title as the promotion's top pound-for-pound fighter.
The Russian defeated UFC veteran Dustin Poirier with a fifth-round submission to defend his belt in a fight that seemed to be trending against him in the later rounds. He spent much of the fight in control on the ground, but was stuffed on several takedown events and was sporting a gnarly forehead cut going into the fifth.
The whole effort looked like it would be a lot easier in the first round, when Makhachev clocked Poirier, took him down and took his back, spending the next four minutes looking for a choke or arm triangle. Poirier fought all of those attempts off and started to find his footing in the second round. It has proven to be borderline impossible to beat Makhachev on the ground, but Poirier fought him off as much as he needed to and landed some big strikes to keep the fight fairly even.
With the Prudential Center in Newark crowd firmly behind the American underdog, an upset very much seemed possible had Poirier won the fifth round. Makhachev snuffed out that threat with a D'Arce choke and was soon being mobbed by his corner as Poirier laid on the floor, either unconscious or close to it.
Негізгі бет UFC 302 full results: Islam Makhachev retains belt with 5th-round submission of Dustin Poirier
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