Nearly 10 months after a one-sided title loss in the sport’s toughest division, former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier was willing to walk through hell to hold his place in line.
Poirier, in his first appearance since hip and labrum surgery, outlasted Dan Hooker in a 155-pound duel that was nothing short of savage theater. Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) took home a unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-46) in a Fight of The Year contender that was a perfect showcase of technique, heart and violence.
“It was a tough one. Dan came to fight and is a tough guy,” Poirier said. “He is on the rise and really thought he was going to get past me and talked a lot of trash like he was going to move forward and fight the champ. But I put the work in and I trust my team and my work ethic. I came in here and pulled one out and I have a few more rounds in me.”
The main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas saw the 31-year-old Poirier survive a vicious assault from Hooker (20-9) over the first two rounds that appeared to leave Poirier hurt on multiple occasions as each one traded their best shots.
Not only were both of the opening rounds instant classics inside the UFC Apex facility, it was Round 2 that already appears to be a front-runner for best of the year. Both lightweights ended the round with faces covered in blood following a cut below the right eye of Poirier and a nasty one on the right eyelid of Hooker.
#UFC #FightNight #DustinPoirier #DanHooker #MMA
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