NEWARK, N.J. – Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier finally got a chance to cross paths Thursday ahead of their UFC 302 lightweight title fight.
Following the pre-fight press conference, Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) and Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) had their first staredown in advance of their anticipated championship collision, which takes place Saturday at Prudential Center (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).
Both the champion and the challenge are intense characters. That made for an interesting faceoff between Makhachev, who attempts to tie the record for most consecutive 155-pound title defenses at three, and Poirier, who will try to make good on his third and likely final shot at UFC gold.
