UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Poirier - Odds, Predictions & Picks

• Islam Makhachev will finally defend his title against an actual lightweight

• Is the third time the charm for Dustin Poirier?

• Paulo Costa looks to snap losing streak with win over former champ Sean Strickland

UFC 302 Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Poirier

The odds for this match are provided by the DraftKings Sportsbook. Click the odds in the table below and get no sweat bet for their first wager up to $1,500 at DraftKings.

UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier - Picks & Predictions

(C) Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier - Lightweight championship

• Our pick: Dustin Poirier (+455) at DraftKings

Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa - Middleweight division

• Our pick: Paulo Costa (+195) at DraftKings

Kevin Holland vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk - Middleweight division

• Our pick: Kevin Holland (-190) at DraftKings

Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Romanov - Heavyweight division

• Our pick: Jailton Almeida (-278) at DraftKings

Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos - Welterweight division

• Our pick: Randy Brown (-175) at DraftKings

Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier - Lightweight Championship

Will the third time be the charm for the former interim champion Dusting Poirier to capture undisputed gold? We believe this fight may be closer than you think.

Islam Makhachev is a dominant fighter, but since winning the title over Charles Oliveria, Makhachev’s only two title defenses have come against featherweight Alexander Volkanovski (and many believe Volkanovski should have won the first fight). 

Despite only being 2-2 in his last four fights, the BJJ black belt Dustin Poirier is coming off of a statement knockout win over rising star Benoit Saint-Denis. He also holds wins over top lightweights such as Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler, Conor McGregor and Eddie Alvarez.

Makhachev has won his last 13-fights in a row, but those wins have not come against the caliber of opponents that Poirier has faced. However, Makhachev trains with the greatest lightweight of all time in Khabib Nurmagomedov: a man who has beaten Poirier and who will be coaching in Makachev’s corner. 

The champion will stand one-inch taller but the challenger will have a two-inch reach advantage. The champ is listed as a -625 favorite compared to the challenger’s +455 underdog status.

To find out how to place your bets for this lightweight championship main event, check out our ultimate UFC betting guide to get started.

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Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa - Middleweight Division

With a new champion crowned in Dricus du Plessis and former champion Israel Adesanya stepping away from the sport for a time, the middleweight division is starting to shake up with matchups fans have wanted for a while now. 

Hence the anticipation for this co-main event bout between the man who dethroned Adesanya as champion Sean Strickland and former title challenger Paulo Costa.

After winning the middleweight title at UFC 293, Strickland lost the title in his first defense in the main event of UFC 297. Despite campaigning for an immediate rematch, he was instead booked to take on Paulo Costa.

Costa, a BJJ black belt, has gone just 1-3 in his last four fights. Despite all of those fights being entertaining, a loss is a loss. Costa most recently dropped a unanimous decision to former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 298.

Both men are pressure fighters who continuously move forward. They are of equal age and almost identical height. However, with championship credentials and a four-inch reach advantage, Sean Strickland will enter this co-main event as the rather generous -238 favorite.

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Kevin Holland vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk - Middleweight Division

Despite his second-degree black belt in kung-fu and black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, fan-favorite and number-15 ranked welterweight Kevin Holland hasn’t had an easy path to victory in recent years and his record shows it, having gone just 2-4 in his last six fights.

He is currently on a two-fight skid that saw him lose a split-decision to rising contender Jack Della Maddelena before losing a unanimous decision to the UFC’s newest arrival Michael “Venom” Page at UFC 299.

Holland takes on Michal Oleksiejczuk, who is 1-2 in his last three fights and is also coming off of a loss that took place at UFC 299 - a technical submission loss at the hands of Michel Pereira.

As with most of his fights, Holland will enter the cage as the taller fighter with a seven-inch reach advantage. He is currently listed at -290.

Bet on Holland vs. Oleksiejczuk at DraftKings

Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Romanov - Heavyweight Division

After a 15-fight winning streak came to an end at the hands of Curtis Blaydes back in March, Jailton Almeida looks to get back into the win column quickly after suffering his first loss as a UFC roster member.

The BJJ black belt will take on the Molavian freestyle wrestler Alexander Romanov - a fighter who recently snapped a two-fight skid with his recent win over Blagoy Ivanov last July.

Almeida will stand taller, have a longer reach and has been more active over the past year. With these factors involved, it is no wonder that Almeida is listed as the favorite at -278 over Romanov.

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Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos - Welterweight Division

Kicking off the main card will be a battle of two Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts who are both undefeated in their last two fights.

Prior to his most recent majority draw against Rinat Fakhretdinov, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos had defeated top-prospects Abubakar Nurmagomedov as well as Benoit Saint-Denis.

He takes on Randy Brown, who defeated Wellington Turman by decision prior to knocking out Muslim Salikhov in his most recent bout which took place this past February.

Both men are black belts but neither fighter is afraid to throw strikes as nearly half of their combined wins have come in the form of knockout.

It is the younger Randy Brown, who will stand taller and have a five-inch reach advantage, that is listed as the -175 favorite

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How to Watch UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Poirier

• Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey

• When: Saturday, June 1

• Time: 10PM EST

• How: PPV, UFC Fight Pass, ESPN+