Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier became the only shining light of UFC 302. The lightweight title fight featured back-and-forth action all throughout the fight. Poirier’s takedown defense held better than expected. Interestingly, one takedown sequence from Makhachev has gone viral. It became viral as Makhachev drilled it as Poirier attempted his iconic ‘shorts pull.’
Fans consider Poirier’s ‘shorts pull’ or shorts adjustment and hair adjustment as iconic moves. Everybody saw Dustin Poirier readjusting his shorts and then putting up his hands high all throughout the fight, and so did Islam Makhachev. The iconic shorts adjustment became the perfect opportunity for Makhachev to grapple.
The sequence just shows how well Makahchev can re-adjust compared to other fighters. Poirier has made the shorts adjustment move in almost all his fights. Nevertheless, not one fighter has ever attempted to counter that move. It has not only captured fan attention but also gained appreciation from the MMA community.
In the end, Makhachev walked away with a submission win. The finishing sequence also highlighted the excellent fight IQ of the lightweight champion. His victory tied the all-time record for most consecutive title defenses at lightweight. One more title defense, and he cements his status as an all-time great fighter. Meanwhile, fans continue to admire Makhachev’s techniques from the UFC 302 main event.
Fans react to Islam Makhachev taking down Dustin Poirier at UFC 302
UFC 302 main event continues to gain traction on social media even five days after the conclusion of the PPV. Netizens went to the comment section to share their reactions to Islam Makhachev’s intelligent takedown to counter Poirier’s short adjustment.
Islam Makhachev vs Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 (Image via X)Fans praised Makhachev for scouting the tendencies of his opponent and capitalizing on it. Even former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker praised the lightweight champion for using the wrestling to good effect. Here are some of the reactions from X:
Crazy how a split second distraction can make a huge difference in the fight.
— XETINFO MMA (@xetinfomma) June 6, 2024
Great job by islam, Dustin always does this 😬😮💨
— The Fight Lab (@The_FightLab) June 6, 2024
Islam does a great job scouting his opponents. He knew the head kick would be there in his second fight with Volk and he knew the takedown would be there with Dustin always adjusting his shorts like this.
— Cilin Philip (@Cilin22) June 6, 2024
Been saying this is a bad tick
— Jiu Jitsu Jesus (@10pjesus) June 6, 2024
I noticed this in the fight every 10-15 seconds he was readjusting his shorts I just find it mental you can have so much on the line and you didn’t find a pair of comfortable shorts to wear
— 🇲🇺 🇾🇪 (@Letstalkfootie1) June 6, 2024
He was doing it all fight 😩
— Cole Michael (@_cole_michael) June 6, 2024
He adjusted his shorts a few times within that overall sequence
— Swish Street (@SwishStreet) June 6, 2024
😬😬😬 I don’t think that makes sense you want your hands low to defend the takedown … I just think it was a little boxing to get the hands up and then boom drop for the takedown
— Steven Bleich (@bleich_steven) June 7, 2024
Didn’t touch his hair or shorts during his last fight and won.
I’ve said this since the begininning, he is trying to hard to look cool and impress people.
— Americafuckyah (@WesleyAddi13954) June 6, 2024
Multiple people shared their thoughts on Poirier readjusting his shorts all throughout the fight. One user wrote how he could not understand why ‘The Diamond’ did not have a comfortable pair of shorts to fight in when so much was on the line.
Meanwhile, another user wrote about how Poirier was trying to look cool and impress people, which led to his demise. As it stands, Poirier’s future remains uncertain, whereas Makhachev will likely return by the end of the year.
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