Poirier looks to capture an elusive UFC title against arguably the sport’s pound-for-pound king
• 3 min read
UFC is back in the Northeast this weekend for UFC 302. The promotion heads to Newark, New Jersey for its latest PPV offering featuring a lightweight title bout in the main event between champion Islam Makhachev and fan-favorite Dustin Poirier. It’s the first time UFC is back in the region on PPV since UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden in November and first time back in New Jersey since a Fight Night event in March in Atlantic City.
Makhachev, a disciple of Khabib Nurmagomedov, looks to continue his impressive reign while building on a pound-for-pound legacy. The native of Dagestan, Russia, has won 13 in a row since a stunning knockout loss to Adriano Martins in 2015. He’s already beaten some of the top names in the sport, like Alexander Volkanovski (twice), Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan. Adding Poirier to that list could make this already impressive resume that much stronger. Makhachev already has his eyes on another divisional champion, this time one weightclass above him.
Poirier, meanwhile, 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. “The Diamond” already has a Hall of Fame worthy resume, but continues to lack that crowning achievement of undisputed gold.
The undercard features an interesting middleweight showdown that could produce a title challenger later this year when Sean Strickland takes on Paulo Costa. Strickland, the former titleholder, is coming off a tough split decision loss to Dricus du Plessis to drop the title. He intimated this week that he doesn’t believe UFC wanted him to keep the title because of the issues he creates in front of the microphone.
Elsewhere on the card, Kevin Holland returns to try and get back in the win column when he takes on Michal Oleksiejczuk. Holland has lost two in a row and four of his last six. Oleksiejczuk, meanwhile, has alternated wins and losses in his last four appearances. Plus, Alex Morono is set for an intriguing welterweight battle with veteran Niko Price. And more welterweights open the PPV when Randy Brown takes on Ezekiel Zaleski dos Santos.
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 (c) -625 vs. Dustin Poirier +450, lightweight title
- *Sean Strickland -250 vs. Paulo Costa +205, middleweights
- Kevin Holland -290 vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk +235, middleweights
- Alex Morono -265 vs. Niko Price +215, welterweights
- Randy Brown -180 vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos +155, welterweights
- Cesar Almeida -120 vs. Roman Kopylov +100, middleweights
- Grant Dawson -500 vs. Joe Solecki +380, lightweights
- Jake Matthews -155 vs. Phil Rowe +130, welterweights
- Jailton Almeida -320 vs. Alexandr Romanov +250, heavyweights
- Bassil Hafez -400 vs. Mickey Gall +310, welterweights
- Ailin Perez -180 vs. Joselyne Edwards +155, women’s bantamweights
- Andre Lima -270 vs. Mitch Raposo +220, 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
- Staff predictions and expert picks for the main card
- Brookhouse: Bet bets to consider on the main card
- Arman Tsarukyan provides his prediction for main event of UFC 302
- Strickland believes UFC didn’t want him as champion: ‘They hate it, but they accept it’
- 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.
