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Fight By Fight Preview | UFC 302: Makhachev vs Poirier
Outlining All The Action Set To Hit The Octagon At Prudential Center On Saturday Night
By E. Spencer Kyte, on X @spencerkyte
Saturday marks the UFC’s tenth trip to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, which has sneakily been home to some memorable moments over the years.
Georges St-Pierre defeated Dan Hardy at “The Rock” in 2010. Jon Jones made history, becoming the youngest UFC champion ever when he stormed through “Shogun” Rua a year later at UFC 128, and then successfully defended his light heavyweight strap against Chael Sonnen there two years later.
Renan Barão and Jose Aldo delivered a Nova Uniao title defense double-up at UFC 169, Luke Rockhold punched his ticket to his UFC 194 title fight with Chris Weidman there, and, most recently, Diego Lopes introduced himself to the world with his breakout performance against Movsar Evloev at UFC 288.
This weekend, the action returns to the home of the Devils for UFC 302 and, rest assured, this card is sure to deliver another memorable moment or two.
Main Event: Islam Makhachev vs Dustin Poirier
UFC 302 wraps with lightweight champion Islam Makhachev defending his title against former interim champ and two-time title challenger Dustin Poirier.
Makhachev made two appearances in his first year atop the division, facing off with Alexander Volkanovski both times. In the first outing, he out-worked and then out-lasted the former featherweight kingpin, and in the second, he claimed top spot in the pound-for-pound rankings by felling “Alexander the Great” in the first round.
Poirier arrives in Newark off a second-round stoppage win over Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299 that allowed him to quickly bounce back from his knockout loss to Justin Gaethje last summer and land a third opportunity to compete for the undisputed title.
Stylistically, this is a classic “grappler versus striker” matchup, and from a narrative side, there is a lot about this pairing that is compelling, with Makhachev set to defend against a lightweight contender for the first time and Poirier aiming to claim the one win that has escaped him to this point in his career.
However this plays out, it should be a fascinating way to close out the evening in New Jersey.
Other Main Card Bouts
Sean Strickland vs Paulo Costa
In the co-main event, former middleweight champion Sean Strickland returns to action in a five-round pairing with perennial contender Paulo Costa.
After shocking the world by winning the belt in decisive fashion last fall, Strickland dropped the title in a close, competitive bout with Dricus Du Plessis in January, halting his modest three-fight winning streak. As for Costa, he touches down for this co-main event assignment after battling hard against Robert Whittaker in February, marking the first time he’s competed twice in the same calendar year since he fought three times in 2017.
There are some big middleweight matchups on the horizon this month and the division is undergoing renovations at the moment, so each contest is critical for these championship hopefuls. A big effort from either man would not only solidify their place in the pecking order, but potentially set up a title eliminator for the victor later in the year, as well.
Kevin Holland vs Michal Oleksiejczuk
Speaking of middleweight contests, Kevin Holland jumps back in the fray at 185 pounds for this main card fixture with Michal Oleksiejczuk.
Holland’s last eight fights have played out as four sets of two, as he began his welterweight adventure with a pair of wins then dropped back-to-back contests before winning his first two outings of 2023. After dropping a split decision to Jack Della Maddalena to close out last year, he landed on the wrong side of the cards against Michael “Venom” Page at UFC 299, sending him into this one hoping to maintain his current pattern and get back into the win column.
Oleksiejczuk’s UFC career has been similarly inconsistent, as the 29-year-old Polish fighter has never won or lost more than two straight through his first 13 appearances. He’s gone 3-2 since shifting to middleweight, with his setbacks coming against currently ranked Brazilians Caio Borralho and Michel Pereira.
This is a crucial contest for both men, which should bring out the best of each on Saturday. Holland needs to avoid a three-fight slide, while Oleksiejczuk can grab what would be the biggest win of his career by getting back on track, so expect each to be firing on all cylinders from the outset this weekend.
Jailton Almeida vs Alexandr Romanov
Jailton Almeida and Alexandr Romanov square off in this potentially fascinating heavyweight fixture.
“Malhadinho” began his UFC tenure with six straight victories, rocketing into contention on the heels of three victories last year, only to have that ascent halted by Curtis Blaydes in March. Romanov similarly started out hot, winning five straight upon arriving in the Octagon, and turns up in Jersey after snapping a two-fight skid with a strong showing last July.
Can the Brazilian get things rolling again after stumbling hard against Blaydes or will Romanov secure a massive win that catapults him up the heavyweight rankings?
Randy Brown vs Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
The main card gets underway with a welterweight clash between Randy Brown and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos.
One of the more unheralded competitors in the 170-pound ranks over the last several years, Brown enters off a beautiful knockout win over Muslim Salikhov in February and has won eight of his last 10 bouts overall. In many ways, the same can be said of dos Santos, who slides into UFC 303 unbeaten in his last three outings and brandishing a 10-2-1 mark over his previous 13 appearances.
Both men have resided on the fringes of the Top 15 for the last couple years, and the winner will have a very solid case for inclusion once the rankings update next week. They are both technically sharp and typically involved in entertaining scraps, so this should be a dynamite way to kick off the main card this weekend.
Preliminary Card Bouts
Cesar Almeida vs Roman Kopylov
Cesar Almeida makes a hasty return to action, stepping in to face off with Roman Kopylov in the final preliminary card bout of the evening.
The 35-year-old Brazilian kickboxer earned a win in his promotional debut at the start of April, stopping Dylan Budka in the second round, and looks to double up here. Kopylov entered the year as a dark horse in the division, but faltered at UFC 298, running afoul of streaking finisher Anthony Hernandez.
Grant Dawson vs Joe Solecki
It’s a battle of lightweight grapplers angling for an immediate return to the win column as Grant Dawson and Joe Solecki share the cage on Saturday.
Dawson went unbeaten through his first nine UFC appearances to earn a headlining assignment against Bobby Green last October, only to have his run of success halted in just 33 seconds. Across the Octagon, Solecki looks to bounce back after having his tidy two-fight winning streak snapped last December at the hands of Drakkar Klose.
Phil Rowe vs Jake Matthews
Phil Rowe and Jake Matthews meet in a welterweight bout that has the potential to play out in a number of different ways.
Three consecutive wins earned Rowe a date with Neil Magny in his lone appearance of 2023, where the Brooklyn-born, Orlando-based Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) grad landed on the wrong side of a split decision verdict. Conversely, Matthews played the part of the experienced veteran last time out opposite Michael Morales, similarly finding himself on the wrong side of the scorecards against the undefeated talent from Ecuador.
Niko Price vs Alex Morono
The second of three straight welterweight bouts on Saturday’s prelims pits Niko Price and Alex Morono against one another in a rematch of divisional stalwarts.
Competing for the first time since last summer, Price looks to snap a two-fight losing streak and begin steering out of a rough stretch that has seen him go 2-4 with one no contest over his last seven appearances. Morono has alternated wins and losses over his last five, and hustles back into the Octagon here after a unanimous decision victory over Court McGee at the start of April.
Mickey Gall vs Bassil Hafez
Mickey Gall steps back into the Octagon for the first time in over two years this weekend, returning to face UFC sophomore Bassil Hafez.
Gall last competed at UFC 273, suffering a first-round stoppage loss to Mike Malott, and has gone just 3-5 over his last eight fights since beginning his career with four straight wins. Hafez tagged in on incredibly short notice to face Jack Della Maddalena last summer and made a positive impression, pushing the streaking Australian to his limits before landing on the unhappy side of a split decision verdict.
Ailin Perez vs Joselyne Edwards
Bad blood boils over into the Octagon here as rivals Ailin Perez and Joselyne Edwards look to settle their differences inside the cage.
The 29-year-old Perez has posted consecutive decision wins since dropping her debut and returning to bantamweight, while Edwards aims to get moving in the right direction again after having her three-fight winning streak snapped last September in Paris. The two got into a physical altercation last November, and now get 15 minutes, if needed, to resolve things this weekend.
Andre Lima vs Mitch Raposo
Andre Lima makes his second appearance of the year in Saturday’s opener, facing off with debuting substitute Mitch Raposo.
“Mascote” moved to 8-0 with a win in his March debut when his countryman Igor da Silva was disqualified for intentionally biting him during the contest. Raposo has appeared on both The Ultimate Fighter and Dana White’s Contender Series, and now gets the call to replace Nyamjargal Tumendembrel and potentially build on his current four-fight winning streak.
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