UFC Fight Night: Dustin Poirier beats Dan Hooker in gruelling main event

Dustin Poirier beatsDan HookerGetty Images

Dustin Poirier has 18 UFC wins since 2011, second only to Donald Cerrone in that time

A bloodied Dustin Poirier recovered to beat Dan Hooker by unanimous decision in a gruelling main event at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, USA on Saturday.

The American lost the first two rounds on the judges' cards before getting the better of New Zealander Hooker, 30, in a behind-closed-doors lightweight bout.

Poirier, 31, headed into the fight off the back of a defeat by Khabib Nurmagomedov in September, but improved his record to 26 wins and six losses.

"That's fighting," he told ESPN.

"A fight isn't a fight until there's something to overcome. That's what we did tonight."

The fighters landed 390 strikes - the most in a lightweight fight in UFC history, and fifth-most overall - with Poirier making 208 of those.

"It was a tough one. Dan came to fight. He's a tough guy," he added.

It is the fifth weekend in a row that the UFC has staged fight nights at its UFC Apex in Las Vegas and the eighth card since the promotion returned after being halted by the coronavirus pandemic.