Everything you need to know ahead of UFC 302
UFC 302, with its co-main event, promises martial arts enthusiasts a night full of entertainment and world-class MMA!
The event features the lightweight champion Islam Makhachev taking on the fan favorite Dustin “Diamond” Poirier in his first title defense against a legitimate lightweight contender. Makhachev has defended the belt previously, but those matches were against the former featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski and not against any ranked fighter in the division. The lightweight champion won both encounters, earning him the top spot in the UFC’s pound-for-pound ranking.
Poirier’s most recent fight took place as recently as March, where he defeated the hyped talent Benoit Saint-Denis by knockout. This victory helped the American recover from a knockout loss to Justin Gaethje last July and was crucial in securing a new title shot. This will be "Diamond's" third attempt at the title, having previously lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira. Poirier has touched the gold once when he won the interim belt, which he then lost after Nurmagomedov took a firm grip on the division.
UFC 302 on TV and Stream:
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UFC 302 Time and Place:
The event takes place on the night of June 2 and broadcasts live from Newark, New Jersey.
- Early prelims - (Shown on UFC Fight Pass) June 1, 6:00 pm ET
- Prelims - June 1, 8:00 pm ET
- Main card - June 1, 10:00 pm ET
Fights to keep an eye on at UFC 302:
Sean Strickland - Paulo Costa
In this middleweight bout, we’ll see the former champion Sean Strickland face Paulo Costa in a fight that could lead to a future title-fight against the newly crowned champion Dricus Du Plessis. Strickland enters the match as a favorite and remains the number one ranked fighter in the division. Costa, ranked number seven, has much to prove to earn a shot at the title as he comes off a loss to Robert Whittaker in his latest fight.
Jailton Almeida - Alexandr Romanov
When these two top-ranked heavyweights face off, we might see a potential winner climb up the ranks in the tumultuous division. The favorite Almeida, despite a loss in his last match, is ranked seventh and could climb significantly in the division if he wins this match and maybe even get a chance to face the winner between Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes.
The Full Fight Card for UFC 302:
Main Card
- Islam Makhachev - Dustin Poirier (Lightweight, title match)
- Sean Strickland - Paulo Costa (Middleweight)
- Kevin Holland - Michal Oleksiejczuk (Middleweight)
- Jailton Almeida - Alexandr Romanov (Heavyweight)
- Randy Brown - Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos (Welterweight)
Prelims
- Cesar Almeida - Roman Kopylov (Middleweight)
- Grant Dawson - Joe Solecki (Lightweight)
- Phil Rowe - Jake Matthews (Welterweight)
- Niko Price - Alex Morono (Welterweight)
Early Prelims
- Mickey Gall - Bassil Hafez (Welterweight)
- Ailin Perez - Joselyne Edwards (Bantamweight)
- Nyamjargal Tumendemberel - Andre Lima (Flyweight)
Author: Joel Fredmark