UFC 302: Kevin Holland and Islam Makhachev Take Home Fight of the Night Honors

The UFC 302 main card started with a Welterweight bout between Randy Brown and Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos. You could sense early on how important putting on a show was for both fighters. There was no “feeling out” process, once the bell rang both fighters met up in the middle of the cage and exchanged blows. Brown was dominant in the first round, finishing it with a huge knee to Dos Santos’s head. Dos Santos answered early in the second round by stunning Brown with a hook and then shooting a takedown. Dos Santos took Brow’s back and was able to put him in a submission, but Brown was able to manage the pain and not tap out. The second round was going to be given to Dos Santos, but Brown was able to slip out through under Dos Santos and take his back. Brown landed 3 elbows while on the ground cutting up Dos Santos's cheek. Brown still lost that second round but he was able to save himself from a 10-8 score. In the final round Brown landed jab after jab. It became clear in the final round that unless Dos Santos could secure a last-minute submission or knockout, he would lose. Brown won the fight 29-28 via unanimous decision.

Following Brown vs. Dos Santos was a Welterweight fight between Niko Price vs. Alex Morono. The beginning of this fight wasn’t as exciting as the previous one. That was until they took the fight to the ground. Morono successfully put Price in a crucifix submission but Price was able to escape it and eventually take mount. I believe Morono was the winner of round one but not by much. With three minutes left in the second round, Price secured a double-led takedown. It seemed like Price was trying to wrestle away at Morono’s gas tank heading into the final round. Price won round two, making it anyone's fight heading into the third and final round. Morono looked extremely tired in the third round, his sluggish movements were constantly being discussed by the broadcasters. With two minutes left, it became clear that Price would win this fight unless Morono was able to knock/submit Price. Price won the fight - via unanimous decision.

Kevin Holland vs. Michael Oleksiejczuk was quick but exciting. Oleksiejczuk came out swinging in the first, even knocking down Holland with a monster left hook but the veteran Holland was able to escape that situation and secure an arm bar. I am not a doctor but it seemed like Holland was able to break/dislocate Oleksiejczuk's arm. Although Oleksiejczuk protested the referee's decision to stop the fight, it was clear he wouldn’t be able to continue. This win was the most exciting of the first three fights. Holland isn’t known for his submissions but the armbar he got was beautiful.

The co-main event between Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa didn’t live up to the hype. Even though this fight had huge implications for both fighters, it seemed like Strickland wanted it more than Costa. The fight started with Costa started the fight landing consecutive calf kicks. Strickland's leg seemed to swell up one minute into the fight, making it hard for him to move. Strickland was constantly applying pressure, not once in the first round did he take a step backward. Strickland won the first round with a 10-9 score. The second round was more of the same, Strickland kept applying pressure and it seemed to be wearing on Costa's energy. After the first two rounds, Strickland was certainly in the lead. This fight just wasn’t very entertaining. Besides the last 20 seconds of round five, there wasn’t much to talk about. Strickland went on to win the fight via split decision.

Now for the main event, Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier. Given the underwhelming performances in the other fights, all of us fans were hoping for an all-time title fight, and that is exactly what we got. In the first minute of round one, Islam landed two quick strikes and followed that up with a takedown. Islam took control on the ground and attempted a kimura submission but Dustin was able to escape before it was tight. Islam won round one by controlling the ground game with Dustin. To begin round two, Islam shot another takedown but Dustin was able to escape. The stand-up in round two was also leaning Islam’s way. Islam landed multiple blows in the round but towards the end of the round Dustin picked it up. Dustin was three for four with takedowns defended in round two, and given the last three minutes of that round, I believe Dustin tied it 1-1. Early in round three, Islam was able to takedown Dustin and control his back. Dustin brought the fight back to stand and bang, and that's where he took control of the rest of the round. Going into the fourth, both fighters were bleeding and the fight was still in anyone's grasp. The beginning of the round was decent but the end of the round was electric. The two fighters exchanged blows and Dustin landed an elbow causing a huge cut on Islam’s forehead. In the fifth round, there was a lot of jawing back-and-forth between the two fighters and the fight was getting good. Unfortunately, Islam caught Dustin with a D’Arce choke making Dustin tap out. Dustin fought well but it wasn’t enough against the number-one ranked pound-for-pound fighter.