Poirier looks to capture an elusive UFC title against arguably the sport’s pound-for-pound king
• 2 min read
After a week off, UFC is back in action in a big way on Saturday night. The promotion returns to PPV in Newark, New Jersey for UFC 302, headlined by a massive lightweight title fight between champion Islam Makhachev and challenger Dustin Poirier.
Makhachev, 32, gets a fresh opponent after his pair of wins over Alexander Volkanovski in 2023. It will also be the first time that he has defended his title in the United States after winning the belt in Abu Dhabi and then defending it in Australia and returning to Abu Dhabi once more. His lone pro defeat came in a 2015 knockout loss to Adriano Martins in just his second UFC bout.
“The Diamond” fights for the belt after a Round 2 knockout of Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299. Poirier (30-8, 1 NC) looks to finally become champion after falling short against Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev’s mentor and coach, in 2019 and Oliveira in 2021.
UFC 302’s co-main event will also be contested across a maximum of 25 minutes. Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland takes on heavy-handed action fighter Paulo Costa in a five-round, non-title bout. Strickland and Costa are set to fight for the first time since losing to middleweight champ Dricus du Plessis and former champ Robert Whittaker, respectively.
Elsewhere on the card, Kevin Holland looks to get back on the winning side of things when he takes on Michal Oleksiejczuk. Holland, 31, is 4-4 since 2022 and alternating two wins and two losses at a time. He’s coming off a pair of decision defeats to Michael Page and Jack Della Maddalena. Plus, heavyweight Jailton Almeida looks to get back in the win column when he takes on Alexandr Romanov. And welterweights Randy Brown and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos get the PPV festivities underway.
Below is the complete fight card for UFC 302 along with the latest odds. Check back all week long for the latest news, features and other content around this massive event.
UFC 302 fight card, odds
- Islam Makhachev -625 vs. Dustin Poirier +450, lightweight championship
- *Sean Strickland -240 vs. Paulo Costa +200, middleweights
- Kevin Holland -260 vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk +210, middleweights
- Jailton Almeida -260 vs. Alexandr Romanov +210, heavyweights
- Randy Brown -180 vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos +155, welterweights
- Cesar Almeida -110 vs. Roman Kopylov -110, middleweights
- Grant Dawson -400 vs. Joe Solecki +310, lightweights
- Jake Matthews -160 vs. Phil Rowe +135, welterweights
- Alex Morono -240 vs. Niko Price +200, welterweights
- Bassil Hafez -330 vs. Mickey Gall +260, welterweights
- Ailin Perez -200 vs. Joselyne Edwards +170, women’s bantamweights
- Andre Lima -250 vs. Mitch Raposo +205, flyweights
*Strickland vs. Costa is a five-round non-title co-main event.
UFC 302 info
- Date: June 1
- Location: Prudential Center — Newark, New Jersey
- Start time: 10 p.m. ET (Main card)
- How to watch: ESPN+ PPV
UFC 302 countdown
- Campbell: Poirier continues pursuit of elusive title
- Mahjouri: Undercard fights to watch in New Jersey
- Khabib back in Makhachev’s corner for latest title defense
- Poirier considering retirement after UFC 302
- Poirier plans to leave Makhachev unconscious in main event
- Campbell: Five biggest storylines to watch in New Jersey
Who wins UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier, and how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on UFC 302, all from the MMA expert who profited more than $1,500 on his UFC main-card picks, and find out.
