UFC 302: Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier Full Prelim Card Predictions

Check out predictions for every prelim fight at UFC 302.

The UFC returns to Newark, NJ this Saturday night for UFC 302, and MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré is here to provide predictions for all 7 fights from the preliminary and early preliminary portions of the card.

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Preliminary Card

Roman Kopylov vs. César Almeida

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Anthony Hernandez pins Roman Kopylov to the cage during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Things very nearly backfired in Almeida’s UFC debut when the Brazilian was matched up with Dylan Budka, but the former kickboxer likely won’t have to worry about any takedown attempts from Kopylov. The matchup seems to be a favorable one for “Cesinha”, but I’ll side with the fighter that has considerably more MMA experience in what should hopefully be a high-level striking battle.

(Pick: Kopylov)

Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki

This is another well-matched fight between a pair of talented grapplers, and it’s also Dawson’s first appearance since that 33-second knockout-loss to Bobby Green in his first UFC main event. Solecki will constantly be hunting for submissions whenever Dawson brings things to the ground, but even though I think the current odds are too wide I’ll pick "KGD" to get back on track in this fight.

(Pick: Dawson)

Phil Rowe vs. Jake Matthews

Jul 29, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Jake Matthews (red gloves) reacts to defeating Darrius Flowers (blue gloves) during UFC 291 at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

This is a huge fight for both men, as Rowe came up short in a big opportunity against Neil Magny in his last outing while Matthews has alternated wins and losses dating back to 2020. That trend of results indicates that Matthews should come out on top here, but Rowe has impressed during his brief UFC tenure and I’ll take him to pull off the minor upset.

(Pick: Rowe)

Nico Price vs. Alex Morono

Fans know that Price’s fights are always entertaining, but the 34-year-old is on a difficult stretch where he’s only picked up one win out of his last six bouts. “The Hybrid” is always capable of landing a big shot, but Morono should be able to avoid that threat and outwork Price over the course of three rounds.

(Pick: Morono)

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Early Preliminary Card

Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez

June 27, 2020; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Mickey Gall (blue gloves) punches Mike Perry (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night at the UFC APEX. Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via USA TODAY Sports / Handout Photo-USA TODAY Sports

A loss here could spell the end of Gall’s time in the UFC, and he hasn’t been given an easy matchup after Hafez nearly upset Jack Della Maddalena in his UFC debut last year. Gall has a huge chance to snap his current two-fight skid in front of the fans in his home state, but his recent inactivity and that last knockout-loss to Mike Malott don’t bode well for him in this matchup.

(Pick: Hafez)

Ailin Perez vs. Joselyne Edwards

Edwards is only one loss removed from a three-fight win streak, but two of those victories were also split decisions where the Panamanian failed to weigh-in at the bantamweight limit. Perez will have to navigate Edwards’ height and reach advantage, but I’m picking her to secure a third-straight win after the 29-year-old came up short in her UFC debut.

(Pick: Perez)

André Lima vs. Mitch Raposo

André Lima shows off a bite mark after his fight with Igor Severino. | (Zuffa LLC/Chris Unger) /

Originally set for a second Dana White’s Contender Series fight this summer, Raposo gets a well-deserved UFC opportunity here after Lima had two opponents withdraw from this event. This should be an entertaining scrap to kick the night off, and I expect Lima to pick up a big victory and put some distance between himself and that infamous UFC debut where he was bitten by Igor Severino.

(Pick: Lima)

MMA KO will be providing comprehensive coverage for UFC 302 all throughout fight week, and be sure to check back on our homepage for a preview of the event
, main card predictions, and live results and highlights from all the action on fight night.

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