Islam Makhachev shares heartwarming message to people of Gaza after UFC 302 title defense: "Do not grieve"
UFC lightweight world champion Islam Makhachev went through the fire to successfully defend his belt last weekend at UFC 302. The Dagestani wrestling superstar went through five rounds of hell against a very fired-up Dustin Poirier, digging deep to keep gold around his waist.
After the fight, many kind words were spoken between both fight camps, as respect and admiration were undoubtedly earned. Speaking of kind words, Islam Makhachev sent out a special message to the people of Gaza, Palestine, who are suffering an armed conflict at the moment.
The UFC lightweight king took to Instagram to send his message, with a caption that says:
"I would like to send a message from my heart to people Gaza: So do not weaken and do not grieve, and you will be superior if you are true believers."
Islam Makhachev chokes out Dustin Poirier after five grueling rounds of war
In one of the best world title bouts in UFC lightweight history, Islam Makhachev went toe-to-toe with a man desperate to finish his story, Dustin 'The Diamond' Poirier.
The first round saw the Dagestani wrestler shoot for a single leg and put the Louisiana native on his back. After several submission attempts and scrambles, the champion took his challenger's back, securing a bodylock. The round ended in the same position, with Poirier miraculously defending Makhachev's attempt at choking him out.
The second round saw a significant improvement in the challenger's game, who defended the champion's takedown attempts for most of the round. Due to this, Poirier got to shine with his striking, giving Makhachev more than he could handle on the feet.
In round three, the champion put his challenger down early, taking his back once again and eventually landing on mount. Poirier scrambled back to his feet and proceeded to land his punches once again. The champion gladly met him in the middle, landing bombs of his own.
The fourth round was quite the same, with Islam Makhachev taking Poirier down and threatening with submissions while the latter found his way back to his feet. Poirier's nose was visibly broken due to a hard knee strike from the champion. Makhachev himself was gushing blood from his forehead after a slicing elbow strike from Poirier.
Come the fifth round, Makhachev attempted a single leg early, with Poirier largely defending. The champion marvelously transitioned his hold by swinging his challenger's leg to the side, successfully taking him down. From the top position, Islam Makhachev closed the night by locking in a D'Arce choke and putting Poirier to sleep at 2:42 of the fifth round.