NEWARK, N.J. – [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] finally got a chance to cross paths Thursday ahead of their UFC 302 lightweight title fight.
Following the pre-fight press conference, Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) and Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) had their first staredown in advance of their anticipated championship collision, which takes place Saturday at Prudential Center (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).
Both the champion and the challenge are intense characters. That made for an interesting faceoff between Makhachev, who attempts to tie the record for most consecutive 155-pound title defenses at three, and Poirier, who will try to make good on his third and likely final shot at UFC gold.
Checkout the video above to see the Makhachev vs. Poirier staredown from the UFC 302 pre-fight press conference.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.