Author Photo
Sean Strickland
(GETTY)

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Sporting News has editorial oversight for this content. Learn more >

Author(s)
Daniel Yanofsky Photo

Daniel Yanofsky is the Combat Sports Editor for The Sporting News since late 2021. Prior to working for TSN, Daniel provided insight on combat sports for Fightful, FIGHT SPORTS, and Wrestling Inc. A proud Ithaca College alum, when he isn’t working on his golf game, Daniel is advocating for three-minute rounds in women's boxing.

You can follow him on Twitter via @DanYanofsky.