At UFC 302 in Newark, New Jersey, Islam Makhachev defended his UFC lightweight title against veteran Dustin Poirier with a fifth-round submission. The fight was the main event of the evening, and Makhachev managed to make Poirier tap out in the final round.
As the fight entered the fifth round, Makhachev was showing a significant forehead cut due to takedowns by Poirier in the previous rounds. However, Makhachev was able to turn the tables on his opponent and secure the victory by submission at 2:42 of the last round. This win marked Makhachev’s 14th consecutive victory in UFC, a streak that began in 2016 with a win over Chris Wade.
On the other hand, Poirier has been alternating wins and losses in his last six fights and hinted at the possibility of retiring from UFC after this defeat. Saturday’s bout was the third time Makhachev successfully defended his lightweight title.
In other fights that night, Sean Strickland defeated Paulo Costa in a middleweight bout by split decision, while Kevin Holland won against Michal Oleksiejczuk in a middleweight fight by submission in the first round. Additionally, welterweights Niko Price and Randy Brown both emerged victorious in their respective fights. Price won by unanimous decision while Brown won by unanimous decision as well.
