It’s a strange feeling to see a man who lost his third and perhaps final opportunity at a UFC title emerge and walk away at the end of the night like a hero. Weird, but not unpleasant.
According to the permanent record, on June 1, 2024, Dustin Poirier lost to 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev by fifth-round submission. It would also show that this is Poirier’s third loss in his last five fights, which doesn’t look good. But there is so much we miss when we judge based solely on facts and numbers. In the case of the UFC 302 main event, and perhaps Poirier’s entire career, you’re missing what makes people watch professional fights in the first place.
In a world where competition is based on pure skill, Poirier would have never heard the term ‘five rounds’ against Makhachev. The champion was faster, stronger and better on the mat. Coming in midway through the first round and seeing him latching onto Poirier’s back and easily completing the first takedown after just two minutes, you probably figured it was going to be a fast night. That’s a classic miscalculation, failing to consider the dog as Poirier has him.
The way Poirier got from that grim first round to a competitive and bloody final round wasn’t sheer strength. ~ no Personality. Many of them were things that could only be gained the hard way through a life spent on the business side of Chain Link.
As this fight progressed, we saw Poirier figure out how to fight Makhachev. He’s off the fence (most of the time). He’s got takedowns (most of the time, too). When he fell, he found a way to get back up. He dragged Makhachev into the full crucible that came with the martial arts mix and then looked for an opportunity to strike in the fog of exhaustion.
It wasn’t enough. Makhachev has a lot of that same strength. He also has a wrestling and submission game that can operate on autopilot when needed most. His final takedown was truly beautiful, and to add to the cruel irony, he immediately transitioned into a guillotine choke (which Siren’s Song Poirier was able to resist this time) and D’arce using it to end the fight. choke.
Of course it had to end that way. So close, but so far. In some ways, it is the story of Poirier’s career. But his story is also about finding victory even in failure. Poirier wasn’t always loved for winning in this sport. He did so by giving every last piece of himself in a way that felt raw, real, and entirely authentic. He was never afraid to try and fail, to try again and fail.
It’s something that captures people’s hearts and lasts far longer than the numbers in official records.
A few other thoughts on UFC 302…
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Sean Strickland had another Sean Strickland fight. That said, he promised us a “bloodbath” and then cautiously pointed to a split decision win over Paulo Costa in the co-main event. Can’t blame him too much. Now we need to know what to expect. He has a certain style and for the most part it works. It’s just not that fun, which is probably why he has to keep promising bloodbaths to get our attention.
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It’s hard to complain about stopping early when you can only function with one arm. Michal Oleksiejczuk found himself in trouble after bending Kevin Holland’s elbow in a way it shouldn’t have. Oleksiejczuk didn’t like Herb Dean’s decision to sit out the game, but he appeared to be unable to use his arm at all during his post-match complaints. If you make an indignant gesture with one arm and the other arm hangs by your side like an empty sleeve, that’s a pretty good sign that the referee was right.
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What if we make Jailton Almeida’s wish come true and send him to Paris to fight Ciryl Gane? That was the best idea I’ve heard from either man, and it came out of Almeida’s mouth right after he easily got through the overwhelming Alexander Romanov. I can’t think of a better way to ensure that Gane strengthens his ground game while also giving Almeida work worthy of his abilities.
