The Diamond is Shining Bright Tonight After Becoming the UFC Interim Lightweight Champion… He Battered Max Holloway to Bring the Belt Home… 

Dustin Poirier has had to go through a whole line of killers to get to this stage. Just look at these names: Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, and now finally Max Holloway. He fought the Hawaiian featherweight champion for the interim lightweight belt in Atlanta and boy, was this a display of heart and grit.

This was a rematch between the two men, with Poirier beating ‘Blessed’ on the Hawaiian’s UFC debut back in 2012. The two men are incredibly different fighters now, with Holloway one of the greatest featherweights of all time. However, on his UFC 155lb debut, he was basically big-brothered by Poirier in a bruising encounter.

Read on for the full fight report and highlights from this classic clash between two modern American legends. Louisiana v Hawaii. Only one man could walk away with the new hardware around his waist. Yes, it was close, but Poirier was the deserved winner.

Baptism of Fire

Many believed that Holloway’s superb cardio would be even better at lightweight, but few thought about the power advantage that he was giving up. This was the main narrative of the first round as Poirier put him on blast. He landed heavy punches to ‘Blessed’s’ face, visibly stunning him. The pace and intensity had Holloway in all kinds of trouble.

He was able to settle a bit more in the second, letting loose with his own hands, but the difference in damage was visible on both their faces. While Holloway had output, ‘The Diamond’ had a dangerous combination of timing and power and he started to mark up ‘Blessed’s’ face. Holloway may have snatched that round as he consistently landed to Poirier’s body, slowing him down for the later rounds.

Championship

These two men showed great heart in the next three rounds, as they slugged it out. The third round was probably Holloway’s best as he let loose with massive output, using that famed cardio to great effect. He still took damage though with a heavy jab from Poirier and ended up getting taken down at the end of the round.

Holloway looked to build on his momentum against a visibly fatigued Poirier. The problem was that Poirier was still capable of hurting him. After about half a round of picking at ‘The Diamond,’ the Louisiana fighter managed to catch Holloway with a vicious elbow that leaked blood like a broken faucet. He got a second wind and took Holloway down at the end of the round.

In the fifth and final round, both men dug deep and tried to stake their claim for the title. Once again Holloway started well but the broken nose, blood and battering that he had taken left him exhausted and Poirier’s powerful combinations and visibly significant strikes would see him through the fight as the deserved winner. It didn’t go all his way, but he showed the heart of a champion to battle through adversity and claim his first UFC title after 22 fights for the promotion.

Khabib Time

As the interim champion, a showdown with Khabib Nurmagamedov looms over the horizon. The Russian champion is one of the most feared fighters on the roster, and no wonder as he’s riding a 27-0 win streak. ‘The Diamond’ is convinced that he has what it takes to go one better and become the undisputed champion. He told Joe Rogan:

“In the words of my brother Daniel Cormier, get your sh*t together young man! We’ve got a belt to fight for!”

What a fight this will be.

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