Strickland Returns as Makhachev Headlines UFC 302

Nobody can doubt the level that Dustin Poirier sits at in the UFC. He is one of the best fighters and has lit up both the lightweight and featherweight divisions during his career. He and Conor McGregor defined MMA excitement with their bitter trilogy series rivalry. He’s undoubtedly one of the most relevant and popular fighters, but is he a credible contender for the belt? MMA news websites are continuing to debate this. While he knocked off Benoît Saint Denis earlier this year, Poirier has been unable to defeat the likes of Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje – who sit at the top end of the lightweight division.

Islam Makhachev represents the UFC and the wider MMA sport as the #1 pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet right now. Having defended his title twice against Alexander Volkanovski, the Dagestan fighter will look to build his legacy with a third consecutive defense. Defeating Poirier will add much star power to his resume and propel him to fight super status, where cross-division fights could become available.

Strickland Has Perfect Opponent in Comeback Fight

Sean Strickland has been having trouble lately, whether he’s been saying the wrong thing or citing his mental health issues. In January, he also lost the UFC middleweight championship in a split decision to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297. Irrespective of this, a good win can get him back on the right path—all he needs to do is defeat Paulo Costa and keep his interviews to a bare minimum.

Costa might have his agenda going into UFC 302, but ultimately, he’s a great fall guy for Strickland. The Brazilian has had many injuries and illnesses over the past few years, leading him to significant periods of inactivity. His last outing saw him slump to a unanimous defeat by Robert Whittaker, and if he played his role here, he could drop out of any kind of title contention. Of course, the script isn’t followed – Costa could rapidly rise by defeating the former middleweight champ.

Momentums Collide as Dolidze Takes on Hernandez

Roman Dolidze, the Georgian middleweight, used to be the most exciting fighter in the division. How he dispensed with Kyle Daukaus, Phil Hawes, and Jack Hermansson rapidly excited UFC fans and MMA news sites. However, that was back in 2022; if anything will halt momentum, it’s two consecutive losses. Dolidze came unstuck against Marvin Vettori and Nassourdine Imavov, which were fights he should have won. If he gets the momentum back from two years ago, he will have to knock off a fighter who is only trending upwards.

Anthony Hernandez is on a five-match winning streak after a turbulent start to his career in Dana White’s promotion. In the last three, he stopped his opponent before the final bell. Much like his path to the UFC, he’s relied on his submission game, making adversaries like Roman Kopylov and Marc-André Barriault tap out to his powerful choke holds. The American fighter sees Dolidze as just another fight as he ascends the rankings and eclipses the arbitrary A-side.

Submission Heavyweight Clash Between Almeida and Romanov

UFC 302 is trying to appeal to MMA fans of all suits. This heavyweight division between Jailton Almeida and Alexandr Romanov will be for the submission grappling purists. Almeida has 12 tap-out wins on his overall record, while his adversary has 10. Neither man has tapped out in their professional MMA career to date. Another parallel is that both men have registered six wins in their UFC careers; a decisive seventh win could put either man back in the big time in the heavyweight rankings.

Bantamweights Looking for Traction

The classic national combat sports rivalry usually pits Mexican fighters against a Brazilian combatant. This fight is a new take, with Joselyne Edwards from Panama fighting Argentina’s Ailin Perez in a match that still constructs the pan-American rivalry.

These female bantamweights came into the UFC hoping to take the division by storm. Their confidence came from their prior careers, which saw them notch up multiple KO wins. They have yet to be as exciting or prolific since joining the biggest MMA promotion on the planet. Perez used to dish out vicious strikes but has had to settle for decision wins more recently.

Edwards has had difficulties gaining weight in a few of her recent fights and only narrowly won some of her fights via split decision. She also liked to put her opponent on the canvas seeing stars, but hasn’t been able to do so in this greater level of competition. If the two fail to entertain the crowd and wider broadcast audience, they could be cut from the roster, given that they aren’t up to the standard to credibly challenge Raquel Pennington or any of the other top fighters.