UFC 302 fight card — Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier: Five biggest storylines to watch in New Jersey

For the third – and, as he calls it, final – time – Dustin Poirier will fight for the UFC 155-pound title on Saturday, as the former interim champion takes on pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev in the UFC 302 main event.

The pay-per-view card emanates from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, as the 35-year-old Poirier attempts to cement his Hall of Fame legacy with an elusive title victory. Middleweights Paulo Costa and former champion Sean Strickland will also face each other in a five-round fight scheduled for the co-main event.

As we get closer to this weekend’s festivities, let’s take a look at the biggest stories.

1. Poirier wants to go out in full glory

At 35 years old, few in UFC history have achieved as much as Poirier without ever winning one of the promotion’s undisputed titles. That could all change if Poirier, who is almost a 5-to-1 underdog, pulls off the upset against Makhachev. Twice in the last five years, Poirier has been forced to withdraw from UFC lightweight title fights and few expected him to return to the title fight after being finished with a head kick from Justin Gaethje in his symbolic UFC title fight. BMF last July. But Poirier’s never-say-die attitude was fully rewarded when he scored a head kick knockout in March against promising title contender Benoit Saint Denis. Now, Poirier has the chance to add Makhachev’s name to a list of big names he’s defeated, alongside Conor McGregor (twice), Max Holloway (twice), Michael Chandler, Dan Hooker, Eddie Alvarez, Gaethje and Anthony Pettis. And the fact that Poirier has strongly provoked that retirement – win or lose for Makhachev – will be in his future after UFC 302, only adding to the storybook nature of the fight. Poirier has already achieved universal acclaim as one of the greatest action fighters and cerebral warriors to ever step into the Octagon. But he can only double his true legacy if he comes out on top if he discovers that a third chance at UFC gold would be the charm.

2. Makhachev is quietly building his own killer resume

Despite being the current king of P4P and the spiritual successor to former coach Khabib Nurmagomedov’s dominant run at the top of the UFC’s lightweight division, Makhachev doesn’t get nearly the level of fanfare that his true ability as a full-fledged star should demand. But he should the big favorite overtakes Poirier on Saturday In the way oddsmakers believe he will, Makhachev will add another big name to a UFC resume that also includes wins over Alexander Volkanovski (twice), Charles Oliveira, Bobby Green, Dan Hooker, Drew Dober and Arman Tsarukyan. There wasn’t a time ago when a lack of signature wins was the only thing critics could hold over Makhachev, other than the 2015 knockout loss to Adriano Martins, which has now been all but forgotten. The reason is because Makhachev, who is riding an incredible 13-fight winning streak, has only become more dominant each time he has advanced in the competition. There are no flaws in Makhachev’s game and he brings the perfect combination of championship toughness, steely focus and a keen eye for knowing when the end is near. He’s also a horrible stylistic matchup for Poirier in almost every way.

3. Sean Strickland looks to keep pace in busy middleweight title fight

Say what you will about Strickland and his tendency to create drama every time he gets a microphone. But the 33-year-old former champion remains one of the toughest outs in the 185-pound division due to the incredible defense and head movement of his boxing game, which allows him to stay within striking range while applying endless pressure. Strickland only surrendered the title he won through a huge Israel Adesanya upset last September, when a disputed split decision win was ruled in favor of Dricus du Plessis in January. Strickland returns as the heavy betting favorite in his five-round co-main event clash against a Costa who is far more dangerous than his current run of three losses in his last four fights would indicate. But with du Plessis rumored to defend his title against Adesanya next, shortly after a scheduled June showdown between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev in Saudi Arabia, Strickland could use a showcase performance like this to demand a big-money rematch against whoever wants him to emerge as champion this summer.

4. Kevin Holland teetering toward journeyman status once again

A resounding TKO victory in his return to welterweight against Alex Oliveira in 2022 suggested that a much-needed change had arrived for the ever-opportunistic Netherlands. But a mix of wins and losses over the next seven fights meant that Holland found himself once again needing a big win to snap a two-fight losing skid. It wouldn’t be the full Kevin Holland experience if the loud-mouthed slugger didn’t follow two groundbreaking wins with as many losses, without much of a break between fights. Holland will also never find consistency if he continues to conduct his UFC career as if he were a video game fighter who is not subject to the reality of what happens when you regularly take dangerous fights on short notice and they don’t. follow your path. After coming out on top twice and losing to elite prospects Jack Della Maddalena and Michael “Venom” Page, Holland returns as the clear favorite to overcome exciting fighter Michal Oleksiejczuk. As long as he dedicates himself to his fighting game as a way to compliment the one-punch power he brings to his striking game, Holland can be primed for another contest. That is unless he decides to take the bait and trade with Oleksiejczuk all the way, which could open the door for the fight to be harder than necessary. In any case, the Netherlands can benefit greatly not only from a victory, but also from a measured and efficient performance.

5. Jailton Almeida looks to restart his heavyweight title hopes

Six consecutive wins to open his UFC run have made Almeida, a 32-year-old Brazilian, look like the kind of kryptonite most heavyweights don’t want to see in their bracket because of his gas tank and wrestling. . Almeida, however, leaned too far into both when he finally reached the top of the mountain, as a boring five-round decision win over Derrick Lewis last November led directly to a second-round knockout defeat against Curtis Blaydes in his No. .1 contender fight in March. The two fights showed how one-dimensional Almeida’s game still is. He remains young enough, however, in a division where age matters very little, to still compete in such a superficial division. Almeida can straighten things out by welcoming Alexander Romanov, whose size and wrestling skills should be enough to force Almeida to show his full game.