With current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov serving suspension, Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway met for the second time in the Octagon at UFC 236. Both fighters have come a long way since they first met in 2012 - a fight in which Poirier won by submission in the first round. In their rematch, the fight went the distance, but the result was once again the same - Dustin Poirier left the Octagon as interim lightweight champion and he will now face Khabib Nurmagomedov when he returns.
Both fighters came out swinging, giving the
Adesanya-Gastelum co-main event before it a run for its money. Unlike the one-sided match years ago, this one was much more of a back-and-forth affair. Poirier seemed to have a slight advantage heading into the final round; a vicious knee from Poirier in the fourth left Max Holloway busted open with pouring blood from the face.
Of course, anyone who has seen Holloway fight knows he has a ton of heart, and sometimes it seems like he feeds off the punches. Heading into the fifth round, both fighters were clearly gassed. It was a less eventful round than the ones prior to it, as the last minute and a half was mostly a clinch-fest with Poirier seemed confident he was ahead in score.
It went to the judges who scored it 49-46, 49-46, 49-46 in favor of Dustin Poirier. Check out some of the highlights from the UFC 236 main event.
Following his win, Poirier was asked his thoughts on a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov for the undisputed lightweight title.