UFC 302: Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier fight week schedule

June is set to be an action-packed month in the world of combat sports, and that is especially true with mixed martial arts. The UFC has a busy month ahead, and they get the month started with UFC 302. With an event taking place every weekend over the five-week month of June, the UFC kicks things off in Newark, New Jersey. This will be the promotion's tenth visit to Newark, with the last taking place in May 2023 for UFC 288.

The UFC 302 event will emanate from the Prudential Center, and the arena is not new to hosting the promotion. The first UFC event to take place at the Prudential Center was in November 2007 for UFC 78, and now the promotion returns with a 12-fight card.

The main event of the card will be a lightweight title bout that could change things up in the 155-pound division, and maybe even the entire promotion. Islam Makhachev will be defending the gold against former interim champion Dustin Poirier, and this is a fight that many have been waiting for with bated breath.

This will mark Makhachev's third title defense after winning the gold against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 in October 2022. His only title defenses thus far have been against former featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski. Poirier has been a top contender in the lightweight division for several years now, even having a brief stint as the interim champion in 2019. Having been a professional since 2009, there are questions of how much longer Poirier will remain active in the Octagon, and whether he will realize his dream of becoming an undisputed champion.

The fight between Makhachev and Poirier has a weight to it that goes beyond the 155-pound gold. Regardless of the winner, this fight is one that fight fans will certainly be talking about for a while. The co-main event of the evening will see former middleweight champion Sean Strickland going up against no. 7-ranked Paulo Costa. Both have experience in the middleweight title scene, this could be a fight that potentially shifts one of them back into that picture again.

The middleweight division will also see Kevin Holland going up against Michał Oleksiejczuk. Considered the gatekeeper of the welterweight division, Holland will serve as the test for Oleksiejczuk, who is still looking to find his way into the 185-pound rankings.

A heavyweight bout is also on the cards in a division that is highly contentious right now as it awaits the return of the champion, Jon Jones. It is a battle of ranked opponents as no. 7-ranked Jailton Almeida goes up against no. 13-ranked Alexandr Romanov. The prelim curtain-raiser will be a welterweight bout. Randy Brown and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos both look to put on quite a performance and get the main card off to a thunderous start. The prelims and early prelims also have exciting fights that fight fans should definitely tune into. With 12 fights on the card, there is no shortage of promising action to catch.

The week has so much more than just the UFC 302 fight night in-store. Here is all you can expect from the fight week as the event comes to Newark, New Jersey.

How to watch UFC 302 pre-fight press conference

• DATE: Thursday, May 30
• TIME: 5 pm ET/2 pm PT
• WATCH: Streaming live on UFC's YouTube

How to watch UFC 302 official weigh-ins

• DATE: Friday, May 31
• TIME: 9 am ET/6 am PT
• WATCH: Streaming live on UFC's YouTube

How to watch UFC 302 ceremonial weigh-ins

• DATE: Friday, May 31
• TIME: 5 pm ET/2 pm PT
• WATCH: Streaming live on UFC's YouTube

How to watch UFC 302

• DATE: Saturday, June 1
• TIME: 6 pm ET/3 pm PT
• WATCH: PPV/ESPN/ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass

How to watch UFC 302 post-fight press conference

• DATE: Saturday, June 1
• TIME: Directly after the fights conclude
• WATCH: Streaming live on UFC's YouTube

Follow along with FanSided MMA for additional coverage from the whole fight week.