Yahoo Sports MMA contributor Ben Foulkes offers three short thoughts on UFC 302, including how the main event between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier was unexpectedly close.
Video Transcript
Hey guys, I'm Ben with Yahoo Sports.
We have three pieces of news coming from the UFC.
302.
First and foremost, grappling was Islam Mahaf's saving grace, as the UFC lightweight champion found himself in a tougher fight than many of us expected.
He really had to get creative to get Dustin Poirier to the mat in the fifth round, but he got a nice takedown and transitioned into a dark choke to end the bout.
I think this is a good reminder that as much as Islam Maha's batting has improved in recent years, his game as a whole has become more complete.
He's still a grappling first fighter.
The good news for him is that he's really good at it and a lot of people would have a hard time dealing with that.
Number two, I want to pay tribute to Dustin Poirier.
Looking at the fight records on paper, he didn't deserve to be in such a close match, yet he fought like a loser.
Dustin Poirier will struggle. He showed great adjustments throughout the fight and did a great job blocking takedown attempts.
Well, I think he fought well, in a way that was typical of him.
If this is his final piece, and as he said it might be, it shows that maybe we should have been more appreciative while we had him.
And lastly, I think UFC should be given more credit and give the two main event fighters an extra bonus because without them this fight car would be kind of boring.
Not that it's really worth noting, but Kevin Holland twisted a guy's arm like a twisted eye.
That was interesting.
Sean Strickland and Palo Costa. Not as bloody as Sean Strickland promised.
But we should have expected that by now.
Really.
The main event saved us here, so hopefully the UFC will show them a little gratitude.
