Islam Makhachev takes on Dustin Poirier in the main event at UFC 302 on June 1st. Makhachev is the current UFC Lightweight champion and the betting favorite to defend his title when he takes on Poirier at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. In our latest UFC betting picks, we tell you if the defending champion will hold onto his belt.
UFC 302 will be the tenth time the promotion has visited Newark and its first in just over a year. The promotion was last in town in May 2023 for UFC 288.
The main event in UFC 302 sees Islam Makhachev taking on Dustin Poirier for the Lightweight Championship belt. Makhachev is the favorite and will be defending the belt for the third time, having won it back in October 2022, defeating Charles Oliveira for the then-vacant title.
Dustin Poirier is the challenger. Poirier is a former Interim Lightweight title holder but has twice lost attempting to win the title outright. He’ll be hoping it is third time lucky when he faces Makhachev.
Poirier can consider himself unlucky in the 155-pound division of the UFC. Previous champions include Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira, both previously defeated Poirier for the title. Now standing in the path of The Diamond is Islam Makhachev, the man regarded as the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter within the promotion.
Is there any way he can finally get his hands on the coveted belt?
Makhachev vs. Poirier may be the main event, but there are plenty more top-class contests listed on the main card. The co-main event is one such, with Sean Strickland (-190) and Paulo Costa (+165) clashing in a middleweight showdown.
Also fighting at middleweight will be Kevin Holland (-200), who takes on Michal Oleksiejczuk (+160). In the heavyweight division, Jailton Almeida (-281) takes on Alexander Romanov (+241), and at welterweight, there is a clash between Randy Brown (-155) and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (+135).
The latest UFC Vegas betting odds heavily favor the current champion.
Islam Makhachev is -445 to win and defend his title for a third time. To cause an upset, Dustin Poirier is +360. In the totals betting, over 1.5 rounds is the favorite at -160. Under 1.5 rounds is +130.
More betting options from different bookmakers are available on our UFC odds table. All our odds are from the best UFC betting sites.
| Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Islam Makhachev | -470 | -445 | -445 |
| Dustin Poirier | +360 | +345 | +345 |
| Over 1.5 Rounds | -160 | -160 | -160 |
| Under 1.5 Rounds | +130 | +130 | +130 |
Islam Makhachev has a Mixed Martial Arts career record of 25-1. The 32-year-old is on a 13-fight winning streak.
You need to go back to October 2015 to find the last time Makhachev lost. On that occasion, he was KO’d by Adriano Martins in what was his second fight within the UFC promotion.
Since winning the lightweight title against Charles Oliveira in October 2022, Makhachev has twice defended his belt. Both defenses have been against Australian Alexander Volkanovski.
The first time around, Makhachev won by unanimous decision at UFC 284. The two rematched at UFC 294 in October of last year. On the second occasion, Makhachev won with a destructive first-round TKO, and in the process, also won the Performance of the Night award.
The KO was a rare knockout win for Makhachev, only the fifth of his career. He has eleven wins by submission and nine by decision.
The eleven submission wins are a good indication of where Makhachev’s main strengths lie. He is so strong on the mat, using his exceptional grappling skills to suffocate his opponents.
His striking and leg kicks can’t be underestimated either, and it’s all these combined skills that make Makhachev such a dangerous opponent in the UFC.
Dustin Poirier has an MMA record of 30-8-0-1. In his last four fights, Poirier has won two and lost two.
He will come into the championship fight off the back of an impressive KO victory over Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299. But that win was after a loss to Justin Gaethje last July at UFC 291 for the symbolic BMF title.
Poirier has 30 wins over his career, which includes an impressive 15 knockout victories. Not to be underestimated on the mat, Poirier has eight submission wins to his name, and he has won by decision on seven occasions.
Keeping the fight upright will be vital to Poirier’s chances of victory. He is more comfortable on his feet using his boxing skills, as his 15 KO wins can testify.
Wanting to keep the fight vertical is one thing, doing it against Islam Makhachev is quite another.
At 35 years of age, Poirier is a far more experienced fighter than Makhachev, but he is facing the champion at the wrong time of his career.
Makhachev is in his prime. He is an elite grappler who has long been compared to his great friend and mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov. And it’s these grappling strengths that will decide the fight.
Islam Makhachev will win. Backing the victory to come by submission for the better odds is our UFC 302 betting pick.
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