The MMA world is still trying to regain their collective breath after seeing the inspiring performances from the fighters at UFC 302 from the Prudential Center. The night was highlighted by Islam Makhachev cementing his legacy as an all-time great lightweight and taking down an absolute legend of the sport in Dustin Poirier. After his win, however, Makhachev remained unsatisfied as he set a new goal for himself immediately following the historic win.
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UFC 302 was one for the books and while fans weren't able to see any of the fights end in a knockout, they saw some classic performances from fan-favorites and a great slate of back-and-forth bouts. The night was a rollercoaster of emotions that included Dustin Poirier possibly stepping out of the UFC octagon for the last time. His counterpart, Islam Makhachev was the biggest winner of the night as retained his Lightweight title in his third defense of the belt.
Immediately following the win, Makhachev spoke on his upcoming plans to attain new heights in the sport and create an all new challenge for himself, something we've seen champions like Alexander Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya do in the past.
Makhachev used a unique whipping leg sweep in his final effort to get Dustin Poirier to the ground in the fifth round. After taking his neck from top position, Makhachev slowly sunk in a d'arce choke and rolled to get the tap out of Poirier. Poirier went to sleep for a brief moment as Khabib Nurmagomedov and Makhachev's team swarmed the cage to celebrate and eventually show ultimate respect to Poirier.
Joe Rogan quickly got into the octagon to interview Makhachev and get his immediate reaction.
“It's my dream – I want to fight for the second belt. I want to feel that energy [I gave], because when you defend your belt, it's not the same. I need a new one.”
Islam Makhachev then revealed his plan to fight for the 170-pound Welterweight title, which is currently held by Champion Leon Edwards. While Arman Tsarukyan was next-in-line for the Lightweight title, it seems as though Makhachev is driven by the challenge and would like to cement his legacy as one of the greatest fighters to ever do it. His third title defense ties the Lightweight record for most all-time.
His head coach, mentor, and family Khabib Nurmagomedov spoke on the victory in the locker room and commended Makhachev for how much he's grown as a fighter.
“When you do deep like today, it shows people you understand your body and your inside, how deep you can go even more. People underestimate themselves. Our body, our soul, we can go deeper.”
It truly was a legacy type of fight for Makhachev and given his evolution on the feet with his striking, he immediately becomes a huge problem for Leon Edwards in the Welterweight Division. It'll also be interesting to see how his body evolves without having to cut weight and we're sure that he would give a champion of any division a run for their money.
What do you think of Islam Makhachev moving up to 170 and potentially becoming a double-champ? The MMA community is talking and we could see him be the next fighter etching his name in the history books.
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