Makhachev vs Poirier Headlines UFC 302 Main Card
Mahkachev vs Poirier Odds
There are five fights on the UFC 302 card at Prudential Center on Saturday, including the main event between Islam Makhachev vs Dustin Poirier.
Makhachev vs Poirier odds have the champion at -700 to win, which is a fair assumption of how the fight could materialize.
Bettors also get Strickland vs Costa, Holland vs Oleksiejczuk, Almeida vs Romanov, and Brown vs dos Santos.
The UFC schedule is packed with excellent fights, and the PPV card doesn’t get much better.
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Makhachev vs Poirier odds have the Russian at -700 to improve his 25-1 record, and he should fancy his chances against Poirier.
The 32-year-old has been rolling through his opponents since arriving in the UFC in 2015, and it’s one of the biggest UFC events on the 2024 calendar.
With wins over the likes of Alexander Volkanovski, Charles Oliviera, and Dan Hooker, he has beaten some of the most electric fighters in the industry, which is why he shouldn’t be worried by Poirier.
However, Poirier has 30 wins on his record, and he’s one of the most fearless fighters on the UFC roster.
The 35-year-old comes off a second-round knockout win over Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299, which followed a knockout loss to Justin Gaethje for the BMF title.
The +450 underdog with Makhachev vs Poirier odds is about where we priced him. He’s a great fighter, but Makhachev is a fighter on a different level than most in the lightweight division.
“I have been following Poirier for a long time,” Makhachev’s coach Magomedgadzhi Baganov said. “In terms of striking technique, he has a unique fighting style. Islam doesn’t just hold his own against him; if he doesn’t engage recklessly, Islam surpasses him.”
We’re happy to include the -700 in our UFC betting parlays for UFC 302.
Costa Seeking Betting Upset
We’re surprised to see Sean Strickland at -240 to beat Paulo Costa in the co-main event.
After Strickland defeated Israel Adesanya for the middleweight championship, he immediately lost it to Dricus Du Plessis.
We think he will find it tough to bounce back from, and Costa isn’t a fighter to be messed with at 14-3.
He owns one of the biggest knockout punches in the UFC, and if he connects with Strickland’s chin, it’s all over.
The 33-year-old Brazilian lost to Robert Whittaker, which wasn’t a top performance. However, Whittaker fights with smarts, and Strickland doesn’t always protect his chin.
Costa hasn’t had a big victory since beating Yoel Romero, and although he cops criticism for being all muscle and no power, we’re not about to underrate him at the generous odds.
Take the +200 in a fight that could go either way.
Holland’s Size Too Much for Opponent
Kevin Holland has a massive reach advantage over Michal Oleksiejczuk, and that’s enough to see him justify his odds.
The 25-11 fighter might not be the most consistent in the UFC, and his loss against Michael Page wasn’t great, but that could have gone either way.
Despite landing more total strikes a 2-0 advantage in takedowns, UFC judges gave the win to former Bellator champion Page.
Redemption is on his mind as he looks to get back to the form which saw him submit Michael Chiesa.
It’s about time Holland provides his loyal fans something to cheer about, and Oleksiejczuk isn’t a fighter we want to bet on at +200 odds.
The Polish fighter lost to Michel Pereira at UFC 299, and we didn’t see enough from him to back him with confidence.
Include Holland at UFC 302.
Bounce Back Expected for Almeida
Jailton Almeida was given a reality check by Curtis Blaydes at UFC 299.
The 32-year-old was knocked out early in the second round of the heavyweight clash, but Blaydes is more devastating than Alexander Romanov, who he faces in New Jersey.
Almeida is a 20-3 fighter, so he doesn’t lose often, and he usually bounces back in fine style for victory.
Romanov has only two losses on his 17-2 record, but he is less experienced in the UFC. He defeated Blagoy Ivanov in July, which isn’t the highest ranking win you want on your record.
That followed a knockout loss to Alexander Volkov, and we don’t think Romanov is among the best heavyweights in the division.
Getting -240 for Almeida is fair from the sportsbook, so we’re including him in our parlays.
Brown: A Knockout Pick
We think Randy Brown knocks out Elizeu dos Santos, and bettors get should back Brown with confidence.
The 33-year-old took just over three minutes to knockout Muslim Salikhov in February, and having that fight under his belt is ideal.
He has only one loss on his record since 2020, which came against Jack Della Maddalena, so we’ll forgive him for that effort.
Dos Santos is 24-7-1 following a decision win over Abubakar Nurmagomedov last year. That was a solid victory, but we don’t think he’s nearly as explosive as Brown.
Given what’s at stake on the UFC 302 main card, we see Brown finishing the fight in the first two rounds.
He’s paying value odds to end the fight before it gets in the hands of the judges.
For UFC betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
