It’s fight night in New Jersey.
The UFC presents its next pay-per-view at the Prudential Center with UFC 302, where 12 fights will take place on Saturday night. The main event is the UFC lightweight championship contest between champion Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier, who looks to officially capture the title and add another chapter to his storied career.
The co-main event will be a middleweight fight between the controversial Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa. The event will mark the start of what should be an exciting month for the UFC, which includes the return of Conor McGregor on June 29 against Michael Chandler.
Follow USA TODAY Sports for live updates from UFC 302:
Donald Trump arrives at UFC 302
Former President Donald Trump is actually in the building for UFC 302. Trump, who was convicted this week of 34 counts of falsifying business records, received a standing ovation from the crowd at the Prudential Center from New Jersey.
Trump stepped out with UFC President Dana White and was shown on the show shaking hands with comedian Theo Von and greeting broadcasters Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier before heading to his seat.
One person the former president didn’t seem to greet? Aaron Rodgers.
The broadcast showed the four-time NFL MVP — who for a time appeared to be a potential political rival to Trump anyway — sitting back as Trump walked by.
Trump has attended a number of UFC events over the years.
UFC 302 results: Roman Kopylov defeats Cesar Almeida
Roman Kopylov outlasted Cesar Almeida for a split decision victory (29-28, 28-29, 30-27) in their middleweight fight.
Kopylov caught Almeida with a huge left hook early in the first round and knocked Almeida down with another left. Kopylov seemed to defeat Almeida at will. Almeida landed a few punches in the second round, but Kopylov controlled much of the third on the ground. At one point, the crowd began chanting “Stand Them Up” and referee Herb Dean finally obeyed. Kopylov immediately attempted another takedown and succeeded, despite boos from the crowd.
UFC 302 results: Jailton Almeida calls on Alexander Romanov
We have the first submission of the evening! Jailton Almeida finished his fight with Alexander Romanov early in the first round with a rear naked choke for a first round submission.
Almeida had no problem defeating Romanov early in the first round, despite their weight difference. Almeida worked his way onto Romanov’s back and easily submitted him.
“I said I was going to finish the fight. I knew I was knocked out in the last fight, but I came here to finish the fight,” Almeida said through the translator.
Almeida celebrated by performing a dance move in the center of the ring.
Aaron Rodgers in the building for UFC 302
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is in the house for UFC 302, which is taking place not far from the team’s facility in New Jersey.
But the four-time MVP — whose tenure with the Jets so far amounts to four games but many titles — shouldn’t be the most famous person in the building.
Former President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social account that he will be at the Prudential Center on Saturday evening, capping what has been an eventful week for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
UFC 302 results: Grant Dawson eliminates Joe Solecki
Grant Dawson defeated Joe Solecki by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) in their lightweight fight.
Dawson came out of the gate quickly and immediately attempted a flying knee, but Solecki grabbed Dawson’s leg, gradually took him down and nearly locked him in a guillotine. Dawson was able to escape and take control of the court, which he maintained throughout the match. Solecki caught Dawson with an elbow that created a gash above Dawson’s right eye, but was unable to threaten Dawson otherwise.
UFC 302 Results: Jake Matthews Survives Philip Rowe
Matthews earned his 13th UFC victory with a unanimous decision over Philip Rowe (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) in their welterweight bout.
Rowe has a reach of 80.5 inches, the second-longest reach among active UFC welterweights, and he used his 7.5-inch wingspan advantage in his favor. Rowe landed a right hand to Matthews’ face and split his nose open midway through the first round. Despite bleeding profusely, Matthews knocked out Rowe with a few shots in the second round and controlled Rowe on the ground to pick up the victory.
UFC 302 results: Bassil Hafez def. Mickey Gall
Bassil Hafez defeated Mickey Gall by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) in a hard-hitting fight. Hafez and Gall traded blows throughout the fight, but Hafez had the upper hand.
After his victory, Hafez delivered a message.
“There is something I want to say, it has been on my heart for a long time: I do not support genocide,” Hafez told the crowd. “I do not support innocent women and children being killed for war, or for money and power. We are all children of God and we all deserve a fair chance in life. Free Palestine.”
UFC 302 results: Ailin Perez wins grudge match against Joselyne Edwards
Ailin Perez defeated Joselyne Edwards by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) in their women’s bantamweight bout. Perez celebrated with his “signature twerk.”
An official timeout was called in the second round after Edwards was called for a headbutt, although she was not awarded a penalty point. Perez responded with a spinning fist after the restart that hit Edwards in the face and knocked her down. Perez controlled the fight and scored several takedowns of Edwards.
There is no love lost between Perez and Edwards. A war of words broke out when they fought before UFC Fight Night 232 in Las Vegas in November, where Perez was scheduled to face Lucie Pudilova a few days later. The UFC did not sanction Perez and Edwards for the fight outside the ring and instead held Saturday’s match.
At the start of the fight, Perez reached out to tap the gloves of Edwards, who did not respond to the gesture. But the two then hugged each other, appearing to call off their beef.
UFC 302 results: André Lima def. Mitch Raposo
André Lima will remain undefeated.
Lima came out of the gate strong and delivered powerful kick after powerful kick to Raposo’s body. Lima landed 23 leg kicks and 13 significant head kicks on Raposo in three rounds. Raposo, on the other hand, landed 30 significant strikes to the head on Lima, but it wasn’t enough to win the flyweight bout. Lima was declared the winner by split decision, surprising broadcasters Jon Anik, Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan, who all felt Lima should have swept the cards hands down.
When will UFC 302 take place?
UFC 302 will take place on Saturday, June 1st. Here are the times when early prelims, prelims and the main card are expected to begin:
- First preliminaries: 6:30 p.m. ET.
- Preliminaries: 8 p.m. ET.
- Main map: 10 p.m. ET.
How to watch UFC 302
The early prelims, prelims and main card will all air on different platforms, with the main card being a pay-per-view event. Here’s where to watch all the action and how much it costs:
- First preliminaries: UFC Fight Pass ($9.99 for monthly subscription).
- Preliminaries: ESPN2 and ESPN+.
- Main map: ESPN+ pay-per-view ($79.99).
UFC 302 match card
Main map
- UFC Lightweight Championship: Islam Makhachev (c) vs. Dustin Poirier
- Middleweight fight: Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa
- Middleweight fight: Kevin Holland vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
- Welterweight fight: Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
Foreplay
- Average weight : Cesar Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov
- Lightweight: Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki
- Welterweight: Philip Rowe vs. Jake Matthews
- Heavyweight fight: Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Romanov
First foreplay
- Welterweight: Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez
- Women’s bantamweight: Ailin Perez vs. Joselyne Edwards
- Flyweight: Mitch Raposo vs. Andre Lima
Where is UFC 302?
UFC 302 takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier, gang history
| Islam Makhachev | Dustin Poirier | |
| 25-1-0 | Save | 30-8-0 |
| Russia | Country | UNITED STATES |
| 5 feet 10 inches | Height | 5 feet 9 inches |
| 155 pounds | Weight | 156 pounds |
| 70.5 in. | Reach | 72 in. |
| 40.5 in. | Leg reach | 40.5 in. |
Sean Strickland vs Paulo Costa, tape story
| Sean Strickland | Paulo Costa | |
| 28-6-0 | Save | 14-3-0 |
| UNITED STATES | Country | Brazil |
| 6 feet 1 inch | Height | 6 feet 1 inch |
| 184 pounds | Weight | 185 pounds |
| 76 in. | Reach | 72 in. |
| 41.5 in. | Leg reach | 39.5 inches. |
News Source : www.usatoday.com
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