Dustin Poirier put in an impressive showing against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302, but ultimately, it wasn’t enough to halt the Dagestani’s reign atop the 155 lbs division. With the crowd chanting for Poirier, the Prudential Center in New Jersey was filled with fans wanting to see ‘The Diamond’ finally add the elusive, undisputed lightweight title to his already impressive resume. The build-up to the clash was largely understated and filled with mutual respect, except for a brief ‘misunderstanding’ during the final press conference.

In an interview with ESPN, Makhachev stated, “I respect him, he’s a great fighter, he’s a legend, he did a lot of jobs for this sport. But tomorrow night I have to finish him.” And while the fight was an all-out war, the Dagestani champion lived up to his statement as he ended Poirier’s dreams of finally securing the belt. However, during a post-fight interaction, ‘The Diamond’ made a startling confession to his opponent as he revealed what happened when he got caught in Makhachev’s D’arce choke!

Dustin Poirier reveals what happened during main event finish at UFC 302

Islam Makhachev continues to solidify his legacy in the UFC and with a decisive victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 302, Makhachev has extended his winning streak to 14, remaining unbeaten since his loss to Adriano Martins all the way back in 2015 at UFC 192.

The bout, featuring two southpaw fighters, showcased Makhachev’s grappling prowess and Poirier’s resilience. Early in the first round, Makhachev shot for a takedown and quickly secured it. He attempted a kimura but transitioned into a body lock, maintaining control on the ground as Poirier defended multiple rear-naked choke attempts. The Louisiana native displayed a stellar grappling defense against Makhachev and even landed some heavy shots of his own as the fight went on, which left the champion bloodied by the end of the fight from a cut to his forehead.

In the second round, Poirier initially defended well against Makhachev’s takedowns. He managed to fend off a single-leg attempt and landed more strikes, pressuring Makhachev with body shots and uppercuts in the clinch. Despite Poirier’s efforts, Makhachev secured another takedown at the end of the round.

Round three saw Makhachev land a significant knee up the middle before clinching with Poirier. Makhachev dragged Poirier to the ground next to the fence, establishing a body lock once again. Poirier, bleeding from a jab that busted his nose, managed to escape to his feet after Makhachev moved into full mount. However, Poirier’s eye began to trouble him by the end of the round, exacerbated by a clash of heads.

However, in the fifth and final round, Makhachev sealed his victory. Poirier tapped out to a D’arce choke at 2:42 and with this win, Makhachev successfully defended his title for the third time, tying Khabib Nurmagomedov’s record for title defenses in the lightweight division.

And in a post-fight interaction between the two warriors, Poirier made a startling revelation as he confessed to Makhachev that he “went out” as soon as he tapped out to the choke as the referee stopped the fight. This loss marked Poirier’s 3rd loss in his attempts at becoming the undisputed UFC LW champion and in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, he stated, “I think this could be it, honestly Joe”, leaving fans wondering what the future holds for the fan-favorite fighter.

But while Poirier was left questioning his future, the champion has already got his sights set on a goal that his mentor and coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov wasn’t able to accomplish in his UFC run.

Islam Makhachev sets his sights on becoming ‘champ-champ’

During his post-fight interview inside the Octagon, Islam Makhachev put the UFC’s welterweight division on notice! He stated, “It’s my dream, I want to fight for the second belt” and revealed that defending his belt doesn’t “…feel the same” anymore.

The 170 lbs title is currently held by Leon Edwards, and he will be defending it against Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 on July 27, and so, it remains to be seen if ‘Rocky’ will be able to hold on to his title against Muhammad and set-up a clash against Makhachev in the near future. However, with Arman Tsarukyan having secured his no. 1 contender spot with a win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300, there’s still some unfinished business left at 155 lbs for the Dagestani champion.

Do you think Islam Makhachev should settle the score with Arman Tsarukyan before he moves up to welterweight? And is this the end for Dustin Poirier in the UFC? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!