UFC 302 is just around the corner and with it, another card full of intriguing fights. No fight is as interesting on paper as the main event, where Dustin Poirier looks to finally win a world championship when he faces lightweight king Islam Makhachev on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey.
Poirier’s storied career has seen him become one of the most successful and popular fighters on the UFC roster, though he has twice come up short in world title fights, losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira.
Makhachev, a disciple of Nurmagomedov, looks to continue his impressive reign while building on a pound-for-pound legacy. The native of Dagestan, Russia, has won 13 in a row since a stunning knockout loss to Adriano Martins in 2015. He’s already beaten some of the top names in the sport, like Alexander Volkanovski (twice), Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan. Adding Poirier to that list could make this already impressive resume that much stronger.
Poirier, meanwhile, fights for the belt after a Round 2 knockout of Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299. Poirier (30-8, 1 NC) looks to finally become champion after falling short against Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev’s mentor and coach, in 2019 and Oliveira in 2021. “The Diamond” already has a Hall of Fame worthy resume, but continues to lack that crowning achievement of undisputed gold.
“The main stage spotlight feels the same but my mental space feels different… I have to do it this time because I’m not going to get another chance. It’s now or never,” Poirier told CBS Sports this week. “But I’m in a good mental spot. I’m grateful and starting to be content with my career and my legacy. I’m just in a good spot. I’m ready to fight. I feel like that’s a position for me mentally that I’m very dangerous in.”
After going 4-1 with our best bets for UFC 301, we are sitting with a record of 12-13 on the year. That’s not a winning record, but we’re back on track to get out of the red, hopefully starting with UFC 302.
Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
Randy Brown via decision (+150)
There’s a lot to consider coming into this fight. Zaleski has the better power and a solid low kick game to go along with a willingness to throw down and just try to make something happen. That said, Brown is younger at 33 to Zaleski’s 37, quicker and with a five-inch reach advantage. It is in Brown’s best interest to try to use his reach and speed to stay away from wild exchanges that could get him in trouble. Should he stick to the gameplan against a durable opponent, a decision win seems like the likeliest outcome.
Niko Price vs. Alex Morono
Fight to go the distance: No (-190)
While this is a rematch, there’s probably not much use looking back at the first fight for indicators of how this go-round plays out. Price won that first fight by knockout only to have it overturned due to a positive drug test for marijuana (the first of two times that would happen to Price). Price is 5-7 after a 10-0 start to his career while Morono has found much more success, going 11-6 since the first Price fight. Price has the power to stop the fight but is also just as likely to get stopped, with five KO losses in his 10 most recent fights. Morono isn’t the best finisher but the stars seem to have aligned for a fight that doesn’t reach the final scorecards.
Kevin Holland vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk
Fight to go over 1.5 rounds (-150)
The best advice on this fight might be to stay away completely, but pushed to select one play, I like the over 1.5 round line. Oleksiejczuk has good knockout power and Holland is a good finisher as well, but styles make fights and all those other cliches. This fight is likely to play out on the feet and Holland is crafty and willing to use his natural advantages in height and reach. Holland’s reach is 81 inches to 74 for Oleksiejczuk. If a finish happens, it likely comes in the back half of the fight after the fighters have figured out their approach and made in-fight adjustments.
Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa
Sean Strickland moneyline (-250)
The line is a little bit wider than ideal but the fight is what it is. Costa is always a wildcard but he’s also inconsistent where Strickland’s consistency is one of his best assets of late. Strickland’s boxing style is hard for opponents to figure out and Costa isn’t exactly a cerebral fighter. Rather that try to figure out if Costa will last the distance or get stopped along the way, we’re simply advising to put your money behind the better, more reliable of the two combatants. Costa likely gets picked apart while having a few moments of success, but Strickland’s durability should allow him to survive those moments and get back to his boxing connecting and making it a pain for Costa to find consistent success.
Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier
Dustin Poirier moneyline (+425)
There is an element of picking Poirier that comes down to heart over head but it’s also that +425 feels too big to pass on. That represents implied probability of Poirier winning at 19%. Makhachev is an excellent fighter and deserves credit for his dominant run and Poirier has stumbled a few times in his own legendary career. But Poirier is also a different kind of challenge than a short featherweight moving up (and once on short notice) like Alexander Volkanovski or even Charles Oliveira.
Makhachev could crack Poirier on the feet or go back to the successful approach of a takedown into an arm-triangle choke while dominating the fight. But I expect Poirier brings everything he has in an effort to find the small openings to do meaningful things and put his own pressure on Makhachev. Straight up, I’d pick Makhachev, but with the odds as wide as they are, I think the value is in Poirier.
Who wins UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier, and how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on UFC 302, all from the MMA expert who profited more than $1,500 on his UFC main-card picks, and find out.
