MMA
UFC 302: Islam Makhachev continues dominance by making Dustin Poirier tap
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The pound-for-pound best that mixed martial arts has to offer continues to tighten his stronghold over the lightweight division.
Islam Makhachev defeated a gritty Dustin Poirier via fifth-round submission (D'Arce choke) to retain his lightweight world championship in the UFC 302 headliner from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, and live on pay-per-view Saturday night.
The win marked Makhachev's 14th consecutive victory as the champ expressed his desire to add another title to his mantle and growing legacy.
"It's my dream," Makhachev told Joe Rogan in the Octagon, "I want to fight for the second belt."
Though he met a persistent challenger in Poirier, who stuffed a majority of Makhachev's takedowns, the champ scored key takedowns in the first, third and final round to pave his way toward the victory.
None of the takedowns were more important than the ankle pick that he used to drop Poirier before cinching in a tight D'arce choke that forced "The Diamond" to tap. It came after Poirier had a successful fourth round striking on his feet.
After the loss, which marked his third failed attempt to capture the lightweight world title, the 35-year-old Poirier (30-9, 1 No Contest) openly contemplated retirement.
"I'm not 100 percent but if this is my last fight, I want to dedicate this journey to the people who have made me the man I am," Poirier told Rogan before mentioning his grandmother, mother, wife and daughter.
Here's how the entire UFC 302 pay-per-view main card went.
