UFC 302 live results: Updates, highlights, odds, analysis as Islam ...
Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier is headlining UFC 302. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, the promotion's consensus top pound-for-pound fighter, is defending his belt at UFC 302 against fan favorite Dustin Poirier.
Poirier will be hoping third time's the charm. He has previously fought for the belt twice, losing by submission on rear-naked chokes against Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019 and Charles Oliveira in 2021. Since his most recent title shot, he's defeated Michael Chandler, lost to Justin Gaethje in a "BMF" fight and upset rising star Benoît Saint Denis to remain in the division's elite ranks.
[Related: How to watch UFC 302]
Makhachev has so far shown himself to be on another level, though his only two title defenses have come against Alexander Volkanovski. The Russian won the vacant title against Oliveira, then the de facto champion, at UFC 280 and was supposed to face him again at UFC 294, but the Brazilian withdrew due to injury, leaving Volkanovski to step up on short notice and pay the price.
Makhachev is the strong favorite to retain the belt and will also have his mentor Nurmagomedov in his corner at the Prudential Center in Newark. Poirier's been an underdog before, though, and you never know what will happen in a title fight.
Follow all of the action right here on Yahoo Sports with our live blog below where we'll be sharing all of the latest results and highlights throughout the entire card.
Live10 updates
Sun, June 2, 2024 at 1:11 AM GMT+2
Here comes Ailin Perez vs. Joselyne Edwards. There's plenty of bad blood here, as the two fighters got into an altercation outside the Octagon last year. You can read more here.
Sun, June 2, 2024 at 1:09 AM GMT+2
Dave Tirelli gave Raposo the first and second rounds. The second is understandable because of Raposo's takedown, but it's hard to understand what he saw in the first, where Lima outlanded Raposo 17-7.
Sun, June 2, 2024 at 1:07 AM GMT+2
Lima stays undefeated against a smaller, less prepared opponent, but this win, his second in the UFC, will hardly be remembered as a step forward given his missing weight and eyepokes. He outlanded Raposo 43-27 in significant strikes.
Someone scoring that fight for Raposo is stunning, and the commentators are going off on it.
Sun, June 2, 2024 at 1:04 AM GMT+2
The fight goes the distance, with Andre Lima likely to remain undefeated. Now for the scorecards.
Sun, June 2, 2024 at 1:00 AM GMT+2
Lima just out here foulin' left and right in addition to missing weight.
Good time to remind everyone it's ok to take a point when the fighter is undisciplined and commits a series of different fouls. Doesn't have to be repeats of the same foul.
— Luke Thomas????️♀️ (@lthomasnews) June 1, 2024
Sun, June 2, 2024 at 12:58 AM GMT+2
Second round over. Raposo landed a takedown in the final minute but couldn't do anything with it. Eyepoke counter is now at three.
Sun, June 2, 2024 at 12:57 AM GMT+2
Herb Dean pauses the fight, telling Lima to watch the fingers. They restart, but Raposo complains again about an eyepoke. Worth noting this is the first fight with the new UFC gloves.
Sun, June 2, 2024 at 12:52 AM GMT+2
Aaron Rodgers just arrived to watch UFC 302
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) June 1, 2024
Sun, June 2, 2024 at 12:52 AM GMT+2
That was a lopsided first round, in favor of Lima. He's been mostly playing defense, but must have punished Raposo with a half-dozen hard kicks to the legs and body.
Sun, June 2, 2024 at 12:43 AM GMT+2
Our first matchup of the night is here, between Mitch Raposo and Andre Lima. Raposo is on a four-fight win streak, while Lima is undefeated at 8-0 and coming off a now-infamous DQ win in which Igor Severino took a big ol' bite out of his bicep.
Lima, who missed weight by five pounds, is a -300 favorite against Raposo, who is stepping in on two weeks notice after Nyamjargal Tumendemberel's withdrawal.
All odds via BetMGM.
UFC 302 prelims, odds (Start time 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN+)UFC 302 early prelims, odds (Start time 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass)
