Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 turned out to be an instant classic for fight fans watching around the world. Many expected that the fight would be a one-sided dominance from Makhachev, however, as it happened, Poirier not only gave the reigning Champion a run for his money but also found himself in several situations where the Lafayette-born looked inches away from making history.
Be that as it may, after everything was said and done, Islam Makhachev retained his lightweight gold for a record third time with a late fifth-round submission win over the UFC veteran. However, the judges’ scorecard leading up to the finish has stirred a different controversy.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier discuss Makhachev vs Poirier judges’ scorecards
Islam Makhachev revealed during the post-fight press conference that the judges’ scorecards were a bit of a concern for him heading into the fifth round.
The Dagestani fighter recalled asking his corner-mate Khabib Nurmagomedov, who responded either 3-1 or 4-0 in the favour of Makhachev before the ultimate round. But that wasn’t the case, as one judge even had it 2-2 before the fifth round, and when Nurmagomedov was told about the same backstage by Daniel Cormier, his reaction was priceless.
“How?…” Khabib said. “Send me this guy’s name and location.” He further added, prompting a hilarious response from fans, who also felt that the judging was quite poor throughout the UFC 302 PPV.
It was judge Chris Lee who scored the fight 2-2, giving Poirier the second and the fourth round, while judge Eric Colon had it 39-37 in the favour of Makhachev, and Sal D’Amato, who also had it 39-37 in the favour of the defending Champion.
“I was pretty shocked too” one fan commented on the video uploaded by Spinning Backfist of Nurmagomedov’s interaction with Daniel Cormier.
“Honestly thought Islam was 4-0 heading into the fifth round,” another commented. Surprisingly, a good section of the fans did not see 2-2 as an outrageous scorecard, and were of the feeling that Poirier did enough in the second and fourth round to get the judges’ nod.
What did you make of the judges’ scorecards for Makhachev vs Poirier. Do let us know in the comments section.