UFC 302 takeaways: Makhachev eyes double championship, legacy beyond Khabib

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A 12-fight UFC 302 card in Newark, New Jersey, was headlined by a riveting title fight performance from Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier. In the co-main event, Sean Strickland reminded the world that he's still one of the best middleweights in the sport. But what's next for the top stars after Saturday's card? Andreas Hale and Brett Okamoto offer their final thoughts from New Jersey.

Makhachev successfully defended his UFC lightweight championship with a fifth-round submission against Poirier, but it was arguably the most difficult challenge of his UFC tenure. Poirier proved to be more than a formidable opponent, who showed a steely resolve as he routinely found himself in disadvantageous positions throughout the night. However, unlike his third-round submission loss to Makhachev's mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Poirier seemed to learn from his mistakes and find a way out of trouble.


But there's a reason why Makhachev is currently the UFC's No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, with some believing that he is an improved version of Nurmagomedov, and he put it on full display by opening his entire toolbox to finally get the finish in the final round.

As impressive as Poirier's resolve was, Makhachev's diligence to get the finish may have been even more spectacular as he refused to allow the fight to reach the scorecards. He just had to get creative to get it done. Makhachev tried everything from rear-naked chokes to kimuras early on. Still, Poirier continued to find ways to fight his way out, even managing to stuff multiple takedowns and pull himself off the canvas when the champion grounded him. In a bit of a scramble, Makhachev went for an ankle pick and beautifully used it to open up Poirier's neck for the finishing sequence thIt was a brilliant performance by Makhachev, who had to fight Poirier (and an extremely pro-Poirier crowd) to pick up his UFC lightweight division-leading 13th consecutive win. While he could defend his title against top contender Arman Tsarukyan, Makhachev is more interested in moving to welterweight.

"It's my dream. I want to fight for the second belt," Makhachev said. "I want to feel that energy again because when you defend your belt, it's not same. I need a new one."at saw him secure the choke.

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