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UFC 302 Preview
By Matt ten-Hoeve
May 29, 2024
The UFC is back after taking a week off. UFC 302 will be coming to us live from Newark, New Jersey to present a hard hitting night full of action that will clear up some questions in the Lightweight and Middleweight Divisions. Let’s take a look at the card for Saturday, June 1…
Main Card (ESPN+ PPV, 10 PM ET)
Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier
Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa
Kevin Holland vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov
Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski
Preliminary Card (ESPN 2/ESPN+, 8 PM ET)
Cesar Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov
Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki
Phil Rowe vs. Jake Matthews
Niko Price vs. Alex Morono
Early Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+, 6 PM ET)
Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez
Ailin Perez vs. Joselyne Edwards
Mitch Raposol vs. Andre Lima
The Prelims
Although this isn’t a top to bottom star-studded event, there are some really fun names throughout the card, including on the Prelims. Here is what I am looking forward to with the early fights…
Mickey Gall and Bassil Hafez have both been put into the spotlight during previous fights thanks to their opponent and/or situation. They both tend to go after it, so this should be a fun early fight.
Alex Morono was a late sub against Niko Price and I’m excited about it. This should be a banger!
Grant Dawson was on a tear up until his Fight Night main event loss last year to Bobby Green. He’ll be looking to get back on track in a big way with a win here.
Roman Kopylov was also on a tear up until his last fight. He has excellent striking ability, but his ground game exposed some weaknesses last time out. Cesar Almeida is a tough rebound fight, as he is a dangerous kickboxer. This should be a fun way to finish off the Prelims.
Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
Randy Brown is always down for a scrap, but he is looking to take that next step in his career. He tends to string together two to three wins and then take a step back with a loss. He is coming in with two straight wins, so he’ll be doing everything he can to keep that streak going to try and get another big fight. Elizeu won’t make it easy on Brown, though. Elizeu tends to fly under the radar, but has wins over some big names over the last few years (Sean Strickland and Benoit Saint Denis). This is a cool fight to open up the PPV with and should open up some eyes to the winner if they win in grand fashion.
Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov
After suffering the first two losses of his career, Alexandr Romanov got back on track mid-last year and is looking to get another win streak going. Jailton Almeida’s rising star burned out quickly with his loss against Curtis Blaydes last year. Both of these men have something to prove in this fight, so I expect them to be hunting for a finish.
Kevin Holland vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
Michal Oleksiejczuk tends to be up and down with wins and losses, but tends to put on fun performances. The stage is set for another fun fight with the always entertaining Kevin Holland. Neither man should focus on the entertainment, though, as both men could really use an impressive win if they want to get their UFC careers back on track.
Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa
Talk about an awesome fight on paper with two guys who not only tend to go after it, but also need a win. Say what you will about Sean Strickland’s mouth, he’s a hell of a fighter. He is so dangerous on his feet - he can hurt you with a surge or his defense. Costa is all power and will take his chances, leaving openings. However, if those chances connect - it’s goodnight. This is a heck of a co-main event and I am super excited for it. A big win here will get eyes back on the person in the Middleweight Division, for sure.
Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier
With Arman Tsarukyan passing on a shot against Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier gets the call for a big moment and a chance to finally get what has escaped him his entire career - the World Title. Even though Dustin has held an interim title in the UFC, there’s nothing like the real thing and he’ll do everything in his power to get that Lightweight Championship on Saturday. We already know he’s going to be silly and jump the gilly. However, he also has all the tools needed to win the title via knockout, submission, or by going the distance. Dustin Poirier is a true professional and will have many MMA fans on his side to upset Islam Makhachev. But…how can you truly bet against the possible pound for pound best fighter in the world? Islam Makhachev is truly a man to be feared. He comes in with only one loss, which happened nine years ago, and has completely run through the UFC since his debut. Islam is a complete fighter and is super focused on keeping his title for as long as possible. Fight fans - this is going to be an amazing main event!
My Picks
Islam Makhachev
Sean Strickland
Kevin Holland
Jailton Almeida
Randy Brown
Cesar Almeida
Grant Dawson
Phil Rowe
Alex Morono
Bassil Hafez
Joselyne Edwards
Andre Lima
Overall, I am really looking forward to this card on Saturday. There are some really fun names on the Prelims and early PPV fights and the top two fights are certified bangers. The only thing I am not thrilled about is that I got priced out on tickets. The Prudential Center is a quick 25 minutes drive for me, so it would have been awesome to be there live. I guess my couch will do!
Which fights are you looking forward to the most? Do you think Dustin Poirier will finally be able to finish his story? Let me know at matt.tenhoeve@gmail.com. I’ll be back early next week to talk about what happened at UFC 302. See you then!
