There was no hiding Dustin Poirier’s disappointment following his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“The Diamond” entered Saturday’s UFC 242 main event in Abu Dhabi as the interim champion at 155 pounds, unbeaten in his last six fights and having recently knocked off Max Holloway. The stage was set for him to become the first man to dent Nurmagomedov’s 27-0 record, unify his belt with Nurmagomedov’s, and complete a journey to the top of the MMA world that began a decade ago.
Instead, Poirier became the latest victim of Nurmagomedov’s unearthly wrestling attack, showing flashes of competitive fire that were smothered and then completely extinguished in the third round when Poirier was forced to tap out to a rear-naked choke.