Islam Makhachev still stands tall atop the UFC lightweight division.
Makhachev fended off a ferocious effort from Dustin Poirier at UFC 302, choking out the former interim champion with a fifth-round D’arce choke to successfully defend his UFC lightweight title at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. It was a thrilling affair, one which immediately joins the short list for 2024’s Fight of the Year, and it buoyed up a UFC 302 card that otherwise lacked in big moments — even if the champ would prefer otherwise.
“I think I saved this card today,” Makhachev said with a laugh at UFC 302’s post-fight press conference. “Because all these fights [were] boring and the whole arena [was] almost asleep. And we showed with Dustin [a] great performance.
“Honestly, it’s a very good fight, but I don’t like when you have the cut, everything is pain now, tomorrow I think it’s going to be more pain. But Dustin is a dog. He will bite, kick, punch. Happy to finish him, but this guy is one of the best, still one of the best in the world.”
Makhachev, 32, did indeed have to dig deep to dispatch Poirier. Despite dominating the fight early, Makhachev had to overcome a second wind from his American challenger, especially after Poirier opened a wide cut on Makhachev’s face in the middle rounds. Yet with blood pouring down his face, Makhachev tapped into his championship meddle and secured the fight-ending choke with a gorgeous sequence in the bout’s final minutes.
“I think it’s my first cut,” Makhachev said. “It’s OK. This is MMA, this is not soccer, not basketball. This is MMA. We fight, try to crush each other, beat each other, and Dustin today gave me a hard time.”
With a third title defense now under his belt, Makhachev moves into a five-way tie for the most consecutive defenses of the lightweight belt in UFC history, joining B.J. Penn, Benson Henderson, Frankie Edgar, and his longtime mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov. One more win and Makhachev will take sole possession of a record that has long seemed impossible for anyone in the division to reach. But if the champ had his druthers, he’d go a different route.
His primary goal remains to move up to welterweight and capture a second UFC title.
“I don’t follow the [people who say I] beat some record or something like this. If you want a great legacy, you have to get second belt. It’s my opinion,” Makhachev said.
“Who doesn’t want to be double champion? This is history. How many double champs [do] we have? This is a dream for all fighters to get [a] second belt. This is my dream.”
Makhachev may have to wait for the chance to fulfill that dream, however.
UFC CEO Dana White announced Saturday night that the promotion is interested in booking a rematch with Arman Tsarukyan for Makhachev’s next fight. Makhachev previously defeated Tsarukyan via unanimous decision in Tsarukyan’s short-notice UFC debut in 2019.
White also expressed a willingness to entertain the idea of Makhachev challenging for a second belt, but either way, the champ is ready to take on whatever the UFC decides.
“Dana has my number. Just call me and put some new challenge [in front of me],” Makhachev said.
“It [doesn’t] make sense when you have rematch, I need some new challenge. But if Dana wants [the Tsarukyan rematch], let’s do it. No problem.”
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