Order now! UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier, Saturday at 10pm ET on ESPN+
If a champion is defined by the quality of his rivalries, Islam Makhachev has built one hell of a resume.
In the main event of UFC 302 on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey, Makhachev (26-1) encountered stiff resistance from the plucky and dangerous Dustin Poirier (30-9, 1 no-hitter) and earned a dramatic finish.
The two lightweight greats began the bout with some intense stand-up action, but as expected, the champion immediately got to work on the wrestling. Makhachev changed levels within the first minute, slamming “The Diamond” into the base of the fence. From there, he went on the offensive with a massive top game. Poirier wasn’t done yet, dodging the champion’s kimura and taking to his knees, but Makhachev got behind him and locked in a body triangle for a choke. Poirier avoided submissions or any major damage and survived until the end of the round, but the pattern was set.
Poirier blocked Makhachev’s first two takedown attempts in the second round, squirming both times to keep his feet. But Makhachev’s wrestling techniques thwarted Poirier’s stand-up moves, allowing the champion to gain the upper hand on the stand-up front. When Poirier fended off a third takedown attempt and pinned the champion against the cage, the crowd roared, perhaps sensing a ray of hope for the underdog. That hope grew when Poirier scored with two solid punch combinations. Makhachev finally scored his first takedown of the second round with just seconds left in the bout.
In the third round, Makhachev quickly regained his rhythm, backing Poirier against the fence and dragging him down in typical Dagestan style before taking the mount with nearly four minutes remaining. As Makhachev moved to mount, the challenger slipped out the back door and to his feet, as the Newark crowd erupted in roars. Makhachev hung on for the rest of the round, overpowering Poirier and injuring his left eye while avoiding the Louisiana native’s vaunted power. Poirier landed two sharp, heavy punches in the final seconds and, although the two exchanged respectful words at the horn, it felt like the fight was far from over.
Poirier knocked the champion’s head back with a powerful jab to open the championship rounds, then blocked Makhachev’s first takedown attempt in the fourth round. The crowd erupted in cheers, followed by chants of the challenger’s name. Makhachev responded with a powerful combination of punches, pushed him against the fence, and went for a planned takedown. He was successful on his second attempt, sinking a hook quickly and putting all of his weight on Poirier. Poirier appeared close to taking the back mount when Poirier exploded with an inside switch (common in wrestling but not often seen in MMA) and rose to his feet. Poirier scored with a flurry of punches, forcing Makhachev against the fence for another clinch attempt, and Poirier survived the round with a front headlock. This may be one of Makhachev’s few losses in the Octagon.
Entering the final round, Poirier, with some momentum but almost certainly hopelessly behind on the scorecards, was firing on all cylinders. The challenger landed hard jabs, hit Makhachev with left crosses, and fended off the champion’s first takedown attempt with what could only be described as disdain. Makhachev fought back in the stand-up and successfully took Poirier down with another takedown attempt. After a brief scramble, Makhachev locked in the Bravo choke, forcing the challenger to tap at 2 minutes, 42 seconds into the fifth round.
Order now! UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier, Saturday at 10pm ET on ESPN+
The win marked Makhachev’s third title defense, solidifying his place on the list of the greatest lightweight boxers of all time and putting him in open discussion of winning the welterweight belt. Former interim lightweight champion Poirier is now undefeated at 0-3 in title fights and has dismissed thoughts of retirement. Whatever decision Poirier makes, his status as one of the best lightweight boxers of his era and one of the most beloved of any era will remain intact.
In the co-main event, Shawn Strickland (29-6) asserted his right to challenge for the middleweight title he once held, defeating Paulo Costa (14-4) in five tough rounds.
Costa, a former title challenger, made his presence felt immediately, landing several hard kicks to Strickland’s lead leg and causing the former champion to switch stances within the first 30 seconds. But Strickland kept coming forward, landing his trademark one-twos and surprisingly heavy front kicks to the torso. By the five-minute mark, Strickland had the momentum; he spent the final four minutes frustrating Costa by forcing him to back off and attacking him with painful, single strikes. Strickland continued to apply the pressure, forcing Costa to back off and limiting his attacks to single strikes.
Leg kicks continued to score points for “Borrachinha,” but were otherwise not very effective in the second round, only strengthening the impression that Borrachinha looked off-balance rather than stunned when Strickland took him down in the final seconds of the bout. Strickland began to pick up steam in the middle rounds, widening out his punching combinations and paring back on his striking, forcing Costa against the fence and rocking him with a flurry of punches. Shortly after, Strickland blocked a low kick, and Costa escaped in favor of his feet.
As the third and fourth rounds progressed, Strickland’s relentless advance and constant stream of jabs and crosses continued to take their toll on Strickland. However, Costa had his best work in the fourth round, bringing back his heavy leg kicks and starting to attack Strickland’s body. Costa tried his best to keep up his momentum in the final round, continuing to attack Strickland’s legs and body, but Strickland stuck to the same basic approach that had gotten him this far. This round looked like it would be another solid one with Strickland dominating, but in the final moments, Strickland unleashed a flurry of head kicks and punches that rocked Costa and nearly slammed him against the fence. It was a no-contest, but Strickland left no doubt about who won the round, except for judge Dave Tirelli, who awarded Costa a puzzling 49-46 decision. Fortunately for Costa, the other two judges scored the fight 49-46 and 50-45 in Strickland’s favor, giving him the split decision victory. The win in Strickland’s first appearance since losing the belt to Dorricus du Plessis improved Strickland to 16-6 in the UFC, while Costa fell to 6-4 in the Octagon.
Kevin Holland (26-11, 1 KO) took down Michal Oleksiejczuk (19-8, 1 KO) quickly, but “quick” does not mean “easy.” The middleweights quickly got going, trading punches while getting out of range. Oleksiejczuk caught Holland with a hard left and sent him to the canvas. “Hussar” pounced for the finish, shaking him off with hammer fists, but Holland regained his composure and went for the arm. Oleksiejczuk, either unaware of the situation or underestimating the danger, didn’t go for the armbar until Holland had leaned back for the finish. A tense fight ensued, with Holland adjusting his grip and the angle of Oleksiejczuk’s right arm while the Pole tried to hang on valiantly. After a long hiatus, referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the fight at 1 minute, 34 seconds into the first round due to a possible dislocated elbow on Oleksiejczuk’s arm. Although Oleksiejczuk protested that he couldn’t use his arm, the bout was recorded as a technical submission victory for Holland. Holland is now 13-7 with one no-contest at UFC, while Oleksiejczuk’s record is 6-5 with one no-contest.
On the welterweight main card, Niko Price (16-7, 2 NC) defeated Alex Morono (24-10, 1 NC), highlighting the results of their first meeting in 2017. Price was victorious in the bout, but the result was overturned due to a positive drug test after the fight. A back-and-forth first round saw both fighters score with powerful punches. The difference came on the ground, where Morono gained a variety of advantageous positions, including an omoplata and a bizarre attempt at a crucifix. However, Price came out strong in the second round, backing up a suddenly tiring-looking Morono, repeatedly rocking him with powerful punches. With his second chance, Price seized the opportunity to force Morono to the ground, where he was forced to briefly resist an armbar attempt, putting him on the defensive. Morono surged to top position and got to his feet to get behind Price, but Price reversed and maintained the advantage until the horn sounded. Price continued to apply pressure in the final round, shoving down an exhausted Morono and supporting him with punches. Price was clearly tiring late in the round, but continued to advance and land punches until the horn sounded. The judges, as well as most of the crowd, saw the Florida native win 29-28, giving Morono a UFC record of 9-7 with two no-contests to Morono’s 13-7 with one no-contest.
In the first bout on the main card, Randy Brown (19-5) defeated Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (24-8-1) after three intense rounds. “Rude Boy” started strong, slamming dos Santos with long jabs and kicks, and struggling to fend off his opponent’s counterattacks in the first round. Brown’s momentum seemed to gain momentum when dos Santos was inadvertently poked in the eye, and referee Gaspar Oliver gave both fighters no time to recover before immediately ordering the fight to resume. Brown took advantage and continued his offensive, catching a close call from dos Santos with a powerful knee strike late in the round. Dos Santos came out stronger in the second round, catching Brown with a hard right punch early on and scoring a takedown that got him behind Brown. Brown held on and got to his feet, but dos Santos persevered, once again taking the back mount and securing a body triangle for a rear-naked choke. The fight looked so close to being over that Brown’s eyes popped out, but he kept his cool and dodged punches that forced his opponent to give up the choke. However, dos Santos maintained his dominance, forcing Brown into a total defensive position for much of the rest of the round. With 40 seconds left, Brown exploded to his feet, got behind dos Santos and went for the choke himself. He couldn’t get it done as time expired, but Brown likely escaped a 10-8 score and turned the tide. In the final round, Brown began to take control. Whether emboldened by his success late in the second round or because dos Santos was tiring, Brown landed with confidence, fending off an early takedown attempt from dos Santos and landing another intercepting knee, this time opening a serious cut on the Brazilian’s head. Dos Santos had some flashes in the third round, including a grazed spinning head kick early and a takedown late in the bout, but it wasn’t enough to sway the judges, and Brown won by unanimous decision, 29-28. The win moved the tall Jamaican to 13-5 in the UFC and moved him closer to the top 10 in the welterweight division, while dos Santos dropped to 10-4-1.
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