Sean O'Malley and Jorge Masvidal share their predictions for Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier title fight at UFC 302
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev puts his belt on the line against veteran contender Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 this weekend. While Makhachev boasts a dominant record and the pound-for-pound top ranking, two prominent fighters are siding with the challenger.
Both Sean O'Malley and Jorge Masvidal have publically predicted a victory for Poirier.
O'Malley offered his prediction, stating:
"Dustin Poirier guillotines Islam, round number two... That's what I know is gonna happen."
Masvidal acknowledged the difficulty of the fight but expressed a strong feeling about the outcome:
"I know it's not gonna be no walk in the park, but man I just have this feeling he pulls it off bro... He catches Islam, puts him down, he hits him while he's on the ground, fight's over and he walks away with that f***ing belt on his shoulder."
Check out both the fighters' comments below:
When is UFC 302? Fight card, venue, and more
The UFC returns to Newark, New Jersey, on June 1 for UFC 302, its sixth pay-per-view event this year. The event takes place at the Prudential Center, with preliminary fights starting at 6:00 p.m. ET and the main card starting at 10:00 p.m. ET.
The prelims will stream on ESPN+, while the main card requires the ESPN+ pay-per-view option.
This marks the UFC's first return to Newark since UFC 288 in May 2023, which featured a bantamweight title fight.
The June 1 event boasts a stacked main card featuring seven ranked fighters across five bouts. The full fight card includes:
Main card
Main event: (C) Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier (UFC lightweight championship)
Co-Main event: Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa (middleweight)
Kevin Holland vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (middleweight)
Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov (heavyweight)
Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (welterweight)
Prelims
Cesar Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov (middleweight)
Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki (lightweight)
Phil Rowe vs. Jake Matthews (welterweight)
Niko Price vs. Alex Morono (welterweight)
Early-prelims
Bassil Hafez vs. Mickey Gall (welterweight)
Ailin Perez vs. Joselyne Edwards (women's bantamweight)
Nyamjargal Tumendemberel vs. Andre Lima (flyweight)