UFC Lightweight Champion category, leader of the league rating regardless of weight categories (P4P) Islam Makhachev is preparing for the third defense of the title. The Russian agreed to the challenge of the eminent American Dustin Poirier after the beautiful victory of “The Diamond” at UFC 299 and now intends to return to the Octagon in June.
Only better after failures. Former interim UFC champion Poirier fought the Frenchman Benoit Saint-Denis the day before. The hungry prospect was clamoring for a title shot and saw the American as a springboard to the top of the division. Dustin, it seemed, did not want to accept a fight with a little-known opponent — perhaps the right “motivation” from the organization’s leadership decided everything. One way or another, Poirier, who survived a knockout from Justin Gaethje in the summer, entered the cage with a terrible thought: if he lost, he would end his professional career.
But there was no defeat. On the contrary, Poirier adapted to the attacking style of Saint-Denis: he almost threw a guillotine several times, caught the former military man in an exchange and completely knocked out the favorite in the second round. Experience played a role! The role played by staphylococcus, which Benoit caught before the performance… The native of Louisiana inflicted the Frenchman with the second defeat in his career (the first was early) and interrupted Saint-Denis's amazing streak of five early victories. And once again he did the right work on his mistakes: in 30 fights in the UFC, Poirier never lost twice.
Moreover, the fighters received 50 thousand dollars for the best confrontation of the evening.
“Looked absolutely amazing” After the amazing fight in Miami, Poirier received compliments from Conor McGregor and Gaethje, former opponent of Max Holloway and UFC head Dana White. Makhachev did not ignore the cool victory of the top of his division.
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“Very impressive, Dustin,” the Russian wrote on social networks.
He was also impressed by the performance of the 35-year-old American and champion manager Ali Abdel-Aziz:
«»Dustin Poirier took a big risk taking the fight with Benoit St. Denis, but came out victorious and looked amazing. Dustin vs. Makhachev in June, with all the other lightweight contenders now booked. If the UFC approves this match, Islam will be in action.»
Poirier himself wrote on the social network X that he was ready to meet with Makhachev in June, to which he received a reaction from the Russian in the form of an emoticon with a handshake.
Getting even for losing to Khabib The American had the main fight of his career in September 2019, when he lost ahead of schedule to the undefeated Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov, who received unreal hype after the scandalous triumph over McGregor. For the domestic athlete, that fight at UFC 242 turned out to be the hardest: in the second round, he backed away after the challenger’s exact series, and in the third, he tried for a long time to escape from an almost perfect neck hold… However, Dustin was unable to fix his opponent with his legs and bring the choke to the finish — Khabib eventually freed himself and he himself “strangled” the American.
Poirier did not have the opportunity to take revenge for the surrender in Abu Dhabi. But you can get even on Eagle’s successor and, on the third attempt, still try on the belt of not a temporary, but an absolute champion of the main MMA promotion of the world.
What else should I add about the everlasting Diamond?
- < li class="article__list-item">Received «title» twice. However, like Khabib, Brazilian Charles Oliveira forced Poirier to submit in the third round and defended his championship belt for the first time;
- He fought with Conor three times: he lost once by technical knockout, then he was rehabilitated (TKO at the beginning of 2021) and eventually in the summer of the same year he brought the score to 2-1 in his favor thanks to a terrible ankle fracture in the Notorious One;
- He defeated former UFC champion belt holders six times: McGregor and Holloway twice each, Eddie Alvarez and Anthony Pettis once each. There was also success in the first fight with Gaethje, who subsequently took the temporary belt;
- Poirier’s professional record is 30 wins and eight losses in his career, another fight was declared invalid;
- Served in juvenile prison for beating a person;
- Poirier is involved in charity work: he helped schools in his hometown of Lafayette and built playgrounds for disabled children , invested in helping cancer patients and helped with water in the American outback;
- He is crazy about his wife Jolie, whom he has known since adolescence. Together the couple are raising a seven-year-old daughter.