One of the most dominant champions in the UFC returns to defend his crown at the Rock on June 1, as UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev puts his 13-fight winning streak on the line against Louisiana superstar Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier in the main event of UFC 302 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Fresh from a stirring knockout of Benoit Saint Denis, Poirier is in prime form heading into his title fight with Makhachev, who owns recent wins over Alexander Volkanovski and Charles Oliveira, Plus, former middleweight champion Sean Strickland begins his road back to the top in a five-round co-feature against Brazilian banger Paulo Costa that will put the winner on the fast track to a crack at the 185-pound title,
UFC 302: Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier LIVE
The UFC 302 main event was originally scheduled to feature the winner of the UFC 300 clash between Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan taking on Islam Makhachev for the 155 lbs title, However, Tsarukyan, despite winning the fight against ‘Do Bronx’, declined the offer due to the quick turnaround between the two events,
Date: Saturday, June 1
Main card start time: 10 p.m. ET / 3 a.m. UK (Sunday)
Main event cagewalks (approx): 12 a.m. ET (Sunday) / 5 a.m. UK (Sunday)
This led to Dustin Poirier finding himself with another opportunity to claim the lightweight belt and settle his score with Team Khabib, As the MMA world gears up in anticipation for the thrilling spectacle, it remains to be seen if the third time will be the charm for ‘The Diamond’!
Sean Strickland will be returning to the cage at UFC 302 to take on Paulo Costa. ‘Tarzan’ is aiming to bounce back from his split-decision loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 which also marked the end of his reign as the UFC middleweight champion. According to a statement made to MMA Fighting by his coach. Eric Nicksick. “…we’re a win away from another title fight. so it’s very important not to overlook Paulo Costa.”
Strickland has been vocal about wanting to rematch Du Plessis ever since his defeat as he has stated in a post on X. “The UFC fans want me and Dricus to settle it. Dricus wants to settle it… ” As such. a win over Costa would definitely play a role in Strickland’s campaign to get back the title he held not too long ago. but with Du Plessis currently linked to a title defense against Israel Adesanya. it remains to be seen if Strickland gets the rematch he wants.