In the main event of UFC 236, featherweight champion Max Holloway moved up a weight class in an attempt to become a two-weight champion when he faced Dustin Poirier for the interim lightweight title.
The two men previously faced off, with Holloway suffering a submission loss in what was his UFC debut at just 20 years old.
In the rematch, the two men wasted no time going after each other. The opening round saw the two fighters face-to-face exchanging heavy shots inside of the pocket. Poirier rocked the champion. Poirier was dominant in the first round and looking to impose his will.
Holloway bounced back in Round 2 with a more measured approach. Both men continued to exchange heavy shots throughout the round as we headed towards an epic war.
The third round was much of the same with Holloway and Poirier absorbing heavy punches as the crowd came to its feet. Poirier began to slow down in Round 4 as Holloway continued his high pace. A major cut opened up on Holloway’s face near the end of the round, but the featherweight titleholder continued pushing through.
The fifth round was once again tightly contested, as we went to the judge’s scorecards.
If you missed out on the action, we have you covered.
Mini Blessed sends @BlessedMMA off to battle #UFC236#UFC236
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— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 14, 2019
Poirier fires and Holloway shakes it off #UFC236#UFC236
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— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 14, 2019
ESPN
The full results from Saturday’s pay-per-view can be seen below.
UFC 236 Results
- Israel Adesanya def. Kelvin Gastelum via unanimous decision (48-46, 48-46, 48-46) – to win interim middleweight title
- Khalil Rountree def. Eryk Anders via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
- Dwight Grant def. Alan Jouban via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
- Nikita Krylov def. Ovince Saint Preux via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:30
- Matt Frevola def. Jalin Turner via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Alexandre Pantoja def. Wilson Reis via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:58
- Max Griffin def. Zelim Imadaev via majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
- Khalid Taha def. Boston Salmon via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:25
- Belal Muhammad def. Curtis Millender via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 30-26)
- Montel Jackson def. Andre Soukhamthath via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27)
- Poliana Botelho def. Lauren Mueller via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Brandon Davis def. Randy Costa via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:12