Poirier wins lightweight belt. Photo: Reproduction / Facebook @ufc
the american Dustin poirier fought a real battle against Max Holloway in the main fight of UFC 236, held in the early hours of this Sunday (14), in Atlanta (USA). But after 25 minutes of intense competition, Poirier won the duel in the judges' decision (49-46, 49-46, 49,46) and won the interim lightweight belt (up to 70,3 kg.). The result frustrates the plans of the Hawaiian, owner of the featherweight title (up to 56,7 kg), to join the select group of champions in two UFC divisions.
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With the victory, Dustin scores his fourth consecutive victory. Now, the North American is now waiting for a possible fight against the linear champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Russian, however, is suspended from official fights and is only expected to return to the Octagon at the end of the year.
The fight
The fight started with Poirier taking the initiative in the fight, trying a low kick on Holloway. The two fighters got into a frank exchange causing euphoria in the crowd. Poirier hit Holloway with a series of strikes. But he seems to have sensed some of Dustin's counterattacks. The fight was very balanced with both athletes attacking each other at all times. After halfway through the first round, Holloway seemed to have recovered and began to react in the fight. The fight became unpredictable, as both fighters were looking for a knockout the entire time.
In the second round, Holloway returned recovered from the suffocation suffered earlier. Max tried to attack Dustin's head with punches, while Poirier tried to counterattack. 'Blessed' started to provoke Dustin by calling his opponent to fight. The Hawaiian finally found himself in the fight. In the last minute of the fight, Max caught a direct hit from Dustin and almost fell to the ground. The athlete, however, again provoked Poirier as if he hadn't felt anything.
Both athletes returned for the third round with the same desire for the knockout. Although the Hawaiian's boxing was more efficient, Dustin was responsible for delivering the most hard-hitting blows. At a certain point in the fight, Poirier found himself at a good distance and began to hit Holloway with greater frequency. Max, however, still proved to be a dangerous fighter. The two athletes began exchanging punches in the middle of the octagon and the crowd cheered at the end of the stage. Poirier, at the end of the round, felt the blows and started trying to take the fight down.
In the fourth round, Dustin came out motivated to take the fight to the ground. The athlete looked for Holloway's legs, who fell, but managed to get up. The two then returned to the exchange. Max, in this round, begins to outperform his opponent, who begins to land blows. Dustin, however, continued to try to counterattack. The fight proved dangerous throughout for both fighters. Anyone could get knocked out. At the last minute, Poirier hit Holloway with a knee to the face, opening a cut on the Hawaiian's forehead, which began to bleed. In the end, Dustin tried another takedown on the Hawaiian, but without success.
Before the final round began, the crowd applauded the athletes for their performance. The fighters remained at a busy pace, exchanging blows in the middle of the octagon. Holloway's face was covered in blood that ran down, impairing the athlete's vision. At the end of the fight, Dustin tried to take down the Hawaiian again, without success. The two then finished the fight in a clinch.
UFC 236 results
MAIN CARD
Lightweight: Dustin poirier derrotou Max Holloway in the unanimous decision of the judges (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
Average weight: Israel adesanya derrotou Kelvin Gastelum in the unanimous decision of the judges (48-46, 48-46, 48-46)
Light Heavyweight: Khalil rountree derrotou Erik Anders in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Welterweight Weight: Dwight Grant defeated Alan Jouban via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
Light Heavyweight: Nikita Krylov submitted Ovince St-Preux with a rear naked choke 2m30s into R2
PRELIMINARY CARD
Lightweight: Matt frevola derrotou jalin turner in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Fly weight: Alexandre pantoja derrotou Wilson reis by technical knockout at 2m58s of R1
Welterweight Weight: Max griffin defeated Zelim Imadaev via majority decision (29-27, 28-28, 29-27)
Bantamweight: Khalid Taha defeated Boston Salmon by knockout 25s into R1
Welterweight Weight: Belal Muhammad | defeated Curtis Millender via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 30-26)
Bantamweight: Montel Jackson defeated Andre Soukhamthath via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27)
Fly weight: Poliana Botelho defeated Lauren Mueller via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Bantamweight: Brandon davis submitted Randy Costa with a rear naked choke at 1m12s of R2
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