Islam Makhachev will defend his UFC lightweight title at UFC 302 on Saturday following an acrimonious build-up between the champion and veteran Dustin Poirier.
Russian Makhachev and American Poirier had to be separated during their face-off when the challenger’s swearing upset his opponent.
“I’m going to knock you out,” former interim titlist Poirier told Makhachev. “Sleep. I’m going to sleep-stop you.
“You’re going to be diving for my legs, praying. You’re going to be diving for my legs. You’re going to be laying and praying, that’s what you’re going to be doing.”
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The showdown in New Jersey will be Makhachev’s third defence of the belt he won in October 2022.
“I am the best fighter in the world,” the 32-year-old said. “That’s why it’s going to be a bad day for Dustin.
“When he faces high-level fighters who have good wrestling and grappling, he always has the same problems.”
Both fighters made weight on Friday. “He’s definitely a finisher,” acknowledged Poirier. “This isn’t going the distance. One of us is going down hard.”
First to the hit the scale this morning ☀️@DUSTINPOIRIER weighs in at 155lbs 💎
[ #UFC302 | LIVE on @ESPNPLUS PPV | TOMORROW ] PIC.TWITTER.COM/SW4MEYAAKK
— UFC (@ufc) MAY 31, 2024
UFC 302: Start times, ring walks
The early prelims start at 6pm local time in the US, which is 11pm in the UK. The prelims start at 8pm in the US and 1am in the UK.
For the main card, expect a start time of around 10pm, or 3am in the UK. Makhachev and Poirier’s walks should start at around 12.15am local time, which is 5.15am in the UK.
UFC 302 TV channel, how to watch
In the UK, the action is being shown live on TNT Sports as they have the rights to broadcast the UFC.
US viewers can watch the card on ESPN+ and ESPN+ PPV.
UFC 302 live stream, online streaming
UFC 302 is available to stream via discovery+ in the UK and ESPN in the US.
You can watch it on a number of different devices, including your smartphone, tablet, laptop or smart TV.
