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Islam Makhachev’s training partner was kicked out of UFC 302 for jumping over the cage.

Islam Makhachev scored his third Lightweight title defense against Dustin Poirier last night (Sat., June 1, 2024) when he choked Poirier unconscious in the fifth round from inside Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey (watch highlights).

Moments after his big win, training partner of Makhachev, cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Bellator Lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov left the stands and jumped over the cage but was quickly removed. He was then kicked out of the Prudential Center.

Watch him jump the cage:

UFC CEO Dana White was asked about the incident during the UFC 302 post-fight press conference (watch here) and simply said, “Yeah, you can’t do that.”

Nurmagomedov (17-0) has not fought since his unanimous decision win over Brent Primus at Bellator 300, which was overturned to a “No Contest” after it was revealed that the champion had failed a post-fight drug test. This led to a fine and a suspension from the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC).

The undefeated Russian fighter was scheduled to defend his Bellator Lightweight title against Alexandr Shabliy last month at Bellator Paris but had to pull out due to an injury.

For complete UFC 302 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

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Sorry, Islam, you’re not No. 1.

Islam Makhachev defended his Lightweight title for the third time last night (Sat., June 1, 2024) when he strangled Dustin Poirier to sleep in the fifth round with a D’Arce choke from inside Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey (watch highlights).

Leading into his main event title fight, Makhachev was officially ranked No. 1 in UFC’s Men’s Pound-for-Pound rankings. However, according to UFC CEO Dana White, he should not hold that ranking. Heavyweight champion Jon Jones should, and if you don’t think that, you’re NUTS.

“Yeah, I think [Makhachev] is one of the greatest of all time. I think he’s incredible. I don’t think he’s the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world,” White told reporters during the UFC 302 post-fight press conference (watch here). “For anybody to call Islam the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world when Jon Jones is still f—king fighting is nuts and shouldn’t be ranking in the pound-for-pound or doing any of the f—king rankings ever- if that’s what you really think. Jon Jones has never lost a fight ever. He’s fought all the baddest dudes in the world. When you think about what pound-for-pound rankings really mean, he moved up to Heavyweight and destroyed the best guy in the world. As long as Jon Jones is still fighting, active, and in the rankings, yeah, nobody’s pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.”

When asked what it would take to dethrone Jones, White doubled down.

“Islam fought [Alexander] Volkanovski, who’s in a weight class lower than him. Jon Jones beat everybody at Light Heavyweight, then beat the best Heavyweight in the division like it was nothing, at a higher weight class,” White said. “So Jon Jones is absolutely positively the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. Probably the greatest fighter of all time in any sport. When you think about when you talk about who’s the baddest dude in the world, you put two guys in a room and who walks out. Jon Jones walks out of the fu—ing room every time no question about it.”

Trying to figure out who the pound-for-pound best fight on the planet is a pointless argument because everyone will have a different answer, and there is no way to prove who it truly is.

Jones will put his pound-for-pound ranking on the line later this year against Stipe Miocic, most likely in Nov. at Madison Square Garden.

Unless something shocking happens.

For complete UFC 302 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

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It’s time for UFC 302 and the pay-per-view (PPV) main card on ESPN. Checkout what happens as Islam Makhachev defends his 155-pound title against Dustin Poirier and so much more.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has touched down inside Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., for the UFC 302 mixed martial arts (MMA) event later TONIGHT (Sat., June 1, 2024), streaming LIVE on ESPN+ PPV. UFC 302 stars Lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, in the pay-per-view (PPV) main event. He will defend his 155-pound title against the ever-popular Dustin Poirier. Will Makhachev continue along his path to emulate Khabib Nurmagomedov as one of the most dominant Lightweights in UFC history? Or, will Poirier spoil the party and clinch an undisputed UFC title for the first time in his storied career

We’ll find out tonight.

Before that Lightweight title fight, though, we’ll have two of UFC’s most recognizable faces (and Twitter feeds) battling in the Middleweight division with Sean Strickland meeting Paulo Costa. UFC 302’s PPV main card also features Kevin Holland taking on Michal Oleksiejczuk at Middleweight. Rounding out the ESPN+ PPV is Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov (Heavyweight) and Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (Welterweight).

And before UFC 302’s main card goes down, there’s early and late “Prelims” undercard action for you. Those portions of the event include Ailin Perez vs. Joselyne Edwards, Niko Price vs. Alex Morono and Phil Rowe vs. Jake Matthews. You can see what went down in those matches in our dedicated “Prelims” stream right here.

UFC 302 START TIME AND DATE

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 302 fight card below, starting with the ESPN+ early “Prelims” undercard bouts at 6 p.m. ET right here, followed by the late “Prelims” on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET. UFC 302’s PPV main card starts at 10 p.m ET on ESPN+ PPV. Bet on all the UFC 302 action with our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook right here.

Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Makhachev vs. Poirier.” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC 302 results. (Note: This will go from the top down; therefore, the newest information will at the top of the stream).

UFC 302 QUICK RESULTS

155 lbs.: Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier
185 lbs.: Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa
185 lbs.: Kevin Holland vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
170 lbs.: Niko Price vs. Alex Morono
170 lbs.: Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
185 lbs.: Cesar Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov — Kopylov defeats Almeida via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
245 lbs.: Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov — Almeida def. Romanov via submission (rear naked choke), round 1 (2:27).
155 lbs.: Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki — Dawson def. Solecki via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
170 lbs.: Phil Rowe vs. Jake Matthews — Matthews def. Rowe via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
170 lbs.: Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez — Hafez def. Gall via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
135 lbs.: Ailin Perez vs. Joselyne Edwards — Perez def. Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
125 lbs.: Mitch Raposo vs. Andre Lima — Lima def. Raposo via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)

UFC 302 PPV MAIN CARD PLAY-BY-PLAY UPDATES

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 302: “Makhachev vs. Poirier” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive events archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 302 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.

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UFC 302 results live online: Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Prudential Center in Newark, N.J, TONIGHT (Sat., June 1, 2024) with a fun pay-per-view (PPV) card. In UFC 302’s headliner, Lightweight roost-ruler, Islam Makhachev — who has yet to defend his title against a true 155-pound contender (here’s why) — will tangle with Octagon legend, Dustin Poirier, who was in the right place at the right time. In UFC 302’s PPV co-main event, outspoken former Middleweight champion, Sean Strickland, will look to inch closer to reclaiming his 185-pound crown at the expense of Paulo Costa. In addition, UFC 302’s PPV main card will feature Kevin Holland vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk, Niko Price vs. Alex Morono and Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. All that and SO MUCH MORE! UFC 302’s entire “Prelims” undercard will stream on ESPN+ (in English and Spanish), beginning at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT (ESPN2 will simulcast the “late” portion at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT) before the PPV main card action kicks off at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (also on ESPN+). Of course, UFC 302 odds and betting available at DraftKings Sportsbook.

ITTTTTTTTTTT’S TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME!

MMAmania.com will deliver bell-to-bell results coverage of UFC 302 online LIVE all evening (late) night, including latest fight updates, fight recaps, video highlights, winners, losers, press conference streams and all the other post-fight fallout you can handle well into Sunday. Buckle up! We’ll have all the news that’s fit to print and much, much more. We’ve got UFC 302’s entire card — including “Prelims” undercard matches on ESPN+/ESPN2 — all covered below in our comprehensive story stream.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 302 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 302: “Makhachev vs. Poirier” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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A unique boxing event will unfold this afternoon (Sat., June 1, 2024) LIVE on DAZN pay-per-view (PPV) from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as Queensberry Promotions and Matchroom Promotions join forces to host a 5 vs. 5 supercard.

Leading the rare boxing event will be a heavyweight clash between Chinese knockout artist Zhilei Zhang and former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder. Both men are coming off decision losses to Joseph Parker and are searching for a key victory in 2024. Luckily, the heavyweight fights won’t stop there, as power punchers Daniel Dubois and Filip Hrgovic also meet for the interim IBF heavyweight title.

Not to be forgotten is the anticipated return of WBA and IBO light heavyweight champion, Dmitry Bivol. The pound-for-pound standout was originally expected to fight Artur Beterbiev to crown the undisputed champion of the world, but Beterbiev was forced to withdraw after suffering a ruptured meniscus in training and was replaced by Malik Zinad.

Today’s 5 vs. 5 action will go down prior to UFC 302 so fight fans will have the chance to catch both cards. Check below for all the official start times and lineup information for Queensberry vs. Matchroom:

Start Time

• Sat., June 1, 2024 from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• DAZN PPV main card begins at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT

Online Viewing

• Queensberry vs. Matchroom PPV main card can be viewed through the DAZN network (watch HERE).
• The PPV cost for current DAZN subscribers will be $ 69.99.

Television Viewing

• For U.S. viewers, DAZN can be broadcast directly on your television via Chromecast, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, LG Smart TV, Samsung TV, Apple TV, PlayStation, or Xbox.

Mobile Viewing

• Queensberry vs. Matchroom PPV main card will be accessible through the DAZN app via Android, Amazon Fire, and Apple.

PPV Main Card (2 p.m. ET)

Zhilei Zhang vs. Deontay Wilder; Heavyweight
Daniel Dubois vs. Filip Hrgovic; Heavyweight
Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Austin Williams; Middleweight
Dmitry Bivol vs. Malik Zinad; For Bivol’s WBA light heavyweight title
Raymond Ford vs. Nick Ball; For Ford’s WBA featherweight title
Willy Hutchinson vs. Craig Richards; Light heavyweight

For official Queensberry vs. Matchroom 5v5 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Sean Strickland is almost exactly 24 hours away from his UFC 302 co-main event slot versus Paulo Costa, a highly-anticipated Middleweight match up that could earn the victor a title shot. It’s a hugely important fight for Strickland, one that could set him up for massive rematches against Dricus Du Plessis or Israel Adesanya.

Despite the vital upcoming match up, Strickland has time for various beefs this week. He’s already taken UFC to task for crappy paychecks and a botched glove revamp, as well as verbally attacked a robot for complimenting Conor McGregor’s attractiveness. When comedian Jon-Bernard Kairouz brought up Belal Muhammad — who’s been actively trashing Strickland in recent weeks — the former Middleweight champion didn’t hold back.

“Such a f—king little bitch bro,” Strickland said of Muhammad. “Every time I see this motherf—ker in person, I’m always like ‘Hey, Belal Muhammad, you f—king Miaman, wherever the f—k you’re from, let’s handle this s—t!’ He puts his head down and goes away, and little f—king twiddle thumbs gets on the twiddler and starts talking shit.

“Listen dude: go to f—king Palestine. Go f—king fight for your f—king country. Get the f—k out of here, you f—king can.”

As for how Muhammad fares in his upcoming title bout versus Leon Edwards? “I think Leon is going to f—king starch him!”

This feud has been going on for years now, and unfortunately, there’s no reconciliation or fight booking in sight. Both men are right in the title mix of their prospective divisions, but until Muhammad jumps to 185-pounds or Strickland cuts back down to Welterweight, it seems like to remain a social media scrap.

… Or maybe they collide at the UFC PI?

Insomnia

Ponzinibbio vs. Salikhov is such good matchmaking. Veteran Welterweight strikers collide!

Jiri Prochazka spent time training with Shaolin monks! The former Light Heavyweight king has been on a lot of interesting side quests lately.

This is quite a random mix of UFC stars taking on the bumper car track.

So, uhh, UFC’s latest sponsor sounds like a bunch of nonsense.

A compilation of Dustin Poirier’s attempts at the guillotine! It really only goes wrong when he jumps guard.

A light spar between Middleweight champions:

The WWE and UFC synergy thing is really happening.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Angled the knee right under the armpit and hit the chin perfectly.

This high kick was thrown at the perfect height, just over the shoulder and at the top of the head.

This ringside footage of a brutal clinch attack is downright gnarly.

Random Land

A fancy peacock.

Midnight Music: Hip-hop, 1998

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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Dustin Poirier may be a sizeable betting underdog for his title fight against UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev tomorrow night (Sat., June 1, 2024) at UFC 302 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., but “Diamond” is still one of the biggest fan favorites on the card.

As one of the most entertaining and exciting fighters in UFC history, Poirier commands a following wherever he goes. And even though he has never cashed in on an undisputed UFC title shot fight fans are still counting on Poirier to pull of the impossible this weekend at UFC 302. Remember, Makhachev has won his last 12 trips to the Octagon and is currently the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. It’s going to be a tough day at the office for Poirier if he wants to cap off his career with the ultimate upset.

Earlier this week, fight fans showed massive love for Poirier as he was exiting UFC 302’s pre-fight press conference (replay HERE). Poirier, who grew up in Lafayette, Louisiana, was seen walking down Lafayette Street in Newark. That’s when a hoard of crazed supporters spotted “Diamond” and rushed him like he was The Beatles. Security had to usher Poirier as he made his way down the road.

Check it out in the above video player and an alternate angle below:

Poirier, who turned 35 earlier this year, is coming off a beautiful knockout stoppage over Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299 this past March. That performance ultimately landed Poirier his third shot at undisputed UFC gold, but Saturday’s walk to the Octagon at UFC 302 could very well be his last. Maybe that’s why fight fans are taking extra notice.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 302 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 302: “Makhachev vs. Poirier” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 302 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.

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Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson is confident he could become UFC heavyweight champion in less than two years, and was recently training alongside former welterweight titleholder Robbie Lawler at Kill Cliff FC in South Florida.

But don’t expect a jump to MMA anytime soon.

Instead, the 24 year-old Steveson will try his luck on the gridiron after signing a new deal with the Buffalo Bills football team earlier this week, a surprising move that comes on the heels of his release from the WWE developmental program.

Bills also parted ways with punter Matt Haack.

NFL fans on social media remain divided over the announcement. Doubters insist Steveson will struggle to make it past the practice squad, similar to Brock Lesnar’s failed quest when the former WWE and UFC champ signed with the Minnesota Vikings back in 2004.

Steveson is a freak athlete, without question, but has no pigskin experience.

It will be interesting to see how the former Gopher transitions to professional football. Despite his athleticism, Steveson stands just 6’1” and clocks in around 270 pounds, which could be considered on the smaller size among the giants in NFL.

Time will tell.

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Nick had a laundry list of opponents he wanted from GSP to Michael ‘Venom’ Page to Colby Covington at UF C300. In the end he had to settle on Vicente Luque in Abu Dhabi.

Earlier this week, the UFC shocked the world by announcing the return of Nick Diaz for a fight in Abu Dhabi against Vicente Luque.

Diaz hasn’t been seen since a rough TKO via quitting against Robbie Lawler in 2021. Before that he’d been gone since 2015, unless you were a part of the California clubbing scene in which case you might have seen him out with the homies quite a bit.

So how the heck did Diaz end up in a five round co-main event against Luque in Abu Dhabi this August? The MMA Hour’s Ariel Helwani detailed how the fight came together.

“Nick was initially pushing for a GSP fight. Didn’t come to fruition,” Helwani reported. “He was then pushing for a Colby Covington fight at UFC 300. Didn’t come to fruition. He then, after [Michael “Venom” Page’s] win and debut at 299, pushed for that fight on the June 29th Conor McGregor card, UFC 303. Didn’t come to fruition. He then pushed for Kevin Holland on the June 29th card. Thought that that was going to be the one, but as you know, it didn’t come to fruition.”

“He wants to fight. He’s ready to go. He’s in Houston training,” Ariel continued. “He has gotten rid of all the baggage. He’s gotten rid of all the partying, all that stuff. I’m told he’s in a great mental, physical, spiritual space right now, and they say, ‘What about Luque in Abu Dhabi?’ Initially, he didn’t wanna go overseas. But I’m told the people in Abu Dhabi want Nick Diaz.”

We’re not surprised the Abu Dhabi guys are old school MMA heads who appreciate an O.G. badass like Nick Diaz. The UAE invested $ 150 million in the UFC back in 2009 before the sport was cool, right around when Nick was at his peak.

So which Nick are we going to see in Abu Dhabi 14 years later? Helwani said Diaz looks good right now, but he looked good in training pics before the Lawler fight too, and the Stockton fighter needed the bout moved up a weight class last minute for that one.

“I had heard that he was on a path to being in a really good spot for the Robbie Lawler fight,” Helwani said. “And then some old faces popped up at the 11th hour and got him off that path. This is what I’m being told, and this is why he showed up the way he showed up for that fight. This is what people are saying.”

“If Nick Diaz is in good shape, if he’s in a good spot mentally, physically, if he looks the way he looks in those pictures and videos? Because we saw that leading up to the Lawler fight, and then he showed up looking completely different. If that’s truly what he’s doing and he’s around the right people, I think he can win this. I really do.”

“He hasn’t taken a ton of damage over the last few years,” Helwani concluded. “It’s just a matter of where he’s at, who’s around him, and what the distractions are.”

Those are pretty big matters, considering how his last fight (and the last nine years of his life) went.

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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

UFC 302 might just be suffering a very specific curse.

Earlier this week, Islam Makhachev’s fight week photos caused a panic amongst the fanbase, as there’s a mysterious hole on his shin bone. Conor McGregor immediately diagnosed the wound as staph, attacking the entire Dagestan crew for failing to wash themselves and their mats. Makhachev denied the accusations, but it hasn’t stopped concern from rising ahead of his title defense against Dustin Poirier, which is scheduled as the UFC 302 main event.

Now, there’s additional worry surrounding the co-main event. Once again, fight week photos have circulated, and this time eagle-eyed fight fans noticed something wonky about Paulo Costa’s left foot. There’s a visible wound, and another fan online spotted previous footage of Costa wrapping up the wound with a covering.

Reactions online were mixed. Some believe it’s a staph infection, while others like UFC Middleweight contender Chris Curtis argued “That’s a mat burn.” Here’s a sample of the reactions from X:

Bratha, whole card have staph

That thing is huge man

So he aint calf kicking which was an advantage to beating Sean.

Paulo is incapable of staph. Secret juice kill all staph.

Staff infections boutta 10-7 this whole card

Looks more like leprosy

Bro they don’t sanitize the gyms?

There are a lot of reasons for concern here. Primarily, Paulo Costa was forced to withdraw from his planned bout versus Khamzat Chimaev after multiple staph-related complications, including a gaping hole in his elbow. Staph has a tricky habit of recurring, and if Costa’s training environment resulted in an infection once, another case is certainly possible.

Not long ago, fans speculated about Benoit Saint Denis’ forehead and were later proven correct. Saint Denis’ conditioning was obviously affected, which didn’t help his chances against Dustin Poirier, who knocked him flat in the second round.

Hopefully, Costa and Makhachev are entering their UFC 302 matches in better shape.

Insomnia

This clip made me so nostalgic.

Martial arts are so beautiful.

Positive update for Mackenzie Dern fans: she’s back training with Jason Parillo!

Islam Makhachev goes to war with modern day slang.

Speaking of a confounded Lightweight kingpin, Daniel Cormier also threw off Makhachev …

Alonzo Menifield is looking for a quick return after a fast knockout loss at the hands of Carlos Ulberg. Murzakanov is dangerous though!

Shavkat Rakhmonov doesn’t sound very interested in squaring off with Joaquin Buckley.

Aljamain Sterling shaved his beard!

Staph, staph, and more staph! The unfortunate reality of wrestling on mats all the time.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Niko Price vs. Alex Morono 2 is going to be a banger, no two ways about it.

I’ve never claimed to be a boxing expert, so this is a genuine question: why did this happen?

A cartoon level left hook counter KO:

Random Land

Interesting ways to get better (at interesting sports)!

Midnight Music: A cover I had never heard before.

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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