Makhachev defends his UFC lightweight title

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion Islam Makhachev defeated US fighter Dustin Poirier and defended his title for the third time.

The fight became the main event of the UFC 302 tournament, which took place in Newark, the USA on the night of June 1-2.

The Russian fighter defeated his opponent with a D'arce choke in the fifth round.

Islam Makhachev became the promotion's lightweight champion in the fall of 2022, defeating Brazilian fighter Charles Oliveira in the main fight. After that, he defended the title three times. Twice his opponent was the representative of Australia Alexander Volkanovski. The second fighter who tried to take the championship title from Makhachev was Dustin Poirier.

Makhachev's comment
In an interview after the fight, the Russian fighter paid tribute to his today's opponent.

"His trainer did a very good job. He is a legend, a true champion. Dustin was brilliantly prepared. Poirier was able to give me a lot of difficulties. This is one of my favorite chokes. And I don’t care if I’m tired or fresh",

Islam Makhachev said.

He also stated that he wanted to try to win a belt in another weight category in the future.

"This is my dream. I want to fight for the second belt. Welterweight. Yes, this is my dream",

the Russian fighter said.

Poirier reaction
Summing up the results of the fight, the US fighter recognized the strength of his opponent, calling him a real champion.

"He's a real champion. I did a lot of work, avoiding takedowns. I had a lot of success. But when Islam went for the choke, I knew it was the end",

Dustin Poirier said.

He also emphasized that he could not yet say anything about his future plans.

New record
By defeating Poirier, Makhachev set a new record for the longest winning streak in UFC history among lightweight fighters. Today's victory was his 13th in a row. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson previously managed to defeat their opponents in 12 fights in a row.