Makhachev-Poirier, Strickland-Costa set for UFC 302 in June

Islam Makhachev will defend the UFC lightweight title against Dustin Poirier in the UFC 302 main event June 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, the promotion announced Sunday morning.

A five-round middleweight bout between former champion Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa will serve as the co-main event.

Makhachev is seeking his third successful title defense after beating former featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski in back-to-back fights in 2023. Makhachev submitted Charles Oliveira to become the champion in October 2022 and has won 13 bouts in a row.

Poirier is coming off an impressive knockout win over rising star Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299 in March. The former interim lightweight champion is 2-1 in his last three outings dating back to 2022.

Strickland is looking to rebound after dropping the middleweight title to Dricus Du Plessis by split decision at UFC 297 in Toronto. Strickland, ranked No. 1 in the division, shocked Israel Adesanya to win the belt last September.

Costa returned from an 18-month layoff at UFC 298 in February and lost a unanimous decision to former champ Robert Whittaker in a back-and-forth fight. Costa is 1-3 in his last four Octagon appearances, but he performed well against Whittaker to earn himself another top-ranked opponent in Strickland.