The Prudential Center witnessed plenty of decision wins, along with a variety of submission victories and surprisingly no knockouts. Here are all the results as to what happened at UFC 302.
Early Prelims
Mitch Raposo vs Andre Lima (Flyweight Bout) - Lima wins via Split Decision (30-27, 30-27, 28-29).
Despite missing weight for the fight, Lima was victorious after three rounds, edging a split decision over Mitch Raposo with leg kicks being a big factor in the fight. Lima remains undefeated in his MMA career with nine wins as he secures his second win with the organisation. One more fight could see Mascote possibly enter the Flyweight rankings.
Ailin Perez vs Joselyne Edwards (Women's Bantamweight Bout) - Perez wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
A heated rivalry eventually cooled down once the fight was over as Perez would earn the win thanks to her wrestling and an incredible spinning backfist knockdown in the second round. Fiona now makes it three consecutive unanimous decision wins after earning her first victory in front of a UFC crowd. Now that the Argentinian is on a three-fight winning streak, it may not be long before Perez claims a spot in the Bantamweight rankings.
Micky Gall vs Bassil Hafez (Welterweight Bout) - Hafez wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
Gall and Hafez livened up Newark with an action-packed and entertaining three-round war which had every fan applauding by the end of the fight. Hafez got the judges decision as he earns his first win in the UFC. With already two fascinating battles in the organisation, MMA fans will be more than excited to see The Habibi fight again.
Preliminary Card
Philip Rowe vs Jake Matthews (Welterweight Bout) - Matthews wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Matthews put on a striking display and showed his years of experience in the UFC as he secured a decision win over The Fresh Prince. The Australian has been fighting with the MMA promotion since June 2014, earning his fifth unanimous decision win in the UFC. The Celtic Kid has not been on a winning streak since March 2021 as he looks to stay in the win column in his next Welterweight bout.
Grant Dawson vs Joe Solecki (Lightweight Bout) - Dawson wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
Dawson redeemed his devastating knockout loss from UFC Vegas 80 as he showed pure dominance with his wrestling, earning a convincing unanimous decision win over Solecki. KGD doesn't go the distance very often in his MMA career as he picked up his fourth decision win on his record. Dawson will aim to get another shot at entering the Lightweight rankings and prove he can stay as a contender in the division.
Jailton Almeida vs Alexander Romanov (Heavyweight Bout) - Almeida wins via Rear-Naked Choke (R1, 2:27).
Almeida made quick work of Romanov to get his redemption in New Jersey after landing one takedown in the fight, before submitting the Moldovian as he maintains his #7 contender's spot in the Heavyweight rankings. Malhadinho earns his 13th submission win of his MMA career with his recent victory becoming the quickest stoppage win in his UFC campaign. The Brazilian called out Ciryl Gane in the post-fight interview which seems likely to happen as Almeida could rise up the division and possibly be in title contention.
Cesar Almeida vs Roman Kopylov (Middleweight Bout) - Kopylov wins via Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29).
Kopylov became the first fighter to defeat Cesar Almeida in MMA as he earned his second decision win of his career, surprisingly not winning by knockout. The Russian did get a knockdown during the fight but it would be his wrestling that convinced the judges decision. Now that he is back to winning ways, Kopylov will aim to get a second chance at entering the Middleweight rankings after his first chance was blown by Alexander Hernandez.
Main Card
Randy Brown vs Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (Welterweight Bout) - Brown wins via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
In a technical and intriguing fight, Brown would claim the unanimous decision victory as he is now on a three-fight winning streak. Rudeboy would land more damaging strikes and would be close to submitting dos Santos during the second round, despite almost being submitted himself. It is possible that Brown could be en route to fighting a Welterweight contender, but many fight fans will be expecting one more convincing for the Jamaican.
Niko Price vs Alex Morono (Welterweight Bout) - Price wins via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
In a battle of two experienced Welterweights, Price would come out on top as he landed more strikes and takedowns in the fight with Morono breathing very heavily towards the end of the third round. It was a must-needed win for The Hybrid after his last two fights ended with a knockout loss which would almost bring down his career. With 17 fights in the organisation, Price has no choice but keep going and challenge himself as he looks to keep creating entertainment for the fans.
Kevin Holland vs Michal Oleksiejczuk (Middleweight Bout) - Holland wins via Armbar (R1, 1:34).
Despite having a slight scare in the first 45 seconds, Holland would not be afraid to keep battling on the ground as he locked in an Armbar before breaking the arm of Oleksiejczuk, leaving the referee to stop the fight. Trailblazer redeems himself very nicely after losing his last two bouts by decision as he earned his ninth submission victory of his MMA career. Holland seems to be spectacular in both the Welterweight and Middleweight division as he continues to have fun in the Octagon.
Sean Strickland vs Paulo Costa (Middleweight Bout) - Strickland wins via Split Decision (50-45, 49-46, 46-49).
What could have been a scary robbery in the fight, Strickland would take the glory and remain as the #1 Middleweight contender after getting a split decision win, but most people believed it should have been unanimous. It was clear that the former UFC Middleweight Champion's fighting style was too challenging for Costa as it goes to show why Strickland is at the top of this division. With revenge on his mind, the Californian will be desperate to get his deserved rematch with the current Middleweight Champion, Dricus Du Plessis.
Islam Makhachev vs Dustin Poirier (Lightweight Bout) - Makhachev wins via D'Arce Choke (R5, 2:42).
In a war which almost lasted the full five rounds, Makhachev would submit Poirier late to earn his third consecutive title defence and have the joint most title wins in UFC Lightweight history, along with; BJ Penn, Benson Henderson and Khabib Nurmagomedov. During the post-fight interview, it was clear that the Lightweight Champion wanted to fight for the 170-pound belt as he is now interested in a new challenge. Meanwhile, for Dustin Poirier, he may have had his last ride in the UFC as he now thinks whether it is best to retire now that he has nothing to fight for.
Performance of the Night bonuses:
- Islam Makhachev
- Kevin Holland
Fight of the Night bonus:
- Islam Makhachev vs Dustin Poirier
Written by Charlie Oxtoby
Instagram: charlie_oxtoby
MMA Instagram: undisputed._,mma
Twitter: Charlie_Oxtoby1
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