"I made a lot of mistakes" - Islam Makhachev reflects on Dustin Poirier fight at UFC 302

Islam Makhachev recently reflected on his successful title defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 and highlighted areas in which he believes he could have been better. The Dagestani noted that he was proud of his performance and complimented 'The Diamond' for his gameplan.

Poirier successfully stuffed takedowns and held his own in the striking exchanges throughout the fight. He even managed to cut the reigning lightweight champion. However, Makhachev regrouped and took advantage of an opening, executing a perfectly timed ankle pick to take the Louisiana native down before submitting him.

Speaking to former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson on his YouTube channel, the Dagestani reflected on his win over 'The Diamond' to successfully retain his title for the third time. Makhachev mentioned that Poirier studied him well and despite his mistakes, looks back fondly on the bout:

"[Poirier] prepare for this fight very well... Good homework. He defended my wrestling. I did like, a lot of mistake... I did mistake a couple of times, you know, and he gave me a [gash]... But when I watch the highlights, I like this fight." [25:42]

Check out the full interview featuring Islam Makhachev's comments below:

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Islam Makhachev discloses how much weight he cuts to make 155 pounds

In addition to reflecting on his successful title defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302, Islam Makhachev disclosed how much weight he typically cuts to make 155 pounds.

There is constant speculation about how much weight each fighter cuts in their respective weight divisions, especially considering that there have been fighters who have been open about cutting a significant amount of weight. During the aforementioned interview, Makhachev disclosed that he usually walks around 180 pounds and doesn't indulge in unhealthy eating habits:

"My weight [was] 180 [pounds] this morning...All fighters who fight [at lightweight], minimum they [are] 178, 177 [pounds]...I always try to don't eat in the night time, I don't like the sugar, I don't cola like, maybe four or five years, I don't drink soda. My weight maximum 182 [pounds] I think...If I start diet now, I'm gonna be easy 177 [pounds]." [46:59]

Check out Islam Makhachev weighing before his lightweight title defense at UFC 302 below: