A new and busy month awaits for MMASucka staff picks.
Later tonight, June 1st, sees UFC 302 set to take place from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. This comes as the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to the city and venue for the first time since UFC 288 in May of 2023 and the tenth time in company history. Today’s card will begin with early preliminaries at 6:30pm ET (3:30pm PT) on UFC Fight Pass followed by the preliminary card at 8:00pm ET (5:00pm PT) on ESPN 2 and ESPN+. Five main card fights begin at 10:00pm ET (7:00pm PT) on pay-per-view available for purchase through ESPN+.
UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier results will be available here at MMASucka.
Card Headliner
In the night’s main event, the UFC Lightweight Championship is on the line between Title holder Islam Makhachev and challenger Dustin Poirier.
After suffering his one and only professional MMA defeat in his second octagon fight, Makhachev (-600) has rallied to 13 consecutive victories from September of 2016 to October of 2023. The Sambo specialist took the 155-pound belt from Charles Oliveira earning his first and second defenses over former UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski. Makhachev’s opponent, Poirier (+440), will look to make his third shot at the Championship count. The fan-favorite veteran did take the interim Title in April of 2019 over Max Holloway, and tonight, he targets his second win of the year following a barn burner knockout in the second round over Benoit Saint Denis.
Co-Main Event
Middleweights Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa will clash in an important five-round fight. After taking the belt from Israel Adesanya last September, Strickland (-245) lost the belt to Dricus du Plessis in a debatable split decision at UFC 297. He will face former Title challenger Costa (+200) who, after a near-18 month hiatus, returned to competition in February losing a close matchup to another former Champion of Robert Whittaker.
These two are just happy to be here 😁@SStricklandMMA vs @BorrachinhaMMA
[ Live TOMORROW on @ESPNPlus PPV | #UFC302 ] pic.twitter.com/H1zH8YRXrt
— UFC (@ufc) May 31, 2024
Remaining Fights
21-fight UFC contender Kevin Holland (-290) makes a return to middleweight looking to snap a two-fight skid following decision losses to Jack Della Maddalena by split and debutant Michael Page by unanimous. Poland’s 29-year-old Michal Oleksiejczuk (+235) looks for a bounce back after a quick submission loss to Michel Pereira in March.
Opening the pay-per-view sees another matchup at welterweight between the two-fight win streak of Randy Brown (-190) and well-rounded Brazilian contender Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (+155).
Due to a couple late card changes, the heavyweight preliminary fight between 2021 Contender Series contract winner Jailton Almeida (-325) and former EFC Heavyweight Champion Alexander Romanov (+260) will be included in our picks. Niko Price and Alex Morono’s welterweight fight will not.
See further below for our staff picks and betting predictions from UFC 302.
Staff Picks
MMASucka staff picks are composed of four of the world’s leading mixed martial arts organizations: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League (PFL) with Bellator MMA, ONE Championship (ONE FC), and Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS).
- UFC picks will include main card fights ranging from four to six matchups per event.
- PFL and Bellator MMA see picks from main cards for pay-per-views and from tournament fights in the Regular Season, Playoffs, and Finals.
- ONE FC and DWCS picks will feature all MMA fights from the event with a minimum of three matchups.
The individual who picks the most victorious fighters by the end of 2024 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a detailed chain from Championship Chains. Staff picks in 2023 were won by Ben Jamieson with a record of 300-148.
Who have the MMASucka team picked to win at UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier? Find out below.
RECORDS AFTER UFC VEGAS 92:
1. Nate Freeman: 115-56
2. Wesley Riddle: 107-64
3. Jeremy Brand: 105-66
4. Michael DeSantis: 100-59
5. Frazer Krohn: 96-75
6. Andrew Benjamin: 76-72
7. Lukas DeWitt: 52-33
8. Julio Monteros Jr.: 28-11
9. Michael Kachan: 19-9
10. Casey Cooper: 4-5
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Randy Brown (18-5), -190
vs.
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (24-7-1), +155
WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION
– 170 LBS. ~ 77.1 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Brown via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Brown via Round 3 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Brown via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Brown via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Brown via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Brown via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Brown: 6
Staff picking Zaleski dos Santos: 0
Jailton Almeida (20-3), -325
vs.
Alexandr Romanov (17-2), +260
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
– 265 LBS. ~ 120.2 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Almeida via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Almeida via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Almeida via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Romanov via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Almeida via Round 1 SUB
Nate Freeman: Almeida via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Almeida: 5
Staff picking Romanov: 1
Kevin Holland (25-11), -290
vs.
Michal Oleksiejczuk (19-7), +235
MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION
– 185 LBS. ~ 83.9 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Holland via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Holland via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Holland via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Holland via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Holland via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Holland via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Holland: 6
Staff picking Oleksiejczuk: 0
Sean Strickland (28-6), -245
vs.
Paulo Costa (14-3), +200
MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION
– CO-MAIN EVENT –
– 185 LBS. ~ 83.9 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Strickland via Round 4 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Strickland via Round 4 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Strickland via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Costa via Round 3 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Strickland via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Costa via Split Decision
Staff picking Strickland: 4
Staff picking Costa: 2
Islam Makhachev (25-1), -600
vs.
Dustin Poirier (30-8), +440
LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
– MAIN EVENT –
– 155 LBS. ~ 70.3 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Makhachev via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Makhachev via Round 3 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Poirier via Round 3 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Poirier via Round 4 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Makhachev via Round 2 SUB
Nate Freeman: Makhachev via Round 2 SUB
Staff picking Makhachev: 4
Staff picking Poirier: 2
IT’S ALL GOING DOWN TOMORROW 🏆
🐺 @MAKHACHEVMMA vs @DustinPoirier 💎
[ @ESPNPlus PPV | 10pmET/7pmPT | #UFC302 ] pic.twitter.com/NwL7ho487i
— UFC (@ufc) May 31, 2024
