After going toe-to-toe with Islam Makhachev for nearly five rounds, there was nothing, but respect between Dustin Poirier and Team Khabib.
Stepping into the main event spotlight at UFC 302 for his third and (likely) final shot at lightweight gold, ‘The Diamond’ threw everything he had at the Makhachev in hopes of being the man to finally dethrone the ‘Dagestani Destroyer.’ Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. After 22 and a half minutes of intense action, Makhachev finally forced Poirier to tap out via a slick darce joke that ultimately put his opponent to sleep.
Though the animosity leading up to fight night was evident, there was nothing, but respect between Poirier and Makhachev’s team, led by UFC Hall of Famer and all-time great Khabib Nurmagomedov, once it was all said and done.
Respect is key
@TeamKhabib catches up with @DustinPoirier after the #UFC302 main event
H/T @TeamKhabib YT pic.twitter.com/GTJnGM2YBT
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) June 11, 2024
What’s next for Dustin Poirier and Islam makhachev?
As for what comes next, the picture is much more clear on Makhachev’s side of things. The Dagestani will likely find himself tasked with taking on No. 1 ranked lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan sometime this fall. Ahalkalakets’ earned his spot at the front of the line with a split decision victory over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 in April.
No official announcements have been made regarding their inevitable clash, but Tsarukyan recently suggested that it will likely go down this October in Abu Dhabi or in November at the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.
With Poirier, the future is uncertain. Even before he made the walk in The Garden State, ‘The Diamond’ made it clear that UFC 302 could be his final stand. He did leave the door cracked open for a potential return, but has since told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that he is “leaning towards being done.”