Daily Times

Islam Makhachev had a desperate opponent in front of him and much of a sold-out crowd against him.

None of that stopped him. Nothing has in a long time.

Makhachev defended his lightweight title and extended his winning streak to 14 fights, third-longest in UFC history, by getting a submission victory over Dustin Poirier in the fifth round on Saturday night at UFC 302.

Overcoming one of the sport’s accomplished veterans and a crowd – including former President Donald Trump – that was against him from the start, Makhachev ran his record to 26-1 and said afterward he may move up in weight for another challenge. “This is my dream,” Makhachev said.

There’s certainly not much left for the Russian at 155 pounds, where he defended his title for the third time and showed again why he is ranked as the pound-for-pound best in UFC. Poirier (30-9) fell short in his third attempt for the undisputed title, all three ending by submission. At 35, he is considering retirement. “I´ve got to see. I think this could be it,” he said after the fight.

He battled back after Makhachev controlled the first round and bloodied the champion’s face later, but Makhachev took him down midway through the fifth and quickly pounced, with Poirier unable to escape the choke hold. “Incredible fight. Both guys dug deep,” UFC President Dana White said.

Makhachev, while respectful of the challenger´s accomplishments, noted this week that Poirier did well against boxers but was exposed against fighters with wrestling backgrounds – which Makhachev lists as his strength.

The champion seemed on his way to a 12th victory by submission in the first round when he took Poirier down in the opening minute of the fight and kept him on the mat the rest of the round.

Fans roared when Poirier, the No. 4-ranked lightweight, escaped a couple of takedown attempts in the second, growing even louder when he made it to the horn at the end of the round.

The fighters had good exchanges in the third and fourth and both were bloodied, but Makhachev didn’t have to worry about taking any more punches.

“Happy to finish him, but this guy is still one of the best in the world,” Makhachev said of Poirier.