The Octagon returned to New Jersey on Saturday with a lightweight title fight between reigning champion Islam Makhachev and popular challenger Dustin Poirier headlining the event.
UFC 302 also featured a special five-round co-main event between former middleweight champion Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa.
All ut three fights ended up going the distance. Below are the full UFC 302 results:
MAIN CARD
Islam Makhachev def. Dustin Poirier via submission at 2:42 of Round 5.
Islam Makhachev remained the top fighter in the promotion, defending his title for a third time after submitting Dustin Poirier in what was a ridiculously tight fight until it wasn’t. The undisputed lightweight champ locked in a great D’Arce choke to secure the win.
Sean Strickland def. Paulo Costa via split decision (46-49, 50-45, 49-46)
Neither of the two talented strikers could find a way to land a knockout blow, but former middleweight champion Sean Strickland piled on some big hits at the end to secure the split decision win over Paulo Costa.
Kevin Holland def. Michal Oleksiejczuk via technical submission at 1:34 of Round 1.
It looked scary for a second for Kevin Holland. He got rocked by a big left hook, dropping him to the mat, and Michal Oleksiejczuk went in for the kill, but a massive counter on the ground from Holland allowed him to lock in a vicious armbar and referee Herb Dean called it.
Niko Price def. Alex Morono via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Despite a strong start for Alex Morono, Niko Price dominated for the majority of their bout, transitioning from solid strikes to some impressive wrestling to wear down his opponent and help secure the unanimous win.
Randy Brown def. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Randy Brown landed a big knee and some sweet strikes while defending well on the ground to earn the unanimous decision win over dos Santos and his third-straight win.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Roman Kopylov def. César Almeida via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Cear Almeida was unable to remain undefeated in his MMA career and Roman Kopylov didn’t allow the former kickboxer to play to his strengths, showing some wrestling skills to keep him in control for the split decision win.
Jailton Almeida def. Alexander Romanov via submission at 2:27 of Round 1
For the first finish of the night, Jailton Almeida got on Alexander Romanov’s back to rock the big man with a rear naked choke and get back in the win column. It was the 21st win of his pro career and his 13th submission victory.
Grant Dawson def. Joe Solecki via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Grant Dawson absolutely dominated on the ground, earning over 13 minutes of ground control time and not giving Joe Solecki any room to breathe whatsoever to earn the unanimous decision win
Jake Matthews def. Philip Rowe via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
A welterweight duel rife with bloodying strikes ended with Jake Matthews in control on the ground against Philip Rowe. That dominance on the mat helped the Australian to a unanimous victory and his 13th win in UFC.
Bassil Hafez def. Mickey Gall via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Some heavy haymakers were raining in this explosive welterweight bout as New Jersey native Mickey Gall and Bassil “The Habibi” Hafez chose to stay on their feet for much of the final two rounds, with Hafez eventually coming out on top after letting loose with some wicked jabs and hooks.
Ailín Pérez def. Joselyne Edwards unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Perez and Edwards took out their frustrations on each other for 15 minutes and it was Perez who emerged with her hand raised after six successful takedowns and dropped Edwards with a spinning backfist at one point, earning her third consecutive unanimous decision victory.
André Lima def. Mitch Raposo via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
Lima used a heavy dose of leg kicks, out-struck his opponent in all three rounds, and got away with multiple fouls during the second round, yet one of the judges scored two rounds in favour of Raposo.