Dustin Poirier’s third attempt at undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) gold didn’t unfold as he hoped.
UFC 302 saw the reigning Lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, successfully defend his throne for the third time, tying the divisional record when he locked in the fifth round d’arce choke for the win (watch highlights). Makhachev can now expect his fourth defense to come in a rematch of his clash with the No. 1-ranked contender, Arman Tsarukyan, from April 2019.
Tsarukyan, 27, was the first choice to be Makhachev’s dance partner at UFC 302 this past weekend (June 1, 2024). However, the offer came too soon for Tsarukyan when he was asked immediately after his split decision win over the former champion, Charles Oliveira, at UFC 300 in April 2024. Watching the recent title fight, Makhachev was disappointed in his teammate at American Top Team (ATT), Poirier.
“The first round went to Makhachev,” Tsarukyan told Outside MMA (h/t Championship Rounds). “I thought, ‘Damn, this Poirier is a complete sack.’ Then I saw that Poirier turned on, and Islam got tired and the fight became more interesting. Poirier surprised me. To be honest, I was more surprised by Islam, why he got tired so quickly and couldn’t fight.
“As we know, Islam doesn’t breathe that well in five round fights,” he continued. “This is the second five-round fight and he’s giving away the endings. I wonder where Islam found the strength to choke, but I have a feeling that Poirier just gave up. In terms of being mentally broken. There were 2.5 minutes left. Why are you giving up your neck? Well, endure it, get over it, do something, but don’t give up. There are 2.5 minutes left, your last fight, this is the most important and last fight in your life. You take it and just give it away. I wouldn’t just give it up.”
The aforementioned first Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan bout was the latter’s debut in UFC. Since then, Tsarukyan has established himself as one of the division’s elite. The champion, Makhachev, has targeted a possible “dream” title defense inside Madison Square Garden in November 2024.