Dustin Poirier has detailed the injuries he sustained against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302, where the American failed to dethrone the lightweight champion.
Poirier was submitted by Makhachev in the final round of their 1 June main event, which marked his third time competing for the undisputed 155lb title – and his third time coming up short.
Poirier, a former interim champion, was submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019 and Charles Oliveira in 2021, and he suffered the same fate against Khabib’s friend and mentee this month.
Makhachev, the UFC’s pound-for-pound No 1 fighter, submitted Poirier with a D’Arce choke in round five in New Jersey. Although Poirier tapped out, he also quickly fell unconscious before the Russian released the choke.
The D’Arce did not represent the only moment of significant pain for Poirier, who tweeted on Wednesday (5 June): “Nose is broken bad, rib is broken and my ACL is partially torn. FIGHT LIFE.”
The 35-year-old also shared an X-ray image of his nose, which he has broken before.
Poirier hinted before and after UFC 302 that he might retire regardless of his result against Makhachev, but he is yet to share a decision on his future.
Meanwhile, Makhachev is set for a rematch with Arman Tsarukyan, whom he outpointed in a competitive fight in 2019. That bout marked Tsarukyan’s UFC debut, and the Armenian-Russian has since gone 9-1.
Most recently, Tsarukyan outpointed Oliveira in April to establish himself as the No 1 contender at 155lb.
The 27-year-old and Makhachev, 32, are in line to headline either UFC 308 – which takes place in Abu Dhabi this October – or a pay-per-view at New York City’s Madison Square Garden in November.
