Almost! Dustin Poirier almost had a taste of undisputed gold during his main event fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302. But the champion showed why he’s levels above everybody else as he choked out ‘The Diamond’ in the 5th round. Disappointed by the result, Poirier revealed to Joe Rogan that this could have been his very last fight and now MMA Twitter is going through a meltdown.
The fight started well for Makhachev who shot at Poirier early on, secured a takedown, and kept him there for the rest of the round. Rounds two and there were along similar lines, but Poirier did a good job of defending most of them, even getting into a strike fest at regular intervals.
However, once Makhachev got the fight to the ground he did a good job of keeping it there. The fourth round was the closest with Dustin opening up the champion’s forehead with a well-timed elbow after escaping a takedown attempt.
Unfortunately, that was the last highlight of the night for Poirier as he couldn’t deal with Islam’s fight IQ while being spun around and caught in a D’arce choke and had to tap out.
Needless to say, fans had a lot to say about the fight, given how emotionally charged it was and with Dustin all but calling it his last fight.
One fan said, “bro was so lucky, Dustin was definitely up on the scorecards #ufc302”.
bro was so lucky, Dustin was definitely up on the scorecards #ufc302
— Dovy (@DovySimuMMA) June 2, 2024
This guy probably watched an episode of AEW or something. He said, “What a fight but Islam is so boring to watch”.
What a fight but Islam is so boring to watch
— Gold (fan) (@Goldco69) June 2, 2024
“Dustin retiring from MMA ?! Please God Noooooo”– commented a fan in disbelief
Dustin retiring from MMA ?!
Please God Noooooo#ufc302 pic.twitter.com/pU0F8Ohi3R— Raveesh Raj (@RaveeshRaj7603) June 2, 2024
“Aye yo Poirier need to chill w/ that ride off into the sunset talk son…. I ain ready for that yet…. Fkn legend! #ufc302”- commented a fan.
Aye yo Poirier need to chill w/ that ride off into the sunset talk son…. I ain ready for that yet…. Fkn legend! #ufc302 pic.twitter.com/schCEXZwMD
— David Dalí (@pemdave) June 2, 2024
But now that the dust has settled, Islam Makhachev had only one target on his mind as he all but put the welterweight division on notice.
‘Islam Makhachev: Double Champ’ sounds about right!
This was arguably the toughest fight that Makhachev has been in so far in his career. He was pushed to the limit and absorbed a significant amount of damage. However, he still found a way to win. Following his win, he had only one target on his mind, the welterweight title.
ISLAM MAKHACHEV SUBMITS DUSTIN POIRIER #UFC302 pic.twitter.com/8e5OYczFKK
— ESPN (@espn) June 2, 2024
In the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Islam stated that he wanted to cement his legacy by winning the belt at 170 pounds. He claimed that defending the title wasn’t fun anymore for him and he was craving a new challenge. And right now, that challenge is Leon Edwards’ welterweight title.