Islam Makhachev knows he wasn’t at his best against Dustin Poirier, but he still loves that fight.
Last June, Makhachev defended his lightweight title for the third time, facing former interim champion Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 302. Makhachev was overwhelmingly favored to win, but it ended up being one of the most difficult of his career as Poirier defended takedowns and opened up a nasty cut on Makhachev’s forehead.