UFC 302 will take place on June 1 inside The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. This card is shaping up to be electric, as the main event features the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, looking to defend his title against former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier.
The co-main event is just as action-packed, with a five-round middleweight clash between former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland and the explosive combination striker Paulo Costa.
UFC 302 Main Event: Makhachev vs. Poirier
The main event features two contrasting tales coming to a crossroads. The dominant Russian champion, Islam Makhachev (25-1-0), seeks his third title defense against the Louisianan Dustin Poirier (30-8-0, 1 NC).
Poirier entered the UFC in 2011, making his debut at featherweight against Josh Grispi. He would make his presence known to fight fans from the beginning as he displayed his toughness and heart in a unanimous decision victory. The tough fighter out of Lafayette, Louisiana, eventually climbed his way up the ladder of the UFC, facing household names like ‘The Korean Zombie’, Max Holloway, Conor McGregor, Cub Swanson, etc.
This Saturday night, Poirier will step into the octagon for the third time, vying for the undisputed lightweight gold. His previous attempts, though unsuccessful, were against formidable opponents such as Charles Oliveira and Makhachev’s coach and training partner, Khabib Nurmagomedov, adding to the intensity and anticipation of this upcoming bout.
Poirier is coming off an impressive second-round knockout of the surging French lightweight prospect Benoit Saint-Denis (13-2-0, 1 NC), who was the heavy betting favorite going into the bout.
Now 35, the fan-favorite striker has been open about the potential of this being his last time inside the octagon. In an interview leading up to fight week, Poirier told CBS’s Shakiel Mahjouri, “I’m not sure, man. This could be the last one.”
On the other side of the octagon stands the reigning champion, who has encountered little resistance on his path to the belt. Makhachev’s coronation came in October 2022, when he overcame former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira (34-10-0, 1 NC) on UFC 280, underscoring Poirier’s formidable challenge.
Since then, he has strung together an impressive duo of defenses over former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski twice, the first being a controversial decision in February 2023 on UFC 284 and the second being a decisive first-round knockout in October 2023 on UFC 294.
Strickland vs. Costa
The co-main event of Saturday night’s action features the outspoken and unpredictable former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland (28-6-0) and the always-entertaining Brazilian striker Paulo Costa (14-3-0) in a five-round fight.
This matchup can easily be seen as a title eliminator, as the middleweight division is looking for a budding star to separate itself from the rest of the pack.
Both fighters are coming off of closely contested decision losses against the division’s elite talent. Strickland fell short in a controversial split-decision loss against now-champion Dricus Du Plessis (21-2-0) in January on UFC 297.
Costa came up short in a unanimous decision loss against former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (26-7-0) in what was an entertaining three-round standup fight on UFC 298.
It’s unclear what the UFC wants to do regarding Dricus Du Plessis’ next title defense, but another matchup to watch around the weight class is Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev, which is scheduled for June 22 Fight Night.
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