Dustin Poirier just beatDan Hooker in one of the greatest mixed martial arts matches you'll see all year.- Poirier and Hooker main-evented Saturday's '
UFC on ESPN' behind-closed-doors show at the UFC's TV-studio called Apex, in Las Vegas. - Both fighters combined to throw 572 strikes in a bout which saw cuts open and blood spilled. Hooker's jaw hanged from its hinges for much of the fight.
- Though Poirier won, he also took so much damage he had to go to hospital to get his head scanned. You can watch some of the highlights below.
American fighter Dustin Poirier edged Dan Hooker in a bloody, back-and-forth slobberknocker for the ages.
The lightweight bout had long been earmarked as one capable of yielding frenetic-paced violence and boy, did it deliver at the UFC-owned facility called Apex, a behind-closed-doors TV-studio in Las Vegas on Saturday.
If you want clubbing strikes which appeared to leave Hooker's jaw hanging off its hinges then watch these clips.
If you want to see 572 total strikes thrown during 25 minutes of carnage then watch these clips.
If you want two, elite 155-pounders forgetting all about coronavirus health concerns to try and climb one rung up the lightweight ladder, one of the UFC's most competitive divisions, then these are the clips for you.
Because dang, this main event had all the makings of a "Fight of the Year" candidate, and it is one Poirier was seen to edge, winning a five-round decision according to the judges' scorecards.
—ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 28, 2020
—UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) June 28, 2020
Hooker had the edge in strikes in the opening round, landing 33 of 67 (49%) compared to Poirier's output of 20 from 31 (64%), but the activity levels rose considerably in the second, almost doubling, as both fighters threw with bad intentions.
Cuts were opened and blood was spilled as Poirier and Hooker threw caution to the wind, determined to dent each others' bones. Hooker's mouth appeared agape, suggesting Poirier may have fractured the New Zealander's jaw.
That's an occupational hazard of the job should you sign a contract to fight the American, as Poirier can bring it regardless of whether you box or grapple him.
—UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) June 28, 2020
—UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) June 28, 2020
—UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) June 28, 2020
The pandemic has been pandemonium for many
Regional or specialist fight firms like Invicta FC, the World Lethwei Championships, Cage Warriors, One Championship, and Bellator MMA are yet to return, while boxing promotion Top Rank has been operating in Las Vegas to a TV-audience in the 300,000 to 400,000 region, per event.
The UFC, though, is back with a bang. Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson's war at the start of the company's COVID-era events gave MMA's market leader great momentum, and it has now completed eight shows in the pandemic.
Perhaps none have had as entertaining a main event as Poirier and Hooker, with the former now one big win away from a title shot against the eventual winner of Gaethje and reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomedov's likely clash later in the year.
The former UFC competitor and former One Championship welterweight champion Ben Askren said on Twitter that Poirier and Hooker were fighting so hard it was like they were "trying to kill each other."
—Lumberjack Ben (@Benaskren) June 28, 2020
"It was a tough one, man. Dan came to fight, he's a tough guy on the rise and he really thought he was going to get past me, talked a lot of trash like he was going to move forward, fight the champ," Poirier told ESPN before going to hospital to get his head scanned.
"But I'm the f------ champ, man. This is what I do. I love this, I put all the work in, and I trust my team, skill, and work ethic and came here to pull another [win] out."
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