UFC 300 went down this past weekend and brought with it some important announcements for the future. With a packed schedule for June on the cards, a lot of big names are set to be in action. Despite some big-name announcements, the fans were left rather unimpressed with UFC 302 in particular.
Previously, UFC President Dana White announced the headliner and co-main event for UFC 302 which takes place on June 1, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. As for the headliner, we will see Islam Makhachev make his return to defend the lightweight throne against Dustin Poirier. On the other hand, the co-main event will see Sean Strickland take on Paulo Costa.
Get ’em while you can!#UFC302 is ON SALE NOW 🚨
We’ll see you there: https://t.co/uXAg0DZ6db#VisitNJ | @Visit_NJ | @PruCenter pic.twitter.com/72jlF0uytc
— UFC (@ufc) April 19, 2024
With the announcement, like that of UFC 303, not getting a special promo, the fans were left underwhelmed by the announcements. Although the card, along with the Saudi Arabia and UFC 303 card makes for an action-packed June, the way it was unveiled left much to be desired. As it turns out, the same could be said after the rest of the UFC 302 card was released.
Fans make their thoughts known about Makhachev vs Poirier full fight card
In a recent press release, the promotion unveiled the rest of the fights on UFC 302. Whilst many already had mixed feelings about Dustin Poirier getting the opportunity to fight Islam Makhachev, the rest of the card, or at least some of it made for a dreary read. As such, the fans were quick to make their thoughts known about it as well.
For the most part, aside from the aforementioned fights, the card also includes Roman Dolidze vs Anthony Hernandez, Jailton Almeida vs Alexandr Romanov, Randy Brown vs. Elizeu dos Santos, Niko Price vs. Alex Morono, and Sumudaerji vs. Joshua Van among a few other fights. All things considered, the card contains some solid fighters and upcoming talent, yet lacks a bonafide superstar to top it all off.
The UFC have announced the card for UFC 302 via press release:
Makhachev vs. Poirier
Strickland vs. Costa
Jailton vs. Romanov
Randy Brown vs. EZ dos Santos
HyunSung Park vs. Andre Lima
Price vs. Morono
Dolidze vs. Fluffy
C. Almeida vs. Kopylov
Ailin Perez vs. Joselyne Edwards…— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) April 18, 2024
Seeing the stacked nature of UFC 300 and the cards around this one, one can understand why it lags behind. Some may blame UFC 300 for setting very high standards for the rest of the year as well. Either way, the fans feel that such a card should not be so heavy on their pockets, with ticket prices going through the roof. All in all, aside from a select few fights, the event has largely gotten a ‘meh’ response from the fans.
A fan’s guide on how to improve UFC 302
For the most part, the reception to UFC 302 has evidently been a mixed bag. Considering that it does possess some very watchable fights and notable talents, it still misses the ‘it’ factor at the top. Whilst Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier, Sean Strickland, and Paulo Costa will attract a lot of eyes, the rest of the main card will be key. Currently, we are yet to receive the official bout order as well.
With that said, the card is ways ahead of UFC 301 which takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, later this month. Seeing that the card barely resembles anything more than a Fight Night card, UFC 302 is much better off. As such, the fans whilst expressing their thoughts on it, have also suggested that adding one more big-name fight to the main card would go a long way.
According to many, the card severely drops off after the co-main and needs one more matchup to potentially be a good card. However, considering UFC 303 and UFC 304 in Manchester also to come, the options could be quite limited. Despite this, if the UFC conjures up another must-watch fan-friendly fight, the card could be in competition with the likes of UFC 299, UFC 298, and other cards that we have and are yet to see this year.