Fight night in New Jersey.
The UFC brings its next pay-per-view to the Prudential Center with UFC 302, where 12 bouts will take place on Saturday night. The main event is a UFC Lightweight Championship match between champion Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier, who is looking to officially win the title and add another chapter to his storied career.
The co-main event will be a middleweight bout between the controversial Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa. The event kicks off what is expected to be a thrilling month for the UFC, featuring the return of Conor McGregor against Michael Sandler on June 29.
Follow USA TODAY Sports for live updates from UFC 302:
UFC 302 results: Jailton Almeida knocks out Alexander Romano
We have our first submission of the night! Jailton Almeida ended his fight with Alexander Romanov early in the first round with a back-naked choke for a first-round submission.
Despite the difference in weight, Almeida had no problem knocking Romano out in the first round. Almeida gets on Romano’s back and easily submits him.
“I said I was going to finish the fight. I know I got out in the last fight, but I came here to finish the fight,” Almeida said through a translator.
Almeida celebrated by dancing in the center of the ring.
Aaron Rodgers in the build-up to UFC 302
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is at home for UFC 302, not far from the team’s New Jersey facility.
But the four-time MVP — whose Jets tenure so far has been four plays but plenty of headlines — wasn’t expected to be the most popular figure in the building.
Former President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Community account that he will attend the Prudential Center on Saturday night. It’s been an eventful week for the Republican presidential nominee.
UFC 302 results: Grant Dawson defeats Joe Solecki
Grant Dawson defeated Joe Solecki by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27).
Dawson quickly gets out of the gate and immediately goes for a flying knee, but Solecki grabs Dawson’s leg and gradually takes him down and climbs into the guillotine. Dawson was able to escape and gain control of the field, which he maintained throughout the match. Solecki elbowed Dawson above his right eye, but was otherwise unable to threaten Dawson.
UFC 302 Results: Jake Matthews beats Philip Rowe
Matthews picked up his 13th UFC win with a unanimous decision over Philip Rowe (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) in their welterweight bout.
Rowe has an 80.5-inch reach, the second-longest reach among active UFC welterweights, and he uses his 7.5-inch wingspan advantage to his advantage. Rowe landed a right hand to Matthews’ face and broke his nose midway through the first round. Despite bleeding profusely, Matthews stunned Rowe with a pair of shots in the second round and controlled Rowe to the ground to pick up the win.
UFC 302 Results: Bassil Hafez def. Mickey Call
Basil Hafeez defeated Mickey Morning by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28). Hafez and Gall traded blows throughout the fight, but Hafez had the upper hand.
After his victory, Hafiz delivered a message.
“There is one thing I want to say, which has been heavy on my heart for a long time: I do not support genocide,” Hafiz told the crowd. “I do not support the killing of innocent women and children for war, money and power. We are all God’s children and we all deserve a fair chance in life. Free Palestine.”
UFC 302 Results: Eileen Perez Wins Grudge Match Against Jocelyn Edwards
Aileen Perez defeated Jocelyn Edwards by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) in their women’s bantamweight bout. Perez celebrated with his “signature twerk.”
Although Edwards did not receive a point penalty, the second round was officially timed out after he was called for a headbutt. After the restart Perez responded with a spinning backfist that hit Edwards in the face and knocked her down. Perez controlled the fight and had several takedowns of Edwards.
There was no romance between Perez and Edwards. The war of words erupted when they fought ahead of UFC Fight Night 232 in Las Vegas in November, when Perez was scheduled to fight Lucy Butilova a few days later. The UFC did not schedule Perez and Edwards to fight outside the ring, instead setting up the bout for Saturday.
At the start of the fight, Perez reached out to tap gloves with Edwards, who did not return the gesture. But the duo later hugged it out and appeared to cancel their beef.
UFC 302 Results: Andre Lima def. Mitch Raposo
Andre Lima will remain unbeaten.
Lima came out of the gate strong and delivered power kick after power kick to the body of Raposo. Lima landed 23 leg kicks and 13 significant head strikes on Raposo over three rounds. Raposo, on the other hand, had 30 significant head strikes on Lima, but it wasn’t enough to win the flyweight bout. Lima was deemed the winner by split decision, much to the surprise of broadcasters John Anick, Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan, who all felt Lima should have easily swept the cards.
When is UFC 302?
UFC 302 is Saturday, June 1. Here are the expected starting times for preliminary exams, prelims and mains:
- Preliminary Exams: 6:30 p.m. ET.
- Prelims: 8 p.m. ET
- Key Card: 10 p.m. ET.
How to watch UFC 302
The prelims, prelims and main card will all be streamed on different platforms, with the main card being a pay-per-view event. Here’s where to see all the action and how much it costs:
- Preliminary Exams: UFC Fight Pass ($9.99 for monthly subscription).
- Prelims: ESPN2 and ESPN+.
- Key Card: ESPN+ Pay-Per-View ($79.99).
UFC 302 match card
Key card
- UFC Lightweight Championship: Islam Makhachev (c) vs. Dustin Poirier
- Middleweight bout: Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa
- Middleweight bout: Kevin Holland vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
- Welterweight bout: Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
Prelims
- Middleweight: Cesar Almeida vs. Roman Kobylov
- Lightweight: Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki
- Welterweight: Philip Rowe vs Jake Matthews
- Heavyweight Match: Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Romanov
Early Prelims
- Welterweight: Mickey Call vs. Basil Hafiz
- Women’s Bantamweight: Eileen Perez vs. Jocelyn Edwards
- Flyweight: Mitch Raposo vs. Andrew Lima
Where is UFC 302?
UFC 302 takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
The story of the Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier tape
| Islam Makhachev | Dustin Poirier | |
| 25-1-0 | Register | 30-8-0 |
| Russia | Country | America |
| 5-feet-10-inches | height | 5-feet-9-inches |
| 155 pounds | Weight | 156 pounds |
| 70.5 inches | to reach | 72 inches. |
| 40.5 inches | reach the foot | 40.5 inches |
The story of the Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa tape
| Sean Strickland | Paulo Costa | |
| 28-6-0 | Register | 14-3-0 |
| America | Country | Brazil |
| 6-feet-1-inch | height | 6-feet-1-inch |
| 184 pounds | Weight | 185 pounds |
| 76 inches | to reach | 72 inches. |
| 41.5 inches | reach the foot | 39.5 inches |
