What could it be?
| BJPenn.com

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is making its return to “The Garden State” this weekend for the upcoming UFC 302 pay-per-view (PPV) event, locked and loaded for Sat., June 1, 2024 inside Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Headlining the card will be the lightweight title fight between reigning 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev and former interim titleholder Dustin Poirier. The UFC 302 PPV co-main event will feature an important middleweight matchup between former 185-pound champion Sean Strickland and one-time title challenger Paulo Costa.

Check out their “Countdown to UFC 302” video special embedded above.

“I feel like I can climb my way back up the way I have over and over again,” Poirier told Yahoo Sports. “It’s just, do I have it in me? Do I want to do that? I’ve been doing it for so many years, grinding tooth and nail, fighting my way up this ladder to try to be No. 1. The goal is to be the undisputed world champion. That’s the only thing I have left to do in this sport. I want to finish the story and be the champion forever. That’s my goal.”

Makhachev has goals of his own.

“Dustin, he is a warrior, legend — he has more than everybody experience in this sport,” Makhachev told TMZ Sports. “But his problem is his style. That’s the one problem this guy has. His weak point is wrestling and grappling, and I have the key for the easy fight. And if I follow the plan, I can beat him easy. My style and Khabib’s style, it’s worst style for Dustin. People who can can take him down, hold him there, it always gives him problems.”

For the rest of the UFC 302 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Ronda Rousey hasn’t been at a UFC event since her final fight against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in December 2016.

Unfortunately for the “Rowdy” one, that was a tough 48-second night at the office.

Rousey, 37, understandably didn’t have any immediate media appearances backstage following her first career loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015. The unforgettable second-round head kick knockout loss left the world wondering how Rousey would react and return. All we were left with was the visual of her arriving home at the airport alongside her future husband Travis Browne and a face-covering purple pillow. That was until news broke a year later that she’d challenge the new champion, Nunes.

Before and after Rousey’s second and last career loss to Nunes, she had no media requirements or obligations and kept completely quiet. A generally unprecedented luxury given to any UFC fighter, ask Nick Diaz, Rousey felt that stretch led to poor treatment and critique from the media as she revealed in her new book, Our Fight. She expanded on the sentiment in a recent podcast conversation and explained why that’s the reason she’s steered clear of the UFC.

“Ask the MMA media [why what I gave wasn’t enough] — they’re the ones saying it,” Rousey told High Performance. “That I was a fraud and I was hype and I was exposed and I was never anything and just lucky and all of these things, that I was ungracious or I was a loser or every other thing that I just assume at this point because I don’t take the time to read it.

“Everything that could be said that was negative was said, and I feel really vilified by MMA media at this point and not really welcome back, which is why I haven’t gone to a UFC fight since [I left]. I’m pretty sure if I walked into the arena, I’d be booed. That’s how it feels.”

Love her or hate her, Rousey is undeniably one of the most important figures in MMA history. Her trailblazing efforts as a woman in combat sports led to a class of 2018 UFC Hall fo Fame induction, one of the rare UFC-related settings Rousey’s been in after her MMA retirement.

Rousey joined the professional wrestling world as part of WWE shortly after her MMA run. Despite having a large amount of success, in her first year in particular, Rousey ultimately left last year and has indicated she likely won’t ever go back.

There were times throughout her WWE run when the crowd admittedly got to Rousey. This wasn’t the only time she had “lived” with everyone hating her she, as she says it’s the same with MMA.

“I live it,” Rousey said of fans and the community disliking her. “I guess I wish it didn’t [bother me]. I gave them everything I had, and it wasn’t enough. But that’s why a lot of people don’t give everything that they have, because they don’t want to face it if it wasn’t enough. I realize it was enough for me, but not enough for people on the outside. But it really wasn’t for them.”

TOP STORIES

Roundtable. How does Dustin Poirier’s legacy change if he upsets Islam Makhachev?

Support. Khabib Nurmagomedov respects Dustin Poirier but hopes Islam Makhachev will finish him at UFC 302

Speculation. Daniel Cormier reacts to Dustin Poirier retirement talks ahead of UFC 302: ‘I hate that’

Boxing. Paige VanZant suffers brutal knockdown but comes back for split draw with Elle Brooke

Story. Kyra Gracie recalls battling sexism for the right to train jiu-jitsu and ‘have a voice’ in the family

Prediction. Charles Oliveira picks UFC champ Islam Makhachev to beat Dustin Poirier, Arman Tsarukyan

Goal. Leon Edwards wants Conor McGregor if he wins at UFC 303: ‘That’s the fight’

LET’S WATCH

Cooking with Demian Maia.

This is CineMMA.

UFC 302 Countdown.

UFC lightweight champion history.

Super RIZIN 3 trailer.

Invicta 19 subs.

Inside Islam Makhachev’s training camp.

Aspinall’s birthday.

Per-hair-a.

Wonderboy on Strickland.

MORNING MUSIC

Go to Twitter, use the #MorningReport hashtag, or find one of my tweets with it, and drop me a jam you’re currently really into. I’ll pick the best one alongside my daily choice and give you a shoutout! You can also share in the comments below — those are just harder to sift through sometimes!

SOCIAL SCROLL DOWN

Power couple.

Typical Din.

Got ‘em.

Enemy territory.

Ouch.

Momentum.

Well done, Cub.

Aldo’s “He’s just like me” moment.

Dumb, man. Dumb.

Almost time.

Come on, Dana.

Don’t hate it.

Night-night.

Well, damn.

Patience.

Still perfect outside the UFC.

Oshima is just too much fun.

Yeah, not great.

Team.

Big fan.

Lookout!

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Shinobu Ota (6-3) vs. Francesco Nuzzi (10-1); Bellator Dublin, June 22

Ian Machado Garry (14-0) vs. Michael Page (22-2); UFC 303, June 29

Sam Patterson (11-2-1) vs. Kiefer Crosbie (10-4); UFC 304, July 27

Modestas Bukauskas (15-6) vs. Marcin Prachnio (17-7); UFC 304, July 27

Jarno Errens (14-5-1) vs. Youssef Zalal (14-5-1); UFC Vegas 95, Aug. 10

FINAL THOUGHTS

“I just assume at this point because I don’t take the time to read it.” Ronda. Come on.

Happy Monday, gang. Thanks for reading … if you did!

POLL POSITION

Last Week’s Results:

Friday: 50% of 350 total votes answered “Yes” when asked, “Is Curtis Blaydes the worst matchup for Tom Aspinall at heavyweight?”

Thursday: 96% of 561 total votes answered “Yes” when asked, “Did Kayla Harrison make the right choice leaving PFL for UFC?”

Wednesday: 49% of 488 total votes answered “Islam Makhachev” when asked, “Which fight would Ilia Topuria be more likely to get?”

Tuesday: 57% of 407 total votes answered “No” when asked, “Will Tyron Woodley fight again?”

Monday: 71% of 289 total votes answered “No” when asked, “Will the winner of Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight the winner of Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes 2?”

Today’s exit poll:

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

UFC 392 Countdown takes a closer look at the co-main event clash between former middleweight champion Sean Strickland and hard-hitting Brazilian Paulo Costa.

For Strickland (28-6), it’s his first fight since losing the belt to Dricus Du Plessis in January.  He’ll have to win on June 1 to remain the top contender in the division.  Costa (14-3) has lost three of his last fought fights and is coming off a loss to former champion Robert Whittaker.  A win over Strickland would put Costa right back in contender status.  

UFC 302 Countdown: Strickland vs. Costa    

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Prediction
| BJPenn.com

“The Notorious” shared photos and videos from his wild night out on Instagram, raising questions of how seriously he’s taking preparations for his June 29, 2024, comeback fight.

Conor McGregor is hard at work training for his comeback fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 next month (June 29, 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada. But, all work and no play make “The Notorious” a dull boy, so the Irish sports star took some time this weekend to rage out at his pub until the early morning hours (2 a.m.).

McGregor posted various photos and videos from the Black Forge Inn in Dublin, Ireland, where he danced and groped the night away with his long-time partner and mother of his children, Dee Devlin. Others shared media from the night as well. He was seen hawking his whiskey and stout, but not a drop passed his lips that we can see.

That’s because McGregor claims he’s in the middle of a 10-week dry run for his high-profile (and long-awaited) return to the Octagon.

But, will it be enough if he continues to spend his nights at the Black Forge Inn, partying and dancing? Compare McGregor’s behavior to his upcoming opponent, whose Instagram account is jam-packed full of intense gym session footage. “Iron Mike” is also hawking a tequila, but you can tell it’s a side hustle, not the meat to his potatoes.

As for McGregor, the money he makes from fighting for UFC is nothing compared to the big bucks he gets from his booze empire. His Proper 12 whiskey has earned him hundreds of millions. He hopes to make similar amounts building his Forged Irish Stout into another powerhouse. And there’s no better moment than now to give his high cost Black Forge Inn a boost via some high value promotion.

There’s plenty of people out there suggesting this is all McGregor pulling a Ryan Garcia on us. Garcia engaged in some of the strangest mental warfare we’ve ever witnessed leading up to his boxing match with Devin Haney. Simply put, he acted like he was in the middle of a mental breakdown only to show up on fight night and knock down Haney multiple times (watch highlights).

But, what was real and what was fake?

Garcia admitted afterward that he was drinking every night leading up to the fight, and there’s no faking his very real divorce from the mother of his newborn child. At 25, Garcia can lean on his talent and youth to carry him through his rough patch.

Can the 35-year-old McGregor?

After years away from the sport, McGregor is returning from an injury few ever truly recover from. He needs focus and discipline, not mind games or business promotion.

Ring rust is real.

To checkout the latest and greatest UFC 303 fight card and rumors click here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts