UFC 302 has an outstanding lightweight title fight coming up soon between current champ Islam Makhachev and fourth-ranked Dustin Poirier. The main card kicks off on Saturday, June 1 at 10:00 p.m. ET at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Makhachev is heavily favored, but other prop bets could be more appealing.
Makhachev (25-1-0) is currently on a 13-fight win streak dating back to 2016. His latest victory was a first-round knockout (head kick) in his second match against Alexander Volkanovski.
His fighting profile shows five knockouts, 11 submissions, and nine decisions. He currently has 10 first-round finishes, and his only loss was a knockout back in 2015.
He currently strikes with a 60 percent accuracy rate and lands 60 percent of his takedowns. He contributes 2.46 significant strikes and allows 1.27 in return for each minute of action. This is a solid differential, but he has room to be more aggressive.
Makhachev lands 3.17 takedowns and 1.00 submissions per 15 minutes of fight time. He also defends against significant strikes at 61 percent and against takedowns at 90 percent of the time.
Poirier (30-8-0) has gone 2-2 in his last four fights but has some positive momentum coming in. His latest battle was a second-round knockout victory against Benoit St. Denis back at UFC 299 in March of this year.
He currently has a fighting profile consisting of 15 knockouts, eight submissions, and seven decisions. He also has 13 first-round finishes, which means both fighters have the ability to end this early.
"The Diamond" is aggressive with striking, as he lands 5.45 significant strikes and absorbs 4.36 each minute of action. He delivers strikes at a 51 percent rate and lands 36 percent of his takedowns. This is a solid ratio of strikes landed and absorbed, and the mist keeps Makhachev on his toes with the pace.
Poirier defends against takedowns and significant strikes at 63 and 53 percent, respectively. He also throws in 1.33 takedowns and 1.40 submissions in each 15 minutes of fight time.
MyBookie offers the odds for the Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier battle. Both fighters offer a lot of depth in terms of their ability to close out fights, but the market is heavily favoring Makhachev to succeed. Can Poirer triumph in a battle against a fighter type that he has historically not been able to match up well against?
To help boost his moneyline potential, bettors could consider adding Makhachev to a parlay with other fights on the night. However, this battle could end earlier than the five rounds, and that could be a better opportunity for a prop bet.
