10 Times UFC Fighters Won In Defeat
8. Dustin Poirier (Vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov, UFC 242)
Coming into UFC 242, then-Interim UFC Lightweight Champion Dustin Poirier was feeling pretty good about his chances of overcoming undefeated UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Poirier had put together a hell of a run which included wins over Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez and Max Holloway, so it was reasonable to think that he'd have enough to put away 'The Eagle' in this unification bout.
However, Khabib had other ideas on the night and submitted Poirier in the third round with a rear-naked choke.
Despite losing the title match, Poirier definitely gave Khabib one of his toughest challenges yet. Because of this, it was clear that Poirier had earned the champ's respect and this led to Khabib announcing in his post-fight interview that he would be auctioning off his rival's t-shirt, sending all the profits to Poirier's The Good Fight Foundation charity.
Poirier may not have done enough to come away from the battle as the new undisputed Lightweight Champion, but his spirit and competitiveness on the night earned his charity a whopping $100,000 in the end - a total that was matched by Dana White - and that most certainly counts as a victory in defeat.