Kiwi fighter beaten in UFC epic
Dustin Poirier won a thrilling unanimous decision over New Zealand’s Dan Hooker, surviving a brutal second round and persevering to finish a well-rounded performance in the main event at the UFC’s corporate gym in Las Vegas yesterday.
Mike Perry also ended his twofight skid with a one-sided unanimous decision over Mickey Gall in the penultimate fight of the UFC’s fifth consecutive fan-free event in its hometown.
The main event was a barnburner from the opening round, with both lightweights trading wicked strikes and displaying minimal regard for defence. The second round was a particular spectacle, with each fighter badly hurting the other while throwing punches and knees at full power.
The fight went to the ground in the fourth round, and Poirier tried several submissions before Hooker escaped. Poirier appeared to have more energy left for the fifth round, and he won on all three cards: 48-47, 48-47 and 48-46.
‘‘It was a tough one,’’ Poirier said. ‘‘Dan came to fight. He’s a tough guy. He’s on the rise. He really thought he was going to get past me. I trusted in my team, in my skill and my work ethic.’’
Poirier (26-6) capped his long rise by beating Max Holloway in April 2019 for the interim lightweight title. He lost the belt to unbeaten champion Khabib Nurmagomedov last September, and a leg injury subsequently kept him out of the cage for the longest stretch of his career.
He was back in fine form against Hooker (20-9), the tough kickboxing star from New Zealand who had won seven of his last eight bouts since 2016.
The show was the last of five weekend events at the UFC Apex gym on the promotion’s corporate campus. The UFC has staged eight fan-free events amid the coronavirus pandemic since returning from an eight-week break.
The UFC will take next week off before resuming competition on July 12 at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi with UFC 251, a stacked pay-per-view show with three title fights. The promotion will hold four shows over 14 days at the so-called ‘‘Fight Island’’.