5 takeaways from UFC 302: Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier
UFC 302 went down last night in New Jersey. Unfortunately, despite a strong card, the event was slightly disappointing in the end.
Only three of UFC 302's fights ended before the final buzzer, and a number of them flattered to deceive outright.
However, as with every big pay-per-view, last night's event did throw up a number of talking points.
Here are five takeaways from UFC 302: Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier.
#5 The failure of Cesar Almeida only proves the greatness of Alex Pereira further
One of the most intriguing preliminary bouts last night pitted middleweight prospect Cesar Almeida against Roman Kopylov.
The reason for the intrigue was, of course, because Almeida was coming into his MMA career with quite the resume from his kickboxing days, a resume that included a win over current UFC light-heavyweight champ Alex Pereira.
'Cesinha' had looked excellent in his octagon debut in April, giving many fans hope that he could follow Pereira in a fast-track up the rankings. Based on his fight last night, though, that won't be the case.
Almeida simply couldn't get much going at all against Kopylov, who grounded the Brazilian in all three rounds en route to a pretty lopsided decision win.
It was not only proof that a fighter needs far more than top-level kickboxing to succeed at the highest level in MMA, but it was also proof that Pereira is very unique.
Not every fighter can do what 'Poatan' has done over the past couple of years, and the failure of 'Cesinha' last night
#4 The UFC made an error bumping Jailton Almeida to the preliminary card
The decision to move Jailton Almeida's fight with Alexander Romanov onto the preliminary card last night was always a curious one from the UFC.
After all, 'Malhadinho' had basically been one fight away from an interim heavyweight title shot when he lost to Curtis Blaydes in March. Quite why he ended up pushed down the card below journeymen Niko Price and Alex Morono is anyone's guess.
In the end, though, Almeida showed Dana White and company that they'd made a mistake in their decision.
The fear was probably that the Brazilian would produce a dull performance like the one that took him past Derrick Lewis. Instead, Almeida whitewashed 'King Kong', taking him down and dispatching him with a rear naked choke in the first round.
Realistically, the performance probably warranted a $50k bonus for 'Malhadinho', and why he didn't get it is anyone's guess. Either way, he's clearly still a genuine heavyweight title threat, and this was a great way for him to bounce back from his first loss in the octagon.
#3 Kevin Holland's finish of Michal Oleksiejczuk was disturbing
An event with just three finishes in 12 bouts is always going to be considered underwhelming. However, UFC 302 did at least feature one of the most disturbing finishes in recent memory courtesy of Kevin Holland.
'The Trailblazer' was moving to 185 pounds for the first time in a while to face Michal Oleksiejczuk, and after losing his last two fights, his back was against the wall somewhat.
Early on, it didn't look like things would go well for Holland. He was dropped by a big left hand from 'Hussar', and appeared to be in danger.
However, 'The Trailblazer' recovered extremely quickly, and soon turned the tables. He locked in an armbar on his Polish foe, and when Oleksiejczuk attempted to wriggle free, he simply tightened the hold.
Moments later, Oleksiejczuk's arm appeared to snap, and after a moment of pause to consider things, referee Herb Dean was forced to step in.
Quite where Holland goes from here is anyone's guess, particularly with his willingness to fight anyone at any time in two weight classes, but he's back on track at least.
More to the point, he produced one of the nastiest armbars in octagon history, adding to his reputation as a fighter who always produces the goods whenever he fights.
#2 Should a performance like Sean Strickland's really warrant a UFC title shot?
While it wasn't ever officially labeled as such, many fans saw last night's middleweight clash between Paulo Costa and Sean Strickland as a de facto top contender's bout.
However, when all was said and done, the five round bout was easily the most disappointing fight of the night.
Strickland won in the end - albeit with one judge bizarrely leaning towards Costa - but it was hard to be impressed with his showing.
Sure, he outstruck 'The Eraser' using his cleaner boxing skills and forward pressure, but he never came close to a finish and didn't really seem to be pushing for one until very late in the fifth.
'Tarzan' called for a title shot after his win, and given he held the gold up until his controversial loss to Dricus du Plessis earlier this year, he probably has a fair claim.
However, to reward any fighter for a performance like this with a title shot might well send the wrong message. Realistically, it'd probably be better for the promotion to match Strickland with the loser of the next title fight - rumored to pit du Plessis against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 - instead.
After all, it'd be hard to find many fans who enjoyed last night's fight, and so who is really going to be interested in a title fight involving 'Tarzan'?
#1 How far off is Islam Makhachev from being considered the lightweight GOAT?
The most impressive performance at UFC 302 was undoubtedly in the headline bout. That bout saw Islam Makhachev make the third successful defense of his lightweight title, submitting Dustin Poirier with a brabo choke in the fifth round.
The fight was a truly masterful showing from Makhachev, who dominated 'The Diamond' on the ground when he took him down and arguably landed the better strikes on the feet, too.
Sure, the Dagestani saw a number of his takedowns blocked and also found his head busted open by a couple of heavy shots, but by the final round, it looked like he was coasting to a decision.
Instead, he used a slick ankle pick to drag Poirier down, and then sunk in the fight-ending brabo choke moments later.
Post-fight, Makhachev called for a shot at the welterweight title, but realistically, he ought to stick around at 155 pounds for a little longer.
His win last night equaled the record of successful title defenses in the division, held jointly by BJ Penn, Benson Henderson and his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov.
One more defense would see Makhachev surpass all three, and would probably see him declared as the UFC's lightweight GOAT.
Considering many fans thought he'd never escape from Khabib's shadow, it'd be a hell of an achievement for the Dagestani, making at least one more fight at lightweight well worth it.