Jon Anik blown away by Islam Makhachev's move to submit Dustin Poirier: "One of the sickest things I've seen sitting cageside"
Islam Makhachev's submission over Dustin Poirier did not come easily, but the setup to the finishing sequence left color commentator Jon Anik in awe, as he sat cageside with Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier, witnessing the action live. In round five, Makhachev dove for a low single-leg takedown.
When he had Poirier hopping on one foot, Makhachev transitioned to an ankle pick, yanking 'The Diamond's' leg low toward him. Poirier responded by turning quickly onto his stomach, but with his hands now on the mat, his neck was briefly exposed. It was the window of opportunity Makhachev had been looking for.
The Dagestani scrambled forward to lock in a guillotine choke. As Poirier tried to roll out of it, Makhachev rolled with him, transitioning to a D'Arce choke, putting him to sleep just as he tapped. The entire grappling sequence stunned Anik so much that the veteran commentator took to X/Twitter to detail his astonishment.
"In all his exhaustion, Islam Makhachev's ability and will to produce that takedown and submission in Rd. 5 was one of the sickest things I've seen sitting cageside. Good night to take the judges out of it, too."
Anik referenced Makhachev's visible exhaustion toward the end of the bout, and his iron will to keep fighting. Moreover, he also took an indirect shot at the controversial judging on the night, as a few of the UFC 302 scorecards left many scratching their heads at the judges' logic.
The win was yet another successful title defenses for Makhachev, who has now equaled the lightweight division's all-time championship defense record. Furthermore, he also owns the longest-win streak in the 155-pound history.
Islam Makhachev had never won with a D'Arce choke before UFC 302
There is an odd parallel between Islam Makhachev claiming to have a good D'Arce choke and Dustin Poirier making similar statements about his guillotine choke. Prior to UFC 302, neither man had ever won a fight with their supposed submission of choice, though Makhachev finally did when he D'arced Poirier.
Check out Islam Makhachev's first win via D'Arce choke:
Instead, most of the lightweight champion's chokes have been rear-naked chokes and arm-triangle chokes. However, Makhachev is nothing if not versatile, showing a deeper game with every fight, as his previous win saw him knock out Alexander Volkanovski with a southpaw head kick.