UFC 302 fight card: Makhachev vs. Poirier, Strickland vs. Costa headline Newark event


Daniel Yanofsky

UFC 302 fight card: Makhachev vs. Poirier, Strickland vs. Costa headline Newark event image

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The UFC heads to New Jersey for UFC 302. Islam Makhachev defends the UFC lightweight title against multi-time title contender Dustin Poirier from inside the Prudential Center.

The co-main event is a five-round middleweight fight between Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa. Strickland (28-6) beat Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title in a shocker but lost it in his next contest against Dricus du Plessis. Costa (14-3) lost against Adesnaya for the belt in 2020. He has since gone 1-2, his last fight being a loss against Robert Whittaker in February.

Other fights on the card include Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez. Brown (18-5) is 12-5 in the UFC and has seven wins via knockout and five via submission. dos Santos (24-7-1) is 10-3-1 in the octagon and 2-1-1 in his last four fights. He hasn't lost a contest since 2020.

Gall from Green Brook competes for the first time since 2022 and gets to fights in front of family and friends.

WATCH: UFC 302: Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier, exclusively on ESPN+

Below is the complete fight card for UFC 302!

UFC 302 fight card, odds

  • Islam Makhachev (c) (-500) vs. Dustin Poirier (+360) for the UFC lightweight title
  • Sean Strickland (-210) vs. Paulo Costa (+175); Middleweights
  • Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos; Welterweights
  • Cesar Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov; Middleweights

Almeida (5-0) is a former kickboxing champion, winning gold for WAKO, SUPERKOMBAT, and WKN. The Dana White's Contender Series alum has won four of his first five fights via knockout. Kopylov (12-3) is a five-time Combat Sambo champion. He recently had a four-fight win streak snapped in February. The Russian has eleven wins via knockout.

  • Tatsuro Taira vs. Joshua Van; Flyweights
  • Niko Price vs. Alex Morono; Welterweights
  • Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Romanov; Heavyweights

Almeida (20-3) is ranked seventh in the UFC's heavyweight rankings. The Brazilian was on a 15-fight win streak before losing against Curtis Blaydes in March. He looks to regain his momentum in a division at a standstill. Romanov is ranked 13th and 6-2 in the octagon. He recently ended a two-fight losing streak and is a competent wrestler like Almeida, with nine wins via submission.

  • Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez; Welterweights
  • Philip Rowe vs. Jake Matthews; Welterweights
  • Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki; Lightweights
  • Ailin Perez vs. Joselyne Edwards; Bantamweights

Perez (9-2) started competing at 11 and is 2-1 in the UFC. The former Samurai Fight House bantamweight champion is on a two-fight win streak and has four wins via knockout. Edwards (13-5) has fought for Ultimate Combat Challenge and LFA, winning gold for the former. She is 4-3 with the UFC, recently losing a three-fight win streak. The Panamanian has five wins via knockout.

*betting odds courtesy of BetMGM. Odds will be updated for the rest of the card when available.

UFC 302 tune-in info

  • Date: Saturday, June 1
  • Location: Prudential Center — Newark, New Jersey
  • Start time: 10 p.m. ET (8 p.m. ET for prelims) | 3:00 a.m BST (Sun) | 12:00 p.m. AEST (Sun)
  • How to watch: US: ESPN+ ($79.99 PPV fee plus $10.99/month membership) | UK: TNT Sports (£3.99/month or £39.99/year via discovery+) | Canada: DAZN ($69.99)
  • Watch from anywhere via NordVPN (30-day money-back guarantee)

Upcoming UFC TV schedule

DateEventLocationHow to watch
May 19, 2024Barboza vs. MurphyUFC APEX, Las Vegas, USAESPN+
June 1, 2024UFC 302: Makhachev vs. PoirierPrudential Center, Newark, USAESPN+
June 8, 2024TBD vs. TBDKFC Yum! Center, Louisville, USAESPN+
June 15, 2024TBD vs. TBDUFC APEX, Las Vegas, USAESPN+
June 22, 2024Whittaker vs. ChimaevKingdom Arena, Saudi ArabiaESPN+, ABC

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Daniel Yanofsky