Everything that MMA fans need to know about UFC 302: Makhachev vs Poirier, including the date, start time, full card, and a recap of the story so far.
UFC fans are in for a treat this summer with the comeback of Conor McGregor, the promotion’s touching down for the first time in Saudi Arabia, and a return to Manchester – but first, it’s time for ‘The Diamond’ of the lightweight division to go to war once again with a Dagestani wrecking ball… UFC 302!
UFC 302: Full card and fighters
UFC 302 will be headlined by lightweight king Islam Makhachev taking on veteran Dustin Poirier in a five-round championship bout.
The fight will be Makhachev’s first title defense against a legitimate lightweight contender, whilst Poirier is looking to continue the momentum from his stunning comeback victory over Benoit Saint-Denis earlier this year.
Former middleweight champion Sean Strickland returns to action for the first time since dropping the 185lb title, to face fan-favorite Brazilian striker Paulo Costa; with Strickland eyeing a rematch against the expected winner of Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya later in the year.
That bout will follow what should be an entertaining scrap at middleweight with Kevin Holland set to face surging Polish contender Michal Oleksiejczuk, with heavyweights Jailton Almeida and Alexander Romanov also set to throw down on the main card.
The full UFC 302 card is as follows:
- Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier
- Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa
- Kevin Holland vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk
- Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Romanov
- Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
- César Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov
- Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki
- Philip Rowe vs. Jake Matthews
- Niko Price vs. Alex Morono
- Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez
- Ailín Pérez vs. Joselyne Edwards
- Mitch Raposo vs Andre Lima
Overall, whilst there’s plenty to get excited for, UFC 302 is certainly top-heavy with just seven ranked fighters on the card: with only the top two fights having any real implications on their respective title pictures.
When and where is UFC 302 taking place?
UFC 302 takes place on Saturday, June 1 from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
This will be the tenth UFC event to be hosted at the iconic arena, with the promotion having first visited the Prudential Center all the way back in 2007 when they were still naming individual cards for UFC 78: Validation.
How to watch UFC 302
The UFC 302 early prelims will be available to watch via ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass starting from 6 PM ET/11 PM BST.
The preliminary bouts will follow via ESPN 2 and ESPN+ a few hours later, with four fights set to feature from 8 PM ET/1 AM BST.
Finally, the main card will start at 10 PM ET and will be a PPV event, which means fans will have to purchase the product via ESPN+ PPV.
How to get tickets for UFC 302
Tickets are still available to UFC 302: Makhachev vs Poirier, including seats all the way up to the octagon itself with individual seating starting from around $395 per person via Ticketmaster.
UFC 302: Makhachev vs Poirier and the story so far
The following will be an ongoing recap of the build-up to UFC 302, including all the notable stories you’ll want to keep track of as we look ahead to Makhachev and Poirier throwing down in the main event:
May 31: Islam Makhachev broke his silence on a suspected staph infection at the press conference, reassuring his fans that he’s suffering no medical condition ahead of UFC 302.
May 31: Poirier and Makhachev almost came to blows at the UFC 302 press conference after ‘The Diamond’ cursed at the champion, who in turn warned he’d slap the American.
May 30: Paulo Costa laughed as he teased that the infamous ‘Secret Juice’ would soon be arriving on shelves around the world as a consumer product.
May 30: Whether you believe in the MMA gods or not, there are three wacky ‘UFC Curses’ working in Dustin Poirier’s favor ahead of his lightweight title shot.
May 29: Sean Strickland slams the UFC for new gloves
Former middleweight champion Sean Strickland said that the new gloves that are set to be introduced at UFC 302 ‘absolutely suck’ and that the promotion ‘dropped the ball’.
May 28: Khabib will return to the UFC to corner Makhachev in Newark
Champion Islam Makhachev confirmed that after being notably absent for his two fights against Volkanovski, Khabib Nurmagomedov will indeed be in his corner this weekend.
May 27: Alexander Volkanovski backs his former foe to defend title
Having been in the octagon twice already with Islam Makhachev, former opponent Alexander Volkanovski broke down the main event of UFC 302 and ultimately, picked the Russian to win by submission.
May 26: Daniel Cormier ‘hates’ the retirement talk from Poirier
Daniel Cormier reacted with harsh words to Dustin Poirier’s talk of retirement, drawing on his own experiences with looking to the ‘other side’ with a title fight incoming.
May 26: Makhachev shares concern over new gloves
UFC 302 will see the introduction of some new gloves and although they’re designed to reduce eye pokes, Makhachev is worried that they’ll lead to more cuts.
May 25: Khabib Nurmagomedov hails Poirier as a ‘seasoned veteran’
Having already faced Dustin Poirier in the UFC, Khabib is helping prepare Makhachev and heaped praise on ‘The Diamond’ for his iconic resume.
May 24: Poirier considering retirement regardless of UFC 302 result
Despite having the skillset to climb the ladder, Poirier revealed that he’s considering stepping away from the sport of MMA regardless of if he claims the title at UFC 302.
May 20: Islam Makhachev’s coach makes alternate pick
Whilst Islam Makhachev expects to finish Dustin Poirier in the early rounds, not everyone in his corner wants a quick night at the office. Coach Javier Mendez revealed in an interview that he’d prefer a five-round dominant decision win for one key reason.
May 16: Sean Strickland goes off on Paulo Costa
Ahead of their co-main event feature, Sean Strickland launched a vicious verbal assault against Paulo Costa, calling him a ‘weak man’ and claiming that Costa has a habit of disappointing fans.
May 13: More knockouts expected thanks to new gloves
UFC 302 will also see the introduction of some new fighting gloves for the athletes. Randy Brown gave his honest review of the gloves and said that fans should expect more knockouts thanks to added padding in specific places.
May 11: Islam Makhachev sends chilling warning to Dustin Poirier
After Poirier’s ‘Gilly season’ catchphrase went viral on social media, Makhachev responded by stating that not only will he defend any and all submission attempts, but that he’ll use them to set up a quick finish.