UFC News: Massive Title Fight & Co-Headliner Announced for UFC 302 in Newark
Dustin Poirier gets another shot at lightweight gold.
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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