UFC News: Massive Title Fight & Co-Headliner Announced for UFC 302 in Newark

Dustin Poirier gets another shot at lightweight gold.

Zain Bando | Apr 14, 2024

Mar 9, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Dustin Poirier reacts after knocking out Benoit Saint Denis during UFC 299. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

UFC 302 has its main and co-main event locked down for June 1 in Newark, N.J. at the Prudential Center.

The main event will see Islam Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) defending his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7, 1 NC). This fight will be Poirier's second crack at undisputed lightweight gold, losing to Charles Oliveira in his last opportunity in Dec. 2021. For Makhachev, it's his third title defense, as he is seeking his 14th consecutive victory since joining the UFC in 2015.

In another five-round affair, the co-main event will see a former middleweight champion in Sean Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) taking on Paulo Costa (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC). Strickland is coming off a decision loss to Dricus du Plessis, relinquishing his title in the process. As for Costa, he has lost three out of his last four with his lone win coming against Luke Rockhold.

At press time, UFC CEO Dana White did not announce any additional fights for either UFC 302 orUFC 303, but both will attempt to build off the success of UFC 300, which featured three title fights.

Expect more announcements in the coming weeks, as it is still unknown if and when several divisional titles, including welterweight, middleweight, heavyweight, and women's bantamweight, to name a few, will be defended.

The UFC will have a rare dead week before returning with UFC Vegas 91, which takes place April 27 in Las Vegas, Nev.

For now, UFC 300 is in the rear-view mirror as one of the biggest events in MMA history.

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Published Apr 14, 2024

ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99