UFC 302: MAKHACHEV vs. POIRIER takes place this Saturday, June 1 from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
TALKING POINTS
UFC 302: MAKHACHEV vs. POIRIER takes place Saturday, June 1 from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev takes on No. 4 ranked contender Dustin Poirier in the main event
The co-main event will see No. 1 ranked middleweight Sean Strickland go toe-to-toe with No. 7 Paulo Costa
UFC 302: MAKHACHEV vs. POIRIER will be available on Pay-Per-View
LIGHTWEIGHTS BATTLE FOR GOLD: ISLAM MAKHACHEV DEFENDS HIS TITLE AGAINST TOP RANKED CONTENDER DUSTIN POIRIER
Islam Makhachev (28-5, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia) sets out for first his third title defense when he faces Poirier
UFC lightweight champion
No. 1 UFC pound-for-pound fighter
11 wins by submission, five wins via knockout
13 fight-win streak
Holds wins over Alexander Volkanovski (x2), Charles Oliveira, and Bobby Green
Dustin Poirier (30-8, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. by way of Lafayette, La.) sets forth to capture the lightweight throne from Makhachev and etch his name in the history books
Former Interim UFC lightweight champion
No. 4 UFC lightweight
16 wins by knockout, seven via submission
13 first-round finishes
Holds wins over Conor McGregor (x2), Benoît Saint Denis, and Michael Chandler
MIDDLEWEIGHTS SET TO DELIVER FIREWORKS: FORMER CHAMPION SEAN STRICKLAND LOCKS HORNS WITH ALWAYS EXCITING PAULO COSTA
Sean Strickland (28-6, fighting out of Corona, Calif.) returns to action aiming to secure a statement win against a formidable opponent in Costa
Former UFC middleweight champion
No. 1 UFC middleweight
11 wins by KO, four via submission
Nine first-round finishes
Holds wins over Israel Adesanya, Brendan Allen, and Nassourdine Imavov
Paulo Costa (14-3, fighting out of Contagem, MG, Brazil) looks to steal the spotlight and deliver a highlight finish against former division champion Strickland
No. 7 UFC middleweight
11 wins by KO, one wins via submission
Nine first-round finishes
Has won nine of last 12 bouts
Holds wins over Luke Rockhold, Yoel Romero and Uriah Hall
OTHER FIGHTS ON THE CARD INCLUDE
A welterweight contest sees fan-favorite Kevin Holland (12-3, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas) battle knockout specialist Michal Oleksiejczuk (12-3, fighting out of Barki, Poland)
Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner and current No. 7 ranked UFC heavyweight Jailton Almeida (20-3, fighting out of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil) meets No. 13 ranked contender Alexandr Romanov (17-2, fighting out of Comrat City, Republic of Moldova)
Welterweights Randy Brown (18-5, fighting out of Queens, N.Y. by way of Spanish Town, Jamaica) and Elizeu dos Santos (12-2 1NC, fighting out of Francisco Beltrão, Parana, Brazil) kick off the main card
Undefeated middleweight Cesar Almeida (5-0, fighting out of São Paulo, Brazil) looks to add Roman Kopylov (12-3, fighting out of Bachatsky, Kemerovo, Russia) to his perfect record
An action-packed lightweight bout sees Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner Grant Dawson (20-2-1, fighting out of Coconut, Creek, Fla.) locks horns with Joe Solecki (13-4, fighting out of Gastonia, N.C.)
Phil Rowe (10-4, fighting out of Orlando, Fla.) and Jake Matthews (19-7, fighting out of Epping Victoria, Australia) square off at 170 pounds
All-action welterweights Niko Price (15-7 2NC, fighting out of Cape Coral, Fla.) and Alex Morono (24-9 1 NC, fighting out of Houston, Texas) look to leave it out of the judges’ hands
New Jersey’s own Mickey Gall (7-5, fighting out of Green Brook, N.J.) makes his return to the Octagon to take on Bassil Hafez (8-4-1, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) at welterweight
Looking to put to their rivalry to rest, bantamweights Ailin Perez (9-2, fighting out of Buenos Aires, Argentina) and Joselyne Edwards (13-5, fighting out of Panama City, Panama) square off
A thrilling flyweight bout kickstarts the night as Mitch Raposo (9-1, fighting out of Fall River, Mass.) and Andre Lima (8-0, fighting out of Guarulhos, São Paulo, Brazil) collide