Islam Makhachev choked out Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 to defend his lightweight world title.
The Russian protege of UFC icon Khabib Nurmagomedov was unbeaten since 2015 going into the third defence of his undisputed lightweight belt. Poirier had been choked out in both of his past world title fights and was hoping history wouldn't repeat itself against the UFC's pound-for-pound No.1 fighter in Makhachev.
It didn’t even take a minute for Makhachev to take Poirier down in the fight as he slammed the American to the mat before taking his back just moments later. Makhachev was hunting for a rear-naked choke but Poirier defended well and had more success on the feet in the second round.
Poirier’s face was a bloody mess going into the championship rounds as Makhachev continued to take him down and look for the submission. A nasty cut opened up on Makhachev’s head but the champion showed resilience and choked Poirier out in the final round with a d'arce choke.
"Dustin prepared very good, he defended my takedowns and gave me a hard time," Makhachev said after his win. "He is a legend of this sport. That was one of my favourite chokes, it doesn’t matter whether I am tired or not. I want to fight for the second belt and feel that energy again, I need a new belt."
“He’s the champ, I thought I was starting to chip away from him but he kept coming back. I know I can compete with the best of these guys, but if I fight again what am I fighting for? I think this could be it, if this is my last fight I want to dedicate this journey to the people who made me who I am and that’s the women in my life," Poirier said.
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