UFC 302: Dustin Poirier Set for Potential Retirement Fight Against Islam Makhachev

UFC fighter Dustin Poirier is gearing up for a high-stakes battle tonight as he faces off against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, in what could potentially be Poirier’s final fight in the octagon.

Poirier, who previously held the interim lightweight title in 2019, is vying to become the undisputed champion after hinting at retirement following this bout. Makhachev, the reigning pound-for-pound king, has solidified his position with two successful title defenses against Alexander Volkanovski in 2023.

In the co-main event, recently defeated middleweight contender Sean Strickland aims to turn the tide as he takes on Paulo Costa at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

The UFC 302 event is scheduled to take place tonight with the early prelims starting at 11:15 pm UK time, followed by the regular prelims at 1 am, and the main card kicking off at 3 am BST.

The main card features high-profile matchups such as Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier, Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa, Kevin Holland vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk, Niko Price vs. Alex Morono, and Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos.

Among the prelim fights are Cesar Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov, Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov, Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki, Phil Rowe vs. Jake Matthews, with early prelims including Ailin Perez vs. Joselyne Edwards, Mitch Raposo vs. Andre Lima.

The UFC has introduced new gloves for fighters aimed at reducing eye pokes, cuts, and hand injuries. Title fight participants will wear gold gloves while others will wear black ones.

In terms of betting odds, Makhachev is favored to win at 1/6, while Poirier’s odds stand at 9/2, as per Bet65.

For viewers in the UK, the event can be watched live on TNT Sports 2, with online streaming available to TNT Sports subscribers via the Discovery+ platform.