The summer of 2024 is a massive time in the history of the UFC. It was kicked off by UFC 300, one of the biggest events in UFC history, and it will include UFC 303 (Conor McGregor's return) and UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, both of which will be monumental events in combat sports. Sandwiched in between those hyped-up and legendary cards is another very exciting UFC pay-per-view. UFC 302 will feature the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Islam Makhachev, taking on a fan favorite in Dustin Poirier.
If the card is anything like what we've seen from the UFC so far this year, then it will be action-packed and entertaining. So, you won't want to miss a single fight, and in this article, we will detail how you can watch all of the action.
When and where is UFC 302
UFC 302 is on Saturday, June 1. The early prelims start the night at 6:15 p.m. ET, and the prelims will follow that at 8 p.m. ET. Finally, the main card will take place at 10 p.m. ET. The venue will be the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
How to watch UFC 302
UFC 302 is a pay-per-view event, but you can catch some of the action without paying to watch it. The early prelims will be on UFC Fight Pass, and the prelims will be on ESPN2 and ESPN+. Of course, the main card will be available exclusively via a pay-per-view purchase from ESPN+.
Date: Saturday, June 1 | Time: 10 p.m. ET (main card)
Location: Prudential Center — Newark, New Jersey
How to watch: ESPN+ pay-per-view (main card)
Odds: Makhachev -670
UFC 302 fight card
Main card:
Lightweight: Islam Makhachev (C) vs. Dustin Poirier, title bout (main event)
Middleweight: Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa
Middleweight: Kevin Holland vs. Michael Oleksiejczuk
Heavyweight: Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov
Welterweight: Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
Prelims:
Middleweight: Cesar Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov
Lightweight: Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki
Welterweight: Phil Rowe vs. Jake Matthews
Welterweight: Niko Price vs. Alex Morono
Early prelims:
Welterweight: Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez
Women's bantamweight: Ailin Perez vs. Joselyne Edwards
Flyweight: Nyamjargal Tumendemberel vs. Andre Lima
Main event
Islam Makhachev is the pound-for-pound number-one fighter in the UFC, and no one has been able to slow him down in years. The fighter from Dagestan has an MMA record of 25-1, but he has won 13 straight fights. A win at UFC 302 would put him in sole possession of the third-longest win streak in UFC history while simultaneously giving him the edge in that regard over legends like Jon Jones, Max Holloway, Demetrious Johnson, and Khabib Nurmagomedov; the latter of whom is Makhachev's friend and mentor.
The two grew up together and train together to this day, which has made them oftentimes compared to each other, especially considering both are two of the best grapplers in the history of the sport. If Makhachev is able to defend his title against Poirier (which is something that Nurmagomedov did during his career), then Makhachev will officially tie his undefeated friend in total title defenses.
Makhachev is a big-time favorite against the aging Poirier, but The Diamond isn't someone whom Makhachev can take lightly. Both of Makhachev's previous title defenses came against a featherweight fighter (Alexander Volkabovski), and Poirier is fresh off of an impressive victory over Benoit Saint-Denis.
The Diamond has great knockout power and is one of the best boxers in UFC history. While he doesn't compare to Makhachev in the ground game, it only takes one punch to make history in MMA. Additionally, Poirier appears to be going into this fight with extra motivation, knowing that his career is coming to a close and that he will likely never contend for a championship again.
Poirier has even stated that this could be his last UFC fight, win or lose. “I want to retire from the sport,” Poirier said. “I don't want the sport to retire me.”
Poirier and Makhachev have two very different styles of fighting, and although Poirier has been shown to be vulnerable to submissions before, Makhachev is a very underrated striker, and he may want to prove that he can stand up with the former Interim Champion. Either, way the current Lightweight Champion is quickly establishing himself as one of the best UFC fighters ever. Poirier has quite an impressive resume, though, so a win for either fighter would do wonders for their respective legacies.
Main card
While Makhachev and Poirier are some of the biggest names in the sport, it might be a fighter in the co-main event who has the biggest cult following. Sean Strickland is one of the biggest draws in the UFC and is making his return to the octagon after losing his middleweight title to Dricus du Plessis back at UFC 297.
Strickland is known for his big mouth and lack of filter, and while that has gotten him a lot of notoriety in the UFC, his fighting style has been what has impressed recently. Many fans thought he won the battle against du Plessis, and his uber-aggressive style and Philly shell defense helped him complete one of the biggest upset victories in UFC history when he became champion over Israel Adesyana.
His UFC 302 opponent, Paulo Costa, is also coming off a loss, but he also impressed despite not coming out victorious against Robert Whittaker. That fight took place only four pay-per-view events ago, so it is good to see Costa (who has struggled to remain active) fighting again so quickly after his last fight.
A win for Strickland would directly put him in the title picture again in what is a stacked middleweight division at the top. Although Costa has lost three of his last four fights, he still seemingly has some untapped potential, and a win against Strickland will put him back on the trajectory he was when he was a title contender in the division.
Kevin Holland will also fight Michal Oleksiejczuk in the middleweight division. While Costa has been criticized for being inactive before, Holland is known for taking any fight at any time, and this time, he is less than three months removed from his last fight. Holland has lost four of his last six fights, and his bout against Oleksiejczuk won't necessarily be an easy match. Still, Holland has an entertaining style and he is ranked just 15th right now. He will be desperate to maintain a ranking in the division.
Jailton Almeida is yet another exciting fighter on the main card who is looking for redemption after suffering a disappointing setback loss. Almeida won his first seven UFC fights before losing to Curtis Blaydes, a similarly dominant heavyweight wrestler. Almeida's next opponent, Alexandr Romanov, is another heavyweight who can take opponents down. He thrives in the ground and pound, so you can expect to see this fight go to the ground despite that not necessarily being the norm for the division.
The first fight on the main card is between Randy Brown and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. Brown is right on the doorstep of being ranked in the welterweight division, and while dos Santos isn't the fighter he once was, he is still a veteran who knows what it takes to get wins, meaning he will give Brown a run for his money.
Of course, a lot of the attention this summer in the world of combat sports has been/will be on UFC 300 and Conor McGregor's return. Fans shouldn't forget about UFC 302, though, as the card is sure to deliver yet another classic.
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